How to Fix Soft Hulls - Hobie 16 Repair
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Today, we are starting to repair the delaminations on my 1979 Hobie 16 by epoxy injection. We are using West System 105 with 209 hardener and 403 microfibers.
Tips for successful repairs:
-Do not drill through both laminates
-Drill clearance hole, so the laminate is not pushed apart
-Thicken epoxy to better fill the void (thick syrup to honey)
-Use sheet metal screws and coat with PVA
-Self tapping screws are helpful to drill through the laminate
The next episode will be a progress video of the delams showing the magnitude of repairs (spoiler one was over 10 feet long).
Materials Needed:
-Non-permanent Marker
-Ruler
-Drill
-Drill bit for clearance hole (5/32" is clearance for #6 screws)
-Stainless Screws (I used #6 x 1" self tapping sheet metal screws)
-PVA (used to release fasteners; water soluble so we can clean and reuse fasteners)
-West System 105-A Epoxy (I used a quart and a gallon total)
-West System 209-SA Hardener
-West System 403 Microfibers
-West System Minipump Set
-Mixing supplies (cup and tongue depressor)
-Syringe (I used 20 ml Luer no needle; at least 1 per repair)
-Sandpaper 80 grit
-IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol)
Let me know in the comments what you like or dislike about this episode in the comments. I do not want the videos too long, but I also want to show the entire process. These repairs and upgrades take time and effort, and I want to communicate the hardships that come along with it.
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Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this and any other video are mine and mine alone and do not represent any employer past or present.
There is a Bill of Materials (BOM) in the video description.
Thanks for taking the time to setup the camera and show us what you are are doing.
Thank you for taking the time to check out the video. It has been a lot of work both doing the repairs and filming. If you have any suggestions, definitely send them my way. I am trying to improve the editing to make it more entertaining and still retain how much work goes into it.
To fix the holes you put into the hull, couldn't you use something like Marine Putty as a plug and then put epoxy over it for better support?
You could, but you will have to ensure the resin systems are compatible. Epoxy will stick to polyester, but polyester has a hard time sticking to epoxy. Using milled fiber, fairing filler, and the resin, we are essentially making the marine putty, but have greater control over the viscosity and strength of the repairs. The first repairs I made were definitely a learning experience and I refined the process as I did more fills.
use tape on the bill as a stop for depth
Hey Joseph, I normally would, but the drill depth is constantly changing since the core tapers from one side to the other and the delams are worse in other areas.
Why not just fill it with foam? Wouldn't that work?
Filling it with expanding foam would not rebond the laminate. Additionally expanding foam would put pressure on the rest of the fiberglass to core bond and end up causing the delamination to grow significantly larger. In the end, you would end up doing more harm than good.
Hi. Thank you so much for this video. Probably due to my poor English I don't understand what (little piece of metal) and why you put it into each hole. What is the goal of that ?
It is a sheet metal screw. I use it to pull the laminate together while the epoxy cures. Once the epoxy is cured, I removed it and fill the hole with epoxy and a filler.
Great video. I’m getting ready to do the same on my H16. How did coat/prep your screws with PVA ? Sprayed or dipped the screws in PVA ? Thanks in advance
I started out by using a small paint brush and brushing them which works better because the film is thinner, but after the small areas I switched to filled a small bowl with PVA, sloshing them around, and then taking the screws out to let the PVA dry. I mainly did this because I was coating 200-300 screws at a time and probably did this 4-5 times minimum.
I tried using the screw’s you used but it doesn’t feel like they are pulling the layers together. Any suggestions?
They won't until they dril through the bottom layer. For a couple of seconds it will feel like it is just spinning and then it will grab. Once it grabs you have to stop once it pulls pressure or you can strip the bottom laminate. The other thing is the hole in the top laminate needs to be a clearance hole or you will push the bottom laminate away.
Do you pre-drill a pilot hole for the fasteners or do you let the pointy tip of the sheet metal screws do the work of penetrating the inner hull and pulling it all together?
I am using self tapping so the screw drills through the inner laminate. If you drill through, when you inject epoxy it will squeeze straight through since that is the path of least resistance. By not drilling all the way, we force the epoxy into the void.
Hi! Can you show me how to re-glue my inflatable i12 kayaks?
Hey Jackie, a couple of questions: How large of an area do you need to re glue? What material is the kayak? How old is the kayak? Inflatables have an expiration date due to this issue. The flexible glues and materials degrade over time.
Thanks for the video! Do you have any tips to repair cracks and used bottom hull (I can see light through the hull)
Are the cracks in the gelcoat or in the laminate? If they are in the gelcoat it's just cosmetic, but if it is in the laminate you will need to grind them out and reapply fiberglass. For the bottom of the hull, you probably need to add a couple layers of glass and regel coat to protect the glass. I might have to do the same once I flip my boat for gelcoating the bottom.
@@tridactik OK thanks, the whole boat is build with some foam and fiberglass on each side?
Yup, it is a couple layers of fiberglass with a foam core. On the bottom v of the hull and the outboard edges of the tops, it should be solid fiberglass.
Thanks for the vid. Re using epoxy, why not use fglass resin so the bond is like with like? Given the scale of your job, is epoxy heavier? thx
Thank you for watching the video! You could definitely use polyester resin. Personally, I am not familiar with it, so I used what I am comfortable with. When it comes to gel coating the boat the gel coat will form a chemical bond with the polyester resin, but it will not with epoxy so surface prep is extremely crucial.
Polyesters are often too brittle for that kind of job, use epoxy w/ some microballons for best results
Doesn't adding the fasteners just make the repair even worse by making holes go through both layers of laminate? Also instead of pot filling couldn't you just sand down and add a layer of fiberglass mesh instead adding strength to your repair as well as finish up the holes you made?
Hey Forest thank you for the reply. It would definitely be better structurally to sand down to the base fiberglass and add plies, but that is considerably more work than it is worth. This repair is the middle ground between that and buying a different set of hulls. The fasteners allow us to pull the laminate together after injection ensure a thinner bond line. Epoxy alone is brittle, so the closer to the original cross section we can get the better. The pot filling isn't really intended for strength, it is intended to seal the boat back up so we can make it water tight.
@@tridactik Thanks for explaining that, I didn't understand the reason for the fasteners either.
No problem, if you have any more questions, or you want to see something in particular, let me know and I'll see what I can do.