Fiberglass Hull Repair

The experts at Metan Marine Restoration show how to repair a small section of damaged hull, right down to the new gelcoat application. Check out the full article at boatinglocal.com

[@jerrymcintire7902]

Thanks, thorough demonstration. Appreciate that you edited this to be a clear and detailed help.

[@nealtrombley3955]

nice job...there are many ways to repair a void, this was simply the correct way. there are others that just use marine tex or bondo type products...I am in the boating industry and sell products like Hutchins sanders and Kardol Resin/glass...I also own a 86 sunfish and this is I would do my repairs...well done. Neal SW FL...

[@kenshores9900]

Very good repair. It shows that if you are a DIYer that you could do the repairs to a boat yourself. Thanks.

[@AndrewLale]

'Go ahead and use it, you're just going to screw it up again'. I love these guys.

[@donching7020]

this repair is not correct, you are supposed to add the smaller layer first, then the bigger pieces. the layers need to bond to the hull separately over lapping each other. if you put the bigger piece on first it is only one layer bonding to the hull all other repair plies are on top of the large piece.

[@gomigman5936]

Don Ching Good call by you. I've watched this video twice now and never noticed that booboo. Makes total sense since it's basically a dip and the deepest part is the smallest and gets gradually bigger as you come up to the widened surface.

[@mickhawkes125]

yeah, thought that too, makes no sense to do it the other way

[@metanmarine]

Your are wrong....Sorry but simply very very wrong...

[@metanmarine]

Largest piece of fiberglass is first... ABC's of fiberglass repair...

[@bruceevennett6972]

And the black marker he used is alcohol base type like acetone for cleaning resin out. See it mixing trough the resin as he applies it. Probably fall of in a week

[@boatinglocal]

All we can say is that Scotty's job was one of the best we've seen. Could not tell the difference between the original hull and the patch. It took a lot of time and came out great.

[@crohkorthreetoes3821]

Thanks for putting this video up. Good to see how the pro's do it.

[@43Theory]

But... after watching you finish the job, I must admit, I'm really impressed.

[@Whalermansteve84]

Metan marine does awesome work. They turn old whalers into brand new works of art and also make their own whalers. 👍

[@vindivergilio3482]

I keep reading comments about the cost. BOAT = Bust Out Another Thousand. Especially at a marine shop. I'm redoing a early 60s MFG from the hull up, and so far, after doing a complete transom replacement, new floors, some body work (a few small rot-thru areas) and paint, have spent less than $500. Why? How? Doing the work myself. No offense, but boat repair shops are like auto body shops...rip-offs.

[@jsdhesmith2011]

Vin DiVergilio Yeah that’s what I’ve been thinking all along. About to take on a Mastercraft ski boat project and complete all the work myself. I’m very handy and think I am quite capable. For me it’s gonna be fun and I’ll save money plus have a lot of pride after I’m done. Can’t wait to get started. Any tips?

[@guyfly47]

Josh Smitty Do half the job first. Then you will realize how much time and labor is involved. Might even decide that a pro can do the rest faster if not cheaper while you earn money doing what you do best whatever that is.

[@grumpy_ken]

not very intellectually honest to call professional work a ripoff because it costs less then doing it yourself

[@josedasilva7372]

A very well done job Scotty!

[@2ndgenlife]

I've got a dinghy that is solid but seeming but it fell off my truck. And I hope it's still salvageable

[@ryanwhitaker2088]

Question- I have a similar sized hole in the exact same spot, but it goes all the way through. How should I go about that without taking the entire boat apart?

[@Z-Ack]

Ive always wondered why so much damn work goes into upkeep and repairs on most pleasure boats while the working boats, house boats and big rigging boats rarely need repairs like these or any besides normal upkeep like with a car.. people say oh the repair will fall off because he used spit instead of snot or whatever but i own a fiberglass 21’ bass boat from 1960 and with absolutely no knowkedge i sanded broken areas where some went through the hull from rock sex.. but after sanding i used both alcohol and acetone, filled the hole with straight bondo with some bonding agent painted around the inside of the hole and dabbed fiberglass cloth overtop (bondo fiberglass resin). Then painted a gel coat over top after sanding and those holes are gone, cant tell after 5 years now of hard boating, even through ice.. no damages nothing from the work i did.. also the motor is way too big for the boat and saw some crackkng on the transom.. everywhere period all say to cut out the fiberglass and dig out all the wood, replace, put in cpes on old and new wood, and then fiberglass rework it all shape and gel.. i took two pieces of flat 1/4” aluminum plate and drilled out both stringers, inserted a 1/2” aluminum rod down the stringers about 3’and filled with fiberglass resin (bondo) and tig welded it all together, sanded aliminum then put the gelcoat on .. 250hp merc on a 21’ low profile bass boat that ive jumped wakes hard at 70mph top speed.. and motor still on it.. got a dorsal fin and no porpoising,

