Epoxy for “fill and drill”.

[SeanC]

I’m about to mount the outrigger bases on the hardtop. So will drill oversized holes, fill with epoxy than drill bolt holes so the cored fibreglass won’t crush when tightening the bolts. What epoxy do you use?

Thanks.

 

[drbatts]

I have used 5 min epoxy for sealing bolt holes.

 

[Halfhitch]

MarineTex

 

[kirk a]

I've used Total Boat from Jamestown distributors, similar to west systems

 

[DennisG01]

ANY 2-part epoxy will work for this. West... Hawk... TotalBoat... and there are PLENTY of others out there. Including smaller companies that make their own and are less expensive. The downside, is the amount you need vs the sizes you have to buy. If you'll use it on other projects, great. Otherwise, you might want to get a small amount of polyester resin, instead. It's much cheaper than epoxy (slightly trickier to work with) but is TOTALLY suitable for this job.

You might be able to find some 2-part stuff at a hardware store - the kind in a small, double-tube container where when you push the plunger, it pushes equal amounts of the resin/hardener out.

Point is... don't get stuck on the "brand". ANYTHING you find will be more than sufficient.

 

[georgemjr]

West system with filler:

Home | WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

The home of WEST SYSTEM marine-grade epoxy resins and hardeners for boat building, boat repair, home repair, and restoration.

www.westsystem.com

 

[SkunkBoat]

If I were doing it I'd use West epoxy and West high density filler....but I already have it.
I wouldn't use a low density filler.
If you are only doing a few holes, you could chop up/pull apart some glass and wet it with epoxy or polyester and fill the holes and redrill.

You could try an autoparts store for small can of Bondo pre-made Fiberglass reinforced Polyester. I've used it before. Its good for that sort of thing. Probably $20

 

[SeanC]

I was going to just use the epoxy I usually use but read an article recommending high compressive strength epoxy.

 

[Sdfish]

+ 2 on West Systems

 

[DennisG01]

All you're really doing here is sealing the exposed wood core. Strength is not a requirement. What type of epoxy are you talking about... "that I normally use"? As I mentioned above, any old epoxy or polyester that will soak into the core will do the job. Most only seal with caulking - you're taking an extra step - which is good.

 

[glacierbaze]

Do we know that the core is wood, not foam? I think there are 2 different approaches, one is to drill the appropriate hole, and soak the exposed core with resin. The other is to drill an oversized hole, and create a puck, which becomes structural, and then drill through the center of that. The first is okay for a wood core, the second for a compressible foam core.

 

[SeanC]

The epoxy adhesive is 24hr Araldite. Not sure if you can get in the US.
Going the drilling an oversized hole, fill with epoxy then drill smaller hole through the epoxy method.

 

[seasick]

Do the bases have backing plates? If so, compression of the core if a soft core is less of an issue. Firmly bedding the top and bottom plates is more important since you want the load as widely distributed as possible. The epoxy in the holes it really there only to seal the core from moisture. If the core is soft ( balsa or foam for example) I would make metal sleeves from tubing cut to a length (less a wisper) than the thickness of the hard top ( measure for each hole) This bushing should be epoxied into the hole and doesn't have to be a tight fit for the bolt. In fact it should have wiggle room so that the bolt can be coated with sealant like 5200 when installed. These sleeves are in effect crush bushings that won't crush when the mounting bolts are tightened. If there are no bottom plates, you may want to get them made to fit your bolt pattern.

One thing to check first is that sometimes the hardtops are pre-rigged for outriggers with an internal block of something to add rigidity and strength. In those cases you can often see the reinforcement area on the underside of the top

 

[Fishtales]

When I did it, I drilled bigger holes and put in plastic tubes (tube spacers) the ID of the plastic accepted the screw and the OD was the size of the hole. I used 5200 for the spacer to hard top joint. When you tighten the bolts the tube spacer ensures the hard top does not collapse. It is think fiberglass and balsa coring. I sealed both sides of the plates before mounting as well.

 

[DennisG01]

The epoxy adhesive is 24hr Araldite. Not sure if you can get in the US.
Going the drilling an oversized hole, fill with epoxy then drill smaller hole through the epoxy method.

Yeah, that should be totally fine. The only thing I would say is that I'd "prefer" something thinner so it soaks into the core further... but really, that's a minor point and you'll be totally fine with that. As long you're not making the "oversize" hole TOO large, you're good to go with your plan. You only need to make the hole 1/4" larger. If you make it too much larger, then I would think about re-enforcing the epoxy.

 

[glacierbaze]

I wouldn't think that anyone would mount outriggers, without mounting them through either a dedicated, reinforced spot on the top, or a substantial metal plate welded into the frame underneath, or both. That's a lot of leverage. SeanC, is this such a spot, or are you just picking one, and what is your core?

 

[SeanC]

I wouldn't think that anyone would mount outriggers, without mounting them through either a dedicated, reinforced spot on the top, or a substantial metal plate welded into the frame underneath, or both. That's a lot of leverage. SeanC, is this such a spot, or are you just picking one, and what is your core?

They are going around the hardtop tubing using anodise aluminium brackets. On my last boat I ran guy wires to the front and rear tubing of the hardtop to spread the load. That hardtop wasn’t nearly as strong as this one. Not sure of the core. 2006 228.

 

[SeanC]

I think I have found my epoxy. Low viscosity to saturate the core and fill drill holes without bubbles. Compressive strength of 115 Mpa which converts to 16,680 psi if online converter is correct and self mixing.

Marine Epoxy- Ultra LV

Crack Repair LV is our low viscosity Crack Filling epoxy resin in 400 ml cartridges. Low viscosity Resin, suitable for gravity feeding or injection.

www.epoxymix.com.au

 

[DennisG01]

That'll work, too. But don't go out of your way to get it. If you already have that other stuff you mentioned, just use it. It will be MORE than adequate for what you are doing. Many will not even take this step and just use sealant. That said, if you don't have anything already on hand, sure.