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Hull Repair Help Needed!


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Hey folks, I haven't been on here in awhile but I am still addressing this issue. My gel-coat repair seems to be holding out fine however the 3M 4200 Fast Cure adhesive sealant does not seem to be doing the job. I am having to pull the rudder mount out and re-seal it every couple of years. I am using the wrong product? If anyone has done this repair successfully with another product, please let me know.

Thanks

Gary 

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14 hours ago, Hydrogasm said:

I am having to pull the rudder mount out and re-seal it every couple of years.

Why? 

 

4200 is non-permanent version of 5200. 4200 is still a below water line marine sealer for assembly, bedding and bonding. If 4200 is failing, id look for some other reason way ahead of a different product.  

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14 hours ago, Chaabo said:

3M 5200 but use the “fast cure” formula.

The regular 5200 needs up to 7 days to cure.

Chaabo

I did not want to use the 5200 because I read that it is a permanent bond and may damage the gel-coat if I needed to remove the mount at a later date. Is that not the case? Let me know.

Thanks

Gary

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9 hours ago, MLA said:

Why? 

 

4200 is non-permanent version of 5200. 4200 is still a below water line marine sealer for assembly, bedding and bonding. If 4200 is failing, id look for some other reason way ahead of a different product.  

MLA

The rudder always seems to be solidly mounted when moved from side to side or front to back when I first do the repair but after some time it seems like the 4200 shrinks slightly and allows a little movement. As a result of the movement, I get a small amount of water dripping out from under the sealant. Maybe it is my method of doing the repair and not the sealant. Have you come across a video of how to seal the mount properly? Let me know.

Thanks

Gary

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Given its winter, id skip the fast cure and go with a regular. Gives you more time to bed the rudder and get it all secured. 2nd, are you able to work in a relatively worm area? At least above 50*? 

Id get new rudder hardware, especially nuts and washers. 

The pics are not there anymore, but it sounds like you have some separation in the layers of fiber glass and maybe between the gel coat and fiber glass? Im wondering if there is still an issue there and there is some compression happening allowing the rudder to loosen up over time. Might be worth pulling the rudder, cleaning every last bit of old sealer off and getting a close look at the surrounding area.  

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Are you sure the play you notice isn't in the gel and fiberglass where the separation was happening?  The 4200 is not going to be the cause of your wiggle.  The 4200 is just to keep water out.  Your rudder assembly should make a flush mount to your hull and the hardware would keep it snug.  The bolts are backing out a little or the area around the base of the rudder sleeve is getting soft and moving due to water and delamination.

If you can dig up the old pics, I think that would help.  In any case, I wouldn't just seal over top an area that was delaminating. I'd grind it down, let it sit for days to ensure all of the water and moisture were out and add glass or gel at the least and let that setup before putting everything back in.  If water gets in the fiberglass layers or between the gel and fiberglass, you'll have issues for a long time.

I agree with MLA on the hardware.  New nuts, bolts and washers at a minimum.

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I pulled the rudder mount and cleaned up the area with Acetone to remove as much of the 4200 sealant as I could. I discovered a couple of small cracks in the gel between to 2 front holes for the mount. When I push on the area, a small amount of moisture forms on the cracks and there is a little flex in the area as well. When I feel up inside the large hole, the hull still feels solid in the area and from the inside of the boat it looks fine as well. Any thoughts on my next step would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Gary 

Malibu Hull Damage 001.JPG

Malibu Hull Damage 002.JPG

Malibu Hull Damage 003.JPG

Malibu Hull Damage 004.JPG

Malibu Hull Damage 005.JPG

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If it was my boat, my next step would be to find a repair expert to inspect and advise. Not too proud to admit that this level of repair is out of my wheelhouse but i think you might have found a contributing factor to the loosening up. 

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I agree with MLA.  That moisture behind the gel is your issue.  If water is getting in behind the gel, you need to grind it down, let all of the moisture out, then rebuild that base.  That will ultimately continue to cause you more and more problems.  That water is forcing separation between your gel and fiberglass layers.  And during the winter, the water that gets trapped in there will freeze and expand and only make matters worse.   I would grind down the gel and wait a minimum of two days, with a fan or heat helping to dry that area out, before I started to put the gel coat back on. 

Edited by JeffK
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