merlot":38wm7kom said:
I have some holes that were made when the helm chair/seat was replaced by the previous owner.
I have some fiberglass hole filler from West Marine, but it is "white." The fiberglass is actually a "cream" colour.
Where can I get a proper match?
Bob
Hello Bob,
There are probably easier ways, but the way I would fill unwanted holes in the Fiberglass structure are as follows. (Assuming you can get to the underside of the area with the holes)
a) Drill the hole out to at least 1/4" inch. 3/8" would be easier to work with. Chamfer the hole.
b) Clean the gelcoat around the hole with an acetone moistened rag.
c) Apply some clear packing tape to the underside of the holes. This will prevent the epoxy from running through the hole.
d) Fill the hole/s with epoxy. It can either be "neat" meaning plain without thickening additives or you could add some wood flour, cabosil, silica, or other thickener. If you thicken it, I would not go thicker than ketchup consistency. You said these where seat holes so they must be on a horizontal surface thus thickening is optional. If they are holes on a vertical surface then thickening is mandatory or else the epoxy will run out of the hole before it cures. Slightly overfill the holes so the epoxy is "mounded" slightly over each filled hole.
e) After the epoxy has cured, spot sand it flush with the surrounding gelcoat. Applying masking tape around each hole to make a square will help keep from sanding too large an area.
f) Once the epoxy filled holes are level, NOW you apply some gelcoat to match the surrounding color. There are numerous gelcoat "repair" kits on the market and the color you are after is probably a stock one (that is, not a custom mixed color).
The gist of all this is that the hole is filled with epoxy and the gel coat goes on after the fill is completed. Gelcoat is not a hole filler but rather a surface coat. Think of it as a difficult to apply 2 part paint. There is the gelcoat resin that has the color then you add the MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) as the activator. Oxygen must be excluded for gelcoat to cure so there is a variety with wax added which does the O2 exclusion for you. Or, you can apply a piece of Saran plastic wrap on top of the gelcoat so it will cure. West Marine has vids on how to apply gelcoat which shows all this.
You can search online for Utube vids of "fiberglass/gelcoat repair" and find thousands of results if you learn better by watching a vid.
Most any epoxy will work. The 5 minute stuff in the syringe tubes is fine; this isn't structural so you don't need "marine grade" epoxy. If your gonna try to thicken it I would get the 30 minute stuff so it doesn't kick off to soon while your still trying to work it.
Good luck,
/david
