How do I repair this bow damage

CalebD · Apr 16, 2011

Sounds like you are on the right track.
Give the area a good sanding to remove damaged gel-coat and glass particles. It is usually recommended to fair (shape) the damage to a 1:10 slope (that is 1 unit of depth to 10 units of width) which would make the repair area quite a bit larger. I'm fairly certain you can get away with fairing to a lesser ratio.
The white exterior is gel-coat which is a pigmented polyester resin and is much more durable then paint. For this reason I would recommend using a polyester resin for the repair instead of an epoxy resin. Gel-coat is not recommended over epoxy patches but it is fine for putting over another polyester resin. A few strips of glass cloth would be a good idea.
Make the repair and re-fair it to just below the existing gel-coat. Get a can of white gel-coat to use for the exterior of the patch. Read the directions and apply it. Once cured the gel-coat can and should be sanded with fine grit papers to give it a very smooth finish.
There may be a slight variation in color between you new gel-coat and existing areas but it should not be that noticeable from a distance and the variation may blend over time.

Here is a 'how to' link by Don Casey on using gel-coat: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/02.htm

Not such a difficult repair.
Good luck.

Shoaldrafter · Apr 16, 2011

fix

bear62041 said:
I'm a newbie to the ODay Owners group, and a new (1986) ODay 222 and I need some advice. The previous owner ran the bow into something and caused the damage you see in these pics. He wouldn't tell me what, doesn't matter anyway. Financially, (and also because there are no repair shops within 120 miles of me) I'm going to have to repair this myself, and I have some experience with fiberglassing (built a fiberglass encased wood kayak and some other stuff). The question is I don't know what materials to use for this. I was thinking of cleaning with acetone, sanding the gel coat around the adjacent areas for adhesion, filling in and smoothing the cavities with something like a 2-part fiberglass putty, then applying layers of 4" to 6" fiberglass tape vertically, and then sanding smooth and finally painting the area to match more or less the hull off-white color. Now, what specific materials do you guys and girls recommend that I use ??? And, how many layers of the fiberglass tape ??? Or............................any better ideas. I plan on keeping this boat a long time. Thank you for reading. Richard at twoelks@iowatelecom.net

Richard,

My recommendation is epoxy resin with long strand fiberglass as filler. Mix small batches and let partially cure before applying next layer. After you get to layers above original shape, sand and fair for shape. Then you can paint with gelcoat or ureathane paint.

Instead of fiberglass mat you may want kevlar which is obtainable from several sources on the net. There is place in Florida that supplies long strand glass filler and kevlar.

Use random orbiting sander to fair and you will have top notch job, better than new.

Ed K

25yearslater · Apr 16, 2011

Hey there Richard. Ed is right about epoxy. West Systems has tested adhesion of gelcoat over epoxy with excellent results. The place I get most of my stuff is US Composites in Florida. I faired a 20 foot section of my deck with epoxy and the 410 Microlite filler made by West. Three coats of epoxy over it for water barrier. That deck is a knee buster it is so hard. You can also buy cloth to laminate up the repair area then fair. Good luck, Joe

caguy · Apr 16, 2011

The bow is usually laid up pretty thick. I doesn't look like there is any strctural damage.
If the glass is not cut and only dented as it appears I would use chopped glass as a filler mixed with resin as suggeste above. Feather the edges so the it blends nicely. To shape I use Teflon coated aluminum foil as a mold. The is very little shaping afterward. Paint to match and go saiilng.

Joe11688 · Apr 16, 2011

When I bought my 1986 O'Day 222 in the Boston Boat Show, it came with a single axle Load-Rite roller trailer and when I launched my boat at the ramp, I'd tie a 60' line to one of the bow cleats after releasing the winch hook and the boat would roll off that trailer real fast and float down to the end of the dock. Later on, I started noticing some nicks similar to what is on your bow and come to find out that the bow was hitting the last cross member on my trailer. So I installed a roller on that cross member and that cured that problem.
I used a Polyester filler to repair the digs in my bow and then applied a matched gel coat and after a short period of time, it fell out. I tried this a couple of times and couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Finally I went down to see Rudy Nickerson at D&R Marine and he straightened me out. The solution; Use a good epoxy. A good epoxy will stick to almost anything. So I tried it, and haven't had a problem since.
Today I am using a tandem axle flat bunk trailer for this boat and I'm able to float it on and off with no problem. It's very possible that your boat may have came with one of these roller trailers. I know that the O'Day 192s and the 240s also came with these trailers in my area of Massachusetts.

