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suggestion on holes from old trolling motor #13498093 04/02/20 02:36 AM
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zachary00 Online Content OP
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I have a Nitro 189 sport. For some reason one of the owners before me decided to drill 4 holes in the front rather than use the factory trolling motor mount. My tm went out and now I'm putting on an ultrex using the factory mount (has an circular aluminum keyed hole in front and threaded aluminum round plate in back). That leaves 4 holes in the fiberglass that have been reamed out for the past several years. There are cracks splintering out from the holes. I need advice.

I'm considering (with concerns):
1. taking it to a fiberglass shop/there is not one in my area. Have to drive about 200 miles best I can tell. Then another 200 miles to pick it up. On top of that I'm a little worried about about price, but I really have no idea how much it would be. Also don't like the idea of not having my boat for xxx days or weeks while they do the repair.

2. try the fiberglass repair myself/I have never tried fiberglass repair and i'm worried about matching color.

3. cover them with some traction tape or something similar/worried the cracks will continue to splinter and I'm a little ocd and the lack of symmetry in the front will bother me.

4. leave them as they are and hope I eventually don't notice them/I hate the way they look and worry they will possibly continue to crack.

Please provide recommendations, and feel free to include any I haven't considered.

Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498116 04/02/20 03:01 AM
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Take something and file the cracked fiberglass back sorta like you would a countersink in a drilled hole. That will stop any further splintering of the fiberglass..

If you can get to the underneath side, put a piece of gorrilla tape or duct tape on the bottom side of the hole. If you can't get to the underneath side, then stuff something thin down in the hole and fill over it.

Buy a container of Marine Tex. It is a two part epoxy that is thin enough that you can sorta pour it in the holes. Mix according to the instructions on the container.

Pour it in the holes and try to get it above level because it shrinks a little when it cures. I built a small dam out of masking tape and put it around the holes to help get it high enough to completely fill to the level of the fiberglass deck.

Let it cure completely and then take a REALLY sharp razor blade and trim it off level. You may need to use a file or sandpaper on a large area but don't damage any more of the fiberglass than necessary. I was filling drilled holes and it worked great and razor blade trimmed it off very nicely.

This is not a professional fiberglass repair job, but it works well, seals out any water and does not look all that bad. AND ITS CHEAP.

Wayne


Luck will beat skill any time you have enough of it!
Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498121 04/02/20 03:05 AM
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thanks wayne. That is the kind of thing I wanted to hear.

Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498128 04/02/20 03:18 AM
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Maine-Tex is what I would use, without a doubt. There are some other similar products from other manufacturers that would work as well. Unless the holes will be visible and that will bug you, I see no reason you must use fiberglass. Depending on your hull color, you might choose one to show less.

How I would use the products mentioned: Clean the area, dry it with a hair dryer or heat gun. Put sturdy tape like duct tape under the deck to cover the holes from the underside. This is so you can fill the hole from the top. On top, cover the area with masking tape with a small cutout for each hole to allow you to work on the hole to be filled. The purpose of this is just to cover/protect the surrounding hull from getting the filler smeared on it. Fill the hole with well-mixed filler. Use a flexible plastic scraper to squeegee excess filler and flatten the top surface. Remove the top tape layer. Leave the bottom tape in place. Let it cure 24 hours before you do anything around the holes.

Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498499 04/02/20 02:26 PM
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Thanks. I've got some marine text ordered. Hull is white and marine Tex I ordered is white. I know it won't be a perfect match, but I'm hoping it's close enough. I've considered outing some yellow pigment to try to match a little closer. Had anyone tried that? Instructions say it can be done, but that didn't mean it's with the effort.

This forum is great. I thought I had considered all options and in less than half a day two people tell me a better option I didn't know existed. Thank you for the input.

Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498528 04/02/20 02:41 PM
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I've used gallons of Marine-Tex, both grey and white. The white will turn a bit after exposure to the sun. After you get it smoothed, you might coat the patched spots with some clear fingernail polish, to keep it from "chalking" out. ............IslandJim..........

Last edited by IslandJim; 04/02/20 02:42 PM.

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Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498581 04/02/20 03:18 PM
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home depot, lowes, ace hardware or online, pc11 marine epoxy is what I would use.

dries white and stays white, it is a paste and does not run so you can use it like putty to fill holes that you can't get to the bottom side to tape over. used it for yrs. and never had a problem with it. really easy to smooth out when applied and easy to sand out if needed.

https://www.acehardware.com/departm...wAXgEAQYASABEgLegfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds


or these are a lot larger, they store really well.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/PC-PRODU...jx4TK6AIVNf_jBx2QwAXgEAQYAyABEgKOA_D_BwE


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Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498602 04/02/20 03:36 PM
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lurenthewind and I were obviously writing our posts at the same time.....same story too, lol

Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498693 04/02/20 04:32 PM
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I used two part epoxy to fill the old holes. It is clear and the holes can't be seen unless you are looking for them. I tapped them to 5/16 x 18 and installed a stainless set screw at the bottom of the hole to keep the epoxy from just running thru.


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Re: suggestion on holes from old trolling motor [Re: zachary00] #13498701 04/02/20 04:36 PM
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I just removed an old CB antenna from mine, luckily it was only screwed down with 4 SS screws. I just screwed the SS screws back into the holes smile


1987 Nitro MX185/Mercury Black Max 150
1999 Triton TX21/225 Mercury Optimax
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