How to repair Yamaha hull gouges

[CaptainReza]

Guys,

I am not an expert but was forced to learn this on my own. I think some of you can benefit a little from me sharing my experience. I learned everything by asking questions from some forum members on boatdesign.net and pwctoday.com...First one is a professional place of real boaters and designers...Learned alot and got lots of help..


Just to clear things up, Yamaha hull is made of SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) then it gets painted. Seadoo is gelcoat. Gelcoat is much more durable and scratch resistant than paint.

To repair an SMC hull you will need either a SMC resin such as Evercoat SMC Fiberglass Resin or West System Epoxy.

Here's a reply to me seeking help from one of the top companies in the business.

Hello,

Your Jet-Ski is most likely made from a material called SMC, it is a sheet of chopped strand glass with the resin and release in it. it gets put in the jet ski hull mold and heated to cure. It has the release agent through and through so its difficult to bond to. Evercoat makes a resin called SMC, it has a MMA component that can etch through the release layer. Its available at automotive parts stores. This is the resin that we recommend, unfortunately we do not sell it. Its made by ITW and is called Evercoat SMC.

Any type of chopped strand fiberglass will work for your project. sand your repair smooth and paint with an automotive paint that matches your existing color.

Regards,

Tomas Grim
Sales Engineer,
Express Composites.


I will continue on this later if there's any interest here...

More to come..

[VinceC]

Absolutely. This is a subject that is barely touched here on Greenhulk and should be made "sticky" if we can get it right. Might change the subject to "How to Restore/Repair Nanoxcel". Or something like that. Cause old school Yamaha is different obviously.

[beerdart]

http://www.greenhulk.net/forums/showthread.php?t=22098

[VinceC]

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[CaptainReza]

Vince, you are right, lots of mini information and nothing solid... I struggled with it. Ernest and Tom from PWC did help me but I also got lots of help by talking to people at shops then on boatdesign.net..Anyone can Wikipedia meaning of SMC...It's about showing repair..I wish I documented every step but I still have a lot that can help people to do it themselves.

[VinceC]

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[CaptainReza]

I located SMC resin at OReiley but changed my mind after talking to many who have already done repairs like this and used West System Epoxy. Finally made a decision and went ahead bought a quart of epoxy resin 105 and 206 Hardener.

Epoxy Resin 105:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...0#.UKQe9b9rX4E

Hardener:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...0#.UKQfBb9rX4E

Please note if you live in warm climate, you can get the 205 hardener but the 206 will give you more working time. I got the 206 and it gave me plenty of time to work.

Now, the reason I got a quart is I had a big area to cover. For most repairs all you need is their repair kit:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...0#.UKQfZb9rX4E

The repair kit comes with everything you need to do spot/small repairs!

I had to buy 406 Filler:
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...2#.UKQfjb9rX4E

For gouges that are not structural, you don't want a heavy duty filler because they become lock a rock and is very hard to sand! Stay away from 404,403...Those are heavy filler that weigh twice as much if not more than the 406 silica.

[CaptainReza]

One of the most important thing if you are getting a quart of epoxy like I did is to get their metering pump.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...7#.UKQgSb9rX4E

One pump of resin and one pump of hardener will give you the correct amount for mixing purposes and I measured, it was less than 1 oz total every time you pump one of each.

[CaptainReza]

This picture shows deep scratches/gouges on the side...It was at least 1/8" deep just for you to have a visual of it..

This isn't just scuff as picture can be deceiving... This was caused by few rocks going deep in the hull like fork! Yup by original owner...

[CaptainReza]

Repair of above was the easiest one out of the rest of the pictures I will show later.
This took me one shot and it came out absolutely awesome for the 10 minutes I played with it.

Mask the area with about an inch of gap.

Mix 105 and 206 and lots of 406 until you have a peanut butter density...
Then add black color pigment until everything in the mix looks pitch black. Usually takes one drop. I bought it from west marine...I'll try to find a link...

Then clean the surface with acetone...try to clean inside of the grooves...

Use a expired credit card (I used my AAA membership card), and apply to the area then squuegee the excess..Couple of times and you will fill the grooves until it is flush with the rest of the area...Really simple to do guys...Most important is the viscosity of the mix, it has to be just thick enough and not too thin...You should be able to do this in one shot!

Then buff and don't even worry about painting .....Because that's a whole different ball game!