Hi all, I have a new to me 88 Mac 26D with a rotten bow eye. What I mean by that is wood that was glassed inside to help hold the eye is all dry rotted and wet, it's barely there anymore, just shards and mostly disintegrated. Being that we will trailer our boat in and out every weekend all season, I would like to properly, securely, and permanently fix the situation; perhaps earn my Junior Boat Repair Badge in the process!
I have a gallon of totalboat 5:1 epoxy and hardener. I was thinking about taping off the outside and perhaps the bottom hole on the inside, then filling the cavity with as much epoxy as I can (using angled glue syringes) going through the upper bolt hole on the inside. I plan to fill it all in, then let it cure, then top it off with several layers of fiberglass tape wetted with the epoxy, to build up a larger stable surface the inside. I am very inexperienced with using epoxy, I have only done some experimental batches to see how it hardens, etc. I am specifically worried about a few things...
1. Do I need to do it in stages so I don't put too much mixed epoxy in and then get a fire or something from all the heat generated? I did an experimental batch in a tiny cup and it got so hot it was smoking and I couldn't touch the bottom of the cup. (edit: I was using the totalboat FAST hardener.)
2. Will the standard epoxy be the correct kind of filler that I can then redrill and put a new u-bolt through with a proper backing plate? do I need to add anything to the epoxy before injecting it into the area? I thought about using penetrating epoxy too, is that the better option?
3. Should I be removing all the internal fiberglass in the area instead of just injecting through the bolt holes, then cleaning it out fully of the old rotted what used to be wood? Maybe add a plastic block or similar to fill the gap then glass/epoxy over it? (I would hate to add more wood that would just rot again someday if it got wet). or just fill fully with new epoxy?
4. How long should I wait after everything is done, before drilling it out and installing the new eyebolt with butyl tape sealant?
Any other ideas or tips welcome. thanks so much!
This is what the holes look like from the inside:
And this is whats coming out of them:
I have a gallon of totalboat 5:1 epoxy and hardener. I was thinking about taping off the outside and perhaps the bottom hole on the inside, then filling the cavity with as much epoxy as I can (using angled glue syringes) going through the upper bolt hole on the inside. I plan to fill it all in, then let it cure, then top it off with several layers of fiberglass tape wetted with the epoxy, to build up a larger stable surface the inside. I am very inexperienced with using epoxy, I have only done some experimental batches to see how it hardens, etc. I am specifically worried about a few things...
1. Do I need to do it in stages so I don't put too much mixed epoxy in and then get a fire or something from all the heat generated? I did an experimental batch in a tiny cup and it got so hot it was smoking and I couldn't touch the bottom of the cup. (edit: I was using the totalboat FAST hardener.)
2. Will the standard epoxy be the correct kind of filler that I can then redrill and put a new u-bolt through with a proper backing plate? do I need to add anything to the epoxy before injecting it into the area? I thought about using penetrating epoxy too, is that the better option?
3. Should I be removing all the internal fiberglass in the area instead of just injecting through the bolt holes, then cleaning it out fully of the old rotted what used to be wood? Maybe add a plastic block or similar to fill the gap then glass/epoxy over it? (I would hate to add more wood that would just rot again someday if it got wet). or just fill fully with new epoxy?
4. How long should I wait after everything is done, before drilling it out and installing the new eyebolt with butyl tape sealant?
Any other ideas or tips welcome. thanks so much!
This is what the holes look like from the inside:
And this is whats coming out of them:
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