[@geowhjr]

Excellent video, I will follow these steps to make my repair. Directions and printed material are too complicated to follow and keep straight without experience and knowing which products to use.

[@NutmegThumper]

Great video on Sunfish hull repair. Just what I needed. Finished product looked amazing. Am also looking for info on how to find hull leaks on a Sunfish.

[@grandpahonestyguy8978]

file:///Users/davidjeremiahbowden/Downloads/Leak%20Test%20(1).pdf

[@grandpahonestyguy8978]

groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/sunfish_sailor/info

[@nicstr28]

Fill it with water and find the wet spot

[@brantcarter5602]

Nice work Scotty

[@jonathancaldwell6468]

Yea I have been working on my boat for 4 days now but I did put in a new floor lol

[@freespeachrulez]

Hello, I am wondering why you didn't just mix up some thick hair resin as they call "peanut butter" as a filler and then put it over the repair once ground out like you did? I thought doing it this way was for physical holes or if you have to build up the back? The reason of doing it the way I describe is because of potential of air pockets..

[@johnroberts4647]

Good video thanks for the refresher course!! Looked great when finished job well done ✅

[@caveracing56ovalrag43]

Great step by step, EXCEPT... I don't think it would've taken more than an hour for that particular repair. If it were a big boat, and required a lot of handling to flip the boat over etc., but reality is it couldn't have taken more than 30-45 minutes of actual labor, hardening/drying etc. Maybe another hour, but that's not manual labor. MY BIGGEST concern in that repair was that he didn't wet the repair itself. You should ALWAYS apply the resin to the repair before laying the glass, or you can bet there are voids under the first sheet. There just wasn't enough resin on the glass itself to adhere to that repair. Even if there was, ALWAYS wet the repair down first for proper bonding. It may be the most important step after grinding/cleaning the repair area (which was a good job). Overall, the video showed most of the important steps, it's really just the wetting of the repair before applying that first piece of FIBERGLASS that had me yelling at the screen LMAO! I'm looking for some video tricks on how to properly repair the STRAKES on a PWC after about ripping it completely off. Problem is, it's not accessible from the inside, as the hole is under the motor mount, which is epoxied on VERY THICK. I'm thinking this needs to be removed, which will quadruple the time to repair, and be a huge job due to re-aligning the motor mount plate properly, as well as sealing it down. Was hoping to find a "trick of the trade" somewhere, to see if something could be a solid repair from the outside of the hole, with only the hole size being the access to the inside of hull otself... hard to explain...

[@Billynoggs]

For fiberglass to harden 100% you're looking at least an hour in of itself. to say it only take it only takes a half hour to 45 mins for the repair tells me you don't have the slightest clue of what you are talking about. Gel coat needs at least and hour, 2 for better results before you start to sand it. By textbook definition gel coat isn't 100% cured until 24 hours after application regardless of climate. Please learn something from this or continue to spread your bullshit rhetoric because you're just wrong plain and simple.

[@Jynxxxxxxx]

So once done sanding it down are you then applying the resin to the old fiberglass then putting down the new fiber glass over the older surface then apply the resin again?

[@metanmarine]

You're hired come down and show us how fast you are

[@BluntEdgeChisel]

Holy crud man, i dont think that trailors big enough for a sunfish, be careful that it doesnt buckle under that 50 something pounds!

[@grumpy_ken]

the hull actually starts out at 120 lbs but after a few decades of soaking up water they often weigh over 150 lbs

[@csc1d]

only 400 $ for the repairs, now the boat can be sold for 300 $!

[@mrmidnight32]

Abby Normy welcome to boating and marine Mark up

[@kenshores9900]

If you let it be sold for that price. The value of the boat has been increased. There is a large community of sailors that enjoy sailing and racing sunfish.

