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Hull Repair - Self or Pro?

johnmedic

New member

Hello, brand new to the forum. Just bought a '97 Reinell 185, & on my second day out I got a puncture in the hull.. :| it's pretty significant at about 7" length, the boat wasn't taking on a noticeable amount of water but it's definitely punctured through. (No structural damage evident or suspected). The labor cost for fiberglass repair is (as you all know) fairly high, I'm just looking for any opinions out there about how big of a fool I would be to patch it myself. I have time, I'm bright & patient, but I want to know if this sizeable repair might be something I can do right my first time around. I'm reading up on options, not going to Bondo it but I've seen the Duraglass option, is that sound enough to be used on the external body below the waterline, any advice will be hugely appreciated!

IMG_20110915_083803.jpgIMG_20110915_083812.jpgIMG_20110915_083847.jpgIMG_20110915_083917.jpg

Tl;dr.
Punctured hull, 7" length, no fiberglass experience..
Pay the pro's or can I do it myself with the right research & patience?
Thank You!


 
Easy repair. R/O sander, 36 grit sand paper. Sand it all back about 3" all around the damaged area. Use some thickened resin (cabosil and chopped fibers) to fill the hole. Then use 2 layers of CSM, a layer of 1708 biaxial cloth and finish with 2 more layers of CSM. Sand with 80 grit paper to finish and fair. Roll on some GelCoat sand from 360 to 800 grit, polish and shine. DONE!!!! Should take 3-4 hours to do this repair, not counting the Gelcoat and polishing.
 
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