Best way to fix cracked hull?

[1FASTXC]

What's the best material to fix a cracked hull, just plain old fiberglass or is there something better out there? My hull cracked in the pump cavity area and i need to get it fixed. Where's the best place to buy materials at also? BTW this is on my 97 sl 1050.

[RedlineR6]

I'm not sure what I would do about the cracked pump section. However, If ya didnt know, they had some update for the '97 1050 to strengthen it back there by the pump. Maybe look into what they did for that.

[PolarisNut]

HSP has a pump brace kit. Very common that they crack back there in the early years. I strengthend mine with a regular fiberglass repair kit. Soaked a rag with acetone and laid it on the hull for 30 min to improve adhesion, then started laying down layers of fiberglass mat and resin. Never had a problem.

[ZMANN]

You shouldn't use regular fiberglass! It is SMC I'll find an article for u

Edit read this! sorry shitty firefox won't let me paste I'll fix it soon

Edit got rid of firefux See link Sorry link is toast

[1FASTXC]

Link doesn't work for me. Where can a guy get the smc? I just want to make sure it's right and will hold up.

[PolarisNut]

I've heard many say that you have to use SMC, but I've used fiberglass a couple of times. Others I've talked to said SMC is very similar to glass resin anyway...don't know, but it worked for me. Cost me under $20.

[ZMANN]

I've used regular poly resin also! but they say SMC is embedded with releasing agents so you need to use the proper epoxy or resin
link again! link gone!

[ZMANN]

The link is toast they pulled the article since yesterday? but here is the jist of it
A new composite material is gaining widespread use in the automotive, industrial, and personal watercraft markets that presents unique repair problems. It is called SMC, or Sheet Molded Compound. Recognizing SMC from other types of FRP composites is critical so the proper repair can be performed. Parts made with SMC are produced in compression molds, so they are smooth on both the inside and outside. That is the first clue to look for when identifying them. Next, SMC parts do not have an outer gel coat, but they are usually painted or color molded. When the paint is sanded off, the underlying surface has a marble appearance. Finally, when damaged SMC is sanded, short coarse fibers are exposed and a dryer powdery dust is produced compared to conventional materials. These hints will make SMC identification quite straightforward.
SMC is a polyester-based material, but it cannot be repaired with polyester resin. This is due to the mold release agent that is present throughout the entire SMC part. Unlike conventionally molded parts where release agents are applied to the mold surface, SMC is compounded with them in the resin mix for quicker processing. This means that as the damage is sanded to prepare a good bonding surface, fresh mold release agent is exposed. Polyester resin products are not strong enough to adhere to this surface. SMC SHOULD ONLY BE REPAIRED USING EPOXY-BASED RESINS, FILLERS AND ADHESIVES. When painting, use only catalyzed type paint systems.

[1FASTXC]

Well here is a little update. After digging around in my polaris manual, I found a description for a smc repair kit that actually has the manufacturer part numbers for the adhesive in it.(surprisingly) It is 3M #08101 and it was sold by polaris for the repair of the hulls. It's a 2 part structural adhesive. The part number is no longer valid from polaris for this kit, but the adhesive is still available from 3M. That's what i'm going to go with since that's what they recommend from polaris just for peace of mind. Thanks for the help and info guys, and maybe this can help others down the road.

[PolarisNut]

Randy at Watcon has an actual SMC repair kit, FWIW.