filling transducer screw holes

[Line Dancin]

I am upgrading my fishfinder this year. What is the best way to seal the holes for the old transducers that were on it.

[reeltimebrad]

It looks like a fiberglass boat you have so fill with marine tex.

[Line Dancin]

Yes it is glass. Somone posted something other than marine tex a few years back on the old site and i can't find it on this new site.

It was in a tube like silicone and i believe a loctite product.

[TyeeII]

The best way is to over-drill out any remaining sealer or adhesive and fill the holes with a thickened epoxy like West Systems G-flex. The G-flex comes in 2 tubes and you have to mix equal parts together. I got some free syringes from Walgreens and used them to inject the epoxy into the holes. If you ever want to gel coat over the old holes, it will not adhere to marine tex. You can also find color coordinated gel coat at iBOATS.com. I bought some for my '92 Grady White and it matched pretty close to perfect.

[reeltimebrad]

Sounds like the loctite product you can find at menards it does harden like marinetex. While it might work I've found it is best left to sealing bolted on equipment and is inferior to 3m products like 5200. The marine Tex imo is what you want 

[reeltimebrad]

Marine Tex is also a two part epoxy and gel coat will stick as good to it as any other epoxy. If you plan on overcoating with gel coat it very easy to drill into creating a depression for the gelcoat.

[Line Dancin]

1 hour ago, reeltimebrad said:

Sounds like the loctite product you can find at menards it does harden like marinetex. While it might work I've found it is best left to sealing bolted on equipment and is inferior to 3m products like 5200. The marine Tex imo is what you want 

5200  thats it. I do have marine tex in the basement i will probably just use that since i have it already. 

 

Thanks everyone. 

 

[TyeeII]

I guess "best way" is a relative phrase. Marine tex is not meant to be coated with gel coat. People do it maybe, but it won't last. Last I checked it said it right on the box.

5200 will seal your holes just fine but it's more of a quick fix and not really the "best way" to patch screw holes in a cored fiberglass transom, IMO. There's some very knowledgeable guys on hull truth and iBOATS that would say the same thing.