Exterior Body Repairs

[jimmied]

I have searched through threads but cannot come up with an answer. I am a newbie, so will be asking a lot of questions. I will be doing some body work on my Bigfoot and want to patch up a few holes which are not large, so will not be using fiberglass. Should I just use bondo? I was told that I could use epoxy as well. Comments, please, Thanks, Jim

[Davie B]

Why not epoxy? West System makes a cheap kit that is perfect for repairing small holes. It includes a small amount of resin and hardener, some fairing powder and a spreader. The little plastic case it comes in doubles as a mixing container. You can find it on Amazon or at a West Marine (similar name; different company) retail outl et.

[Frederick L. Simson]

A lot is going to depend on what size the holes are. I will be using Bondo to fill old screw holes in my Compact Jr. rebuild. I'd use an epoxy kit for larger repairs, like blanking out a water fill port or furnace exhaust.

[Davie B]

Here's a link to the West System repair kits. The 105 kit is about $30 from Amazon. The epoxy comes in packets so there is little waste. Epoxy is a stronger repair media than bondo.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/repair-kits/

[Raz]

For screw holes I have used PC 11. It can be put in a syringe and injected. Others have had success with PC 7 with is similar to play doh. For big jobs the West System products are the best and the web site is an excellent resource. Raz

[Eddie Longest]

For small repairs and screw holes I use Marine tex white. It's a close match to the Scamp gelcoat. Just before it sets up really hard I use a razor to clean up the patch. In many cases no sanding is needed.
Eddie
Marine Tex, epoxy resin, adhesives, silicone grease, engine treatment, cleaner, repair, bond, fill, seal, fiberglass, aluminum, plastics, Starboard, wood

[Eddie Longest]

Raz
Looks like PC-11 is much cheaper than Marinetex, is it a close match on the gelcoat? I think I may try it.
Eddie

[Raz]

Originally Posted by Eddie Longest

Raz
Looks like PC-11 is much cheaper than Marinetex, is it a close match on the gelcoat? I think I may try it.
Eddie

No, it dries to dull off white with a slight blue green tint. After filling, I masked my holes with blue tape and newspaper and painted with gloss white spray paint, Krylon I think. Works fine for screw holes. Filling in a large hole is body work. I hate body work. Raz

[freddo411]

Bondo is only good for 1/4 inch holes or less.

I concur that the fiberglassing kits work great if you need larger areas filled, like utility cutouts. Fiberglassing is not as difficult as people make it sound.

[Borden]

If it is not painted yet you can do small repairs with a
Gelcoat tintable repair kit Will be doing an area of about 4 sq ft on the front top roll of ours this fall found them at west marine

[Borden]

P.S. our white trailer was not so white after we used as rubbing compound on it more of a soft yellow/white like the bathroom is and I do stress the mellow Yellow. Prior repairs show more as I take it back to the original finish so will have to remove them and then redo for colour match some of the patch work is paint that will have to be taken back to the gelcoat or fiberglass depending on the depth.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

For screw holes I have used PC 11. It can be put in a syringe and injected. Others have had success with PC 7 with is similar to play doh. For big jobs the West System products are the best and the web site is an excellent resource. Raz

Works great for filling holes that will be reused and very strong