[@Positive_Vibes247]

Too bad they ain’t paying him more then 20 an hour to do it lol poor scott

[@_noname617]

fiberglass remains stronger when pulled from the mat vs. cut

[@metanmarine]

Putting the piece in your hand and crunching it up gives the same affect..

[@Levnyan]

Why does it look like he put the outside layer on first and worked from biggest to smallest when this was essentially a step repair? He should have put the smallest piece down first and worked his way out, right? I'm very confused right now.

[@ArT2Oo0]

thanks for showing us how its done

[@John-ev3rm]

I'm assuming if the finished surface appearance didn't matter it would be just well to bulk it up for strength

[@NoHiDefView]

Amazing. Excellent work gentlemen.

[@mrkrharris]

Why didnt he add the patch pieces from small to large to have the last one cover the entire patch?

[@reallyhappenings5597]

mrkrharris because the large top layer would then easily sand off

[@metanmarine]

Largest piece of fiberglass goes on first

[@GMTabone]

I've had a crack in my keel for a while and when I gun the boat I have a small leak and end up with about a Half litre of sea water...with summer just around the corner I will do this while I am repairing my Trailer, at present my boat is on set of stands I knocked up in steel 50 x 50 mm tubing, so I will do that before I put it on the trailer. Hey can you guys show a Transom change for us all.? Love your Video ( from down under).

[@FIGGY65]

If you YT Ship Shape TV they have a whole series with Metan rebuilding a mid 1980s Montauk. I believe the transom work is episode 5,6, or 7. It’s maybe no older than three years ago. There are many good transom rehabs on YT, just look for a reputable channel…..My first non Metan stop would be “Boatworks Today.” Good luck to you.

[@ianbest6077]

He mixed up so much resin for "sech" a small repair.

[@liloiul]

He's probably going to fix some more, he didn't work for 4 hours on the boat as they say, he worked those four hours in 3-4 boats at a time. You need to let the resin to cure, also the paint need to cure between the layers of paint. So they work on a fe boats at a time ;)

[@acehguy]

Needs to use a bigger brush.lol

[@tttmiami]

best guess was NOT BONDO but a product called Marine TEX and is avail at any boating supply store or just search on amazon you will find it a little goes a long way and is a putty / hardener epoxy to add rigid surface to the glass before gelcoat

[@DrDankenstein420zx]

Really nice enjoyable video. Thanks for posting.

[@fortnite2d203]

is it the same procedure for a larger hole ? i have been using the wrong trailer on my whaler and now have two holes due to the wheels..

[@revjerrys]

Excellent viewing for a newby.

[@dawareiarash]

500box for 50gr of resin and 20 gram of the matt. If you used the cobolt u could fixit in 1 hour. U spend less than 17 dolor and sale it for 500.

[@rickworthington3062]

$100 an hour is nothing to be astounded about. To put it in perspective, your local Chevy or ford dealership likely charges $68-75 for a parts changer to swap out parts. $100 an hour is reasonable for custom repairs.

[@williamdeziel4817]

Plus if your not happy with the price find someone else or do it yourself you dont know what is the daily cost to run a shop like that. The guy has to pay his bills and make profit thats just how it works

[@1966johnnywayne]

Scotty's thinking "Four, five hundred", damn I just got $60 for that time, not to mention all of the other work that I did during the dry time. Time to start hustling on the side.

[@hambone4495]

feels like I have fiberglass in my eyes just from watching.

[@vincentdolente7053]

2:00 so instead of being able to pluck it off with a finger it should be stronger?

[@walkertongdee]

Fixing setch a problem?

[@deafwoman09]

Thanks for your tips mate I appreciate it

[@danschenck9442]

can you prime over srea and paint ,then clear over lightly scuffed gel coat..i.e make a blend of color. and clear entire area with a true poly urathane clear..I do autobody for living..

[@elmeradams8781]

Gelcoat is different then painting. Almost backwards. You can paint the entire area though, then it's just like autobody work.

[@chrismckenna8379]

Is the thin resin based skim coat just regular automotive bondo?

[@alijabos]

3m fairing compound

[@chrismckenna8379]

@@alijabos Thank you.

[@43Theory]

Hey Scotty, You should tell the spectators to throw on a respirator.

