How to fill small bolt holes?

Mike

Mike

Well-known member
I bought a new to me boat. It is a molded polyester resin boat that used to have bolted on grassing strips to hold on the salt hay. I've decided to try to fill the 5/32" bolt holes and use a different type of camo method. I shouldn't need much total filler and would like to find something easy to use. Can anyone recommend a suitable filler? Possibly something I can get from West Marine or BoatUS?
 
I think bondo would do the trick easy to use and easy to find and it comes in small amounts I used bondo to fill holes in my bbsb where someone had put the stud type holder for the dodger it worked well
 
Piece of duct tape on the inside, then use some 5200, black if you can find it. As paint does not stick to it too well. Get the small toothpaste tube sizes, keep it in the refrigerator, it lasts a long time! Fill the hole and overflow some. I might even countersink the holes to increase the surface area for the 5200 bond.

Dave
 
I have heard ot the cracking aswell but was told on small aplications like filling holes it will be ok but could be wrong
 
Dave,
I have a tube of tan 3M 5200 and considered your method, but was thinking about something paintable. Can I just buy a small amount of poly resin and hardner and thicken it up with something? My hope is that I could make the holes disappear after sanding and paint.
 
Well if you are willing to do the resin... buy a small epoxy resin kit, and use some filler and glass and really fix it right. I though you were looking for a quick fill if you were considering bondo. West Marine sells several kits. West Systems has a material that has the filler already, G-flex or something like that, though I don't think you can use cloth with it?

Dave
 
Guess I don't really know what I want to do with it. I like the idea of quick, but want it done right just the same.
 
use a countersink bit and drill holes quickly on inside and out.....to make an hourglass shape if you will.........just a quick shot with drill dont over due it...
smear milled fiber/ resin mix on inside and out....right before it kicks use your plastic applicator thingy and smear off the xtra that is unless you like sanding...
the hourglass shape dosent allow the repair to ever work loose...and you only need a small amount of milled fiber and resin to fill a hundred holes...mix the batch hot so you dont have to wait very long to redo imperfections and smear off xtra.....thats just how I have seen it done......hope i helped you
 
3M 5200 with the tape or even better thickened epoxy.
I just did some work with a sample of System 3s pre mixed filler called Quick Fair. It is in the silver tip line. It worked very well and I expect to use it more.
 
I've used both bondo and plumbers putty to fill in holes like you're talking about. No problems. I did have a problem when I was installling a drain hole and used plumber's putty (the 2-part epoxy) to fill in around a drain plug I was installing ... it made the surrounding resin brittle, so I wouldn't recommend it for large areas, but for filling in a small hole it worked great.

Scott
 
Mike,
Sand back of hole. Wet out piece of glass for the back and apply.

When dry, fill holes with epoxy and milled fiber. when hard sand and paint.

Only sure cure for fix of the holes.

Ken
 
Hi Mike. I needed to fill some areas of my Poke boat that were almost all the way abraded through. After looking at th especs on WEST products, I bought a G-Flex kit due the very specs on "modulus of elasticity". I used several layers of 6oz cloth to fill the abraded areas and have no problems with it since fixing it.

Prior to purchasing the G-Flex kit, I called WEST technical help line and they told me that just prior to doing the actual bonding I should wave a propane torch over the area to be bonded. They said it aligns the ions so that the epoxy sticks much better. They specifially reccomend that treatment for use of G-Flex on all plastic surfaces to be bonded.

John Bourbon

PS, oh yeah, Dave's idea to countersink the hole to increase surface area for bonding is a good one also....
 
Plenty of good suggestions. Just shows that there's more than one way to skin a cat. Thanks for all the help.
 
When we redid the TDB with new rails I filled the old holes with black 5200 and painted with Parker duckboat paint...3 yrs so far so good.
 
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