Shoaldrafter · Apr 17, 2011

Richard,

Trinkka said:
When I bought my 1986 O'Day 222 in the Boston Boat Show, it came with a single axle Load-Rite roller trailer and when I launched my boat at the ramp, I'd tie a 60' line to one of the bow cleats after releasing the winch hook and the boat would roll off that trailer real fast and float down to the end of the dock. Later on, I started noticing some nicks similar to what is on your bow and come to find out that the bow was hitting the last cross member on my trailer. So I installed a roller on that cross member and that cured that problem.
I used a Polyester filler to repair the digs in my bow and then applied a matched gel coat and after a short period of time, it fell out. I tried this a couple of times and couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. Finally I went down to see Rudy Nickerson at D&R Marine and he straightened me out. The solution; Use a good epoxy. A good epoxy will stick to almost anything. So I tried it, and haven't had a problem since.
Today I am using a tandem axle flat bunk trailer for this boat and I'm able to float it on and off with no problem. It's very possible that your boat may have came with one of these roller trailers. I know that the O'Day 192s and the 240s also came with these trailers in my area of Massachusetts.

---------------------------- // -----------------------------------

Richard,

U. S. Composites mentioned above [ http://www.uscomposites.com/fillers.html]
offers a 1/2 chopped strand. While it looks like hell when you mix and apply, it fairs smooth. The long strands make the repair stronger. It can be mixed with polyester, vynal or epoxy resins.

This place is also the source of pigments to match your resin to the boat. See their off white pigment, very handy.

An interesting source of epoxy resin is:
www.epoxyproducts.com
A weird website but will ship a good epoxy in small quantities. Their marine non blush epoxy works well and will tint well. An off white tint will closely match your hull color and make matching finish coats easier.

Also they sell a solution called TA 661. It is great for clean up after using epoxy. It is the only stuff I know that cleans epoxy brushes if you clean before it hardens. Worth the money to buy a bottle. Also good to clean ureathane and varnish from brushes. It is not a hazmat solvent. It also cleans bottom paint brushes and rollers!

Ed K

Joe11688 · Apr 17, 2011

Re: Richard,

Nice tips Ed. Thank you.

Joe11688 · Apr 17, 2011

bear62041 said:
Joe, after re-reading your post, did you mount the roller on top of the rear cross member or on the rear vertical face of that cross member ?? Again, I'm thinking I need to put the roller on the rear of the crossmember with the top about flush or a little higher so the bow contacts it first and then rides up and over. I'm also going to check it closely the first time as it comes off and goes on to make sure the bow isn't also hitting any intermediate cross members or the centerboard support. I don't like roller trailers, but I'm not sure if changing to bunks would help this situation any. But you are sure spot on about the trailer.

I mounted it on the rear vertical face of the cross member. When I found out what was causing the damage on my bow, I used a short piece of old rubber line hose (Snake) which we used on power lines, to cover the cross member, but the roller was the final solution for this problem.
Here's a picture of my old Load-Rite.
The keel rollers were a problem to lubricate so I drilled holes through them so that I could spray some WD-40 on those 18'' pins. I always needed to be careful of bumps in the road because these pins could bend and hang up the roller.
You can't beat these trailers for trailering this boat, but as they get older, they will nickle and dime you to death in parts. I bought all my parts from the original supplier of these trailers, Northeast Marine Ind. in Oxford Ma., about 70 miles from where I live. I replaced the springs, the square stock tube for the bunks, and a host of other odds and ends through the years.
My trailer finally bent in half one day at the club when I was loading the boat on. After I bought my new Long tandem bunk trailer, I took the old Load-Rite apart and noticed that the under side of each cross member was all eaten away with rust. It was just a matter of time.
If you intend on mooring your boat and only using your trailer a couple of times a season, you would be better off buying a tandem bunk trailer built for a 23' boat. Then it should be long enough to float the boat on and off without an extension tongue. I think the Load-Rite was good for 3100 Lbs GVRW. My Long is good for 4600 Lbs. I've had my trailer for a few years now, and it's still like new.

emergpa1 · Apr 19, 2011

caguy said:
The bow is usually laid up pretty thick. I doesn't look like there is any strctural damage.
If the glass is not cut and only dented as it appears I would use chopped glass as a filler mixed with resin as suggeste above. Feather the edges so the it blends nicely. To shape I use Teflon coated aluminum foil as a mold. The is very little shaping afterward. Paint to match and go saiilng.

Agree, and if you do decide to use glass cloth or mat, you will not be able to fold it across the angle/nose of the bow It will not adhere over an angle and just turn losse. After u sand look carefully with a bright light. if there r no cracks going deep then it's just a superficial repair. If there r let us know.

emergpa1 · Apr 19, 2011

caguy said:
The bow is usually laid up pretty thick. I doesn't look like there is any strctural damage.
If the glass is not cut and only dented as it appears I would use chopped glass as a filler mixed with resin as suggeste above. Feather the edges so the it blends nicely. To shape I use Teflon coated aluminum foil as a mold. The is very little shaping afterward. Paint to match and go saiilng.

Would Teflon interfere with the adhesion of the gelcoat?????

48dodge · Jul 23, 2011

Anywhere the epoxy is exposed to the sunlight it will yellow after time and possibly get weaker. The bow will probably be ok with the protector but keep an eye on your rudder.

How do I repair this bow damage

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