[@xXCrimsonStormXx]

hello, i have an old fiber glass row boat, it's just over 10ft, and has a whole load of holes drilled into the hull. i have patched two from the outside of the hull of them by putting 2-3 layers of fiber glass sheeting over the hole then slopping tons of epoxy/hardener mix over it. then i flipped the boat and did the same on the other side now i have watched all of these sorts of videos on KZbin and think that i haven't done some really important strengthening thing... any tips?

[@growthandunderstanding]

$500 is a lot. The quality of work was great, but how do you justify $500?

[@christianeidsmoe4772]

$100 for materials, $100 an hour.

[@pressplay1703]

junk can it's called a professional job, same difference if you take your car for repair at the dealer over backstreet garage or diy.

[@mrmidnight32]

Welcome to the marine industry. Largest mark up in the world.

[@permaculturedandfree2448]

With a 5 year warranty on work

[@acehguy]

That repair would be £60 here in the UK as I'm a mobile fibreglass and gelcoat repaier

[@sharongrosscup6956]

question after applying peel ply and surface hardens due you remove peel ply before sanding or leave in place?

[@FIGGY65]

Pull it off and discard, sand away.

[@user-vx7bn3rl7u]

What filler did you use

[@SCROGY]

How much would a 14 fiberglass runabout cost to have completely restored? I mean floors. transom, full paint and gelcoat, pLus windshield buffing. I realise you probably need to see the boat but I am trying to get a price range from the minimum for a boat in good shape to a boat that needs major work in all these areas. I just want a price range.

[@harleyjune1233]

peel ply - how is this removed?

[@Kaegis]

I always thought the resin was the gel coat? Can't you just layer more resin then paint?

[@LowCostCncRetrofits]

Yeap these are the steps a fiberglass guy taught me years ago when I left school nothing to hard about it just technique as always Skim coat is just a fine car bog or talc and qcell mixed with polyester resin

[@sailingyoumeandjosapea6770]

Very good video

[@camelsellam9061]

Thanks for the good work .

[@walkertongdee]

I charge 15 dollars here in Thailand for such ann easy repair.

[@jerrymcintire7902]

How much to transport the boat to Thailand and back?

[@tonyd6306]

more than the boat is worth lol

[@KingKong-zq6so]

Walkertongdee man I’ll fly you over here and pay you to work in my shop! I’ll be able to do a whole boat for a few hundred bucks lol

[@dirtychina5964]

Over there they would just pack the crack with some sticky rice then paint it. Im sure that would be better than the azz backwards repair they just did.

[@sailormanharry295]

having been a fiberglass repair guy for 40 yrs you certainly went overboard with the amount of resin you mixed up.

[@lilbuckharris]

about how much would you charge for that same job he did?

[@pantolinho99]

Big piece first? Why not small?

[@anim8ted923]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting.

[@Speedaholics]

What is the silver material that he uses to cut the layers?

[@turner593]

Scotty why not use white gelcoat with microfill as a skimmer coat or even just plain white gelcoat, I dont know why you use bondo seems like a waste of time .???

[@thomasbriggssr2314]

There is a product called Kitty Hair that you can use to fill air voids. Make the job a little easier. Boat owners can do these repairs themselves with professional results.

[@elmeradams8781]

Gelcoat won't stick to that. At lest in theory, maybe in practice you could get away with it though.

[@walterwrightmarine]

Ok, so why is one guy wearing a respirator....are the fumes localized that well...

[@TERRORIZERRRR]

Never done this before but I want to try it

[@tomf4547]

They never show a repair upside down🙄. I don't know anyone that had their cabin cruiser flipped upside down when It was lifted out of the water. I'm predicting resin dripping out of my repair tomorrow

[@vk5jajay147]

Yeah, Thanks Scotty 👍

[@wihayaqacik]

thank you, great job on the footage.

[@theguitarmanonutube]

So what should I do about spidercracks all over the rails of my fiberglass boat?

[@lynjames4610]

Those small cracks are probably just cracks in your gel coat. Clean with acetone, let dry, then mix with new gel coat mix kit, with included color to match color of old gel coat. Fill cracks, then sand smooth and paint and buff out.

[@turner593]

@8:30 that sure looks like an automotive type bondo to me, even if it is a polyester bondo Im just saying why not use a vinylester or polyester white Gelcoat of the same colour match as a skim coat .? not trying to knock anyone just asking .

[@subron6er]

Can bondo be used over epoxy resin ?

[@RaneBane]

What if the hole is all the way through? Can be fixed?

[@jeanbob69]

Chucky Bananaz yes its doable but the repair will probably be to big to hide properly...i work for abitibi&co if you have any question i can help you out

[@ArT2Oo0]

100 dollars an hour yeah these guys are out of their minds

[@rochellevotaw6713]

Any professional laborer charges that, at least in Cali. A guy coming out to clean a drain out would charge at least that. Contractors have to charge that to make a profit. If you are a regular employee, even if you calculated your "total compensation" out at an hourly rate, it wouldn't being to cover your employer's costs when you factor in taxes, rent, operating costs, etc.

[@shayestrx250r]

Great upload!

[@hillclimber4406]

dats the price up there in bwoston.

[@danimal4202danimal]

What do you use to darken up the gel coat? Need help color matching to a fiberglass sink.

[@keepitdown07]

there are pigments that are made for gel coat try 3M or west system or another company. hope this helps

[@MrPaulcoster94]

Thank you guys

[@MrLaCubanisima]

I noticed that too!

[@swedishkev]

funny how they did not show the final cutting and waxing.

[@emoneyblue]

Nice video thanks for sharing

[@marleycline9393]

Omg! Ever heard of Cabosil??

[@walkertongdee]

I take about an hour divided into several steps.

[@Billynoggs]

SO in other words your work looks like shit because you over catalyze your glass and gel and rush it out the door. thanks for sharing

[@captainswjr]

Nice job. Much nicer job than that boat merited. If the repair costs more than the boat did, something's off. The prep is the key to a good repair and they got it exactly right here. They went overboard with the whole trimming of the fiberglass etc. The could have used four ovals a bit bigger than the repair and just sanded off the excess. The grinder would have taken off the excess in a fraction of the time it took him to mess around with it. And you wouldn't have sharpie ink in your repair.

[@emoneyblue]

Great Job! Thanks for sharing with us. Such great information... The best I've found all day. :P

[@jllj6503]

ywa pwut wuit owba da fwibagwass ya know whadda mean?

[@underkrooke831]

i'll do that repair within 1 to 2 hours in 110 degree weather, talking about it takes 4 hours and with this heat of 80 degrees please

[@markeetea]

he makes it look so easy @__@

[@chrisseats]

Top Notch Work!

[@TheMamableau]

Your car dealer gets that much or more an hour. 400 for four hours, that means including materials they probably charge 80 or so an hour. That job was very simple and could have been done in 2hrs, the rip off is you get charged for cure time when they are working on other things. Thats business. Boat stands for BUST OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND you all know what you were getting into.

[@DeltaForce2032]

scotie dosent now that fiona and me do it in my van every sunday..she tells him shes at church but he dosent that shes on her knees every sunday.. scotie dosent now great job scotie :)

[@boognish-k6r]

I love the moment the guy realizes he's getting way under paid lol...10:20

[@mariusfauru]

4 hours for 4 or 500 bucks? Scotty is quite greedy 😂😂😂 i fixed mine in 2 hours for 50 😎😁👍🍺

[@Seanny1039]

Marius Daniel Fauru how ? I need to fix mine, I don’t care how it looks in the in it’s a cheap boat so a quick fix works for me

[@silkyslim2054]

What did you do.

[@mariusfauru]

@@Seanny1039 just buy fiberglass resin and fiberglass sheets, check on YT some videos and you will make it 👍😎👊🍺 make a video about it, i will, when i regel coat what i fixed , if advice needed, ask

[@1marcelfilms]

would love to get one of those boats real cheap, then repair it

[@cstrikehero]

Must have missed that the first time. He says skim coat but yeah.. looks like bondo to me too. Idk what the difference is. I dont do body work so..

[@robertpeters9438]

I don't like the idea of putting marker on fibers that must bond in the repair. Not an expert though.

[@xenomorph7299]

Lots of work geez

[@boashna]

bravo

[@jeanmonteiroaraujo4108]

Reparo perfeito 👍🏼

[@FlammableMe]

The fiberglass mats must be in opposite directions. the small first and then the mid big and finally the big one. and do not use that much mix it will make the repair poor

[@Twistedstar0320]

I was thinking the same, that was way too much resin. They should have added bleeding material and vaccumed that

[@GypsyPaz]

I think you need a bigger trailer

[@talipucp]

Gypsy Paz tri axle? 🤔

[@curiosoneee]

100 an hour for that ? I think it's a little much