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Alcort Catfish SMEDLEY Hull Hole Repar Options
June 23, 2024 · 4 min · 158 views
What this video covers
A 1965 Alcort Catfish named Smedley receives fiberglass hull hole repairs using two distinct backer-patch techniques.Watch The first method feeds woven roving saturated with Dixo Pro thickened epoxy adhesive through the hole on a cardboard backer, pulls it tight against the inner hull surface with strings tied off to paint sticks, and lets it cure.0:09 A plastic sheet added beneath the cardboard prevents the taut strings from sawing through it before the epoxy sets. Once dry, the paint stick is cut flush with a Sawzall, and four-ounce fiberglass cloth builds the repair up to hull thickness. The second method cuts a circular plug from the hull, installs a backer patch, then re-glues the original cutout piece back over it — leaving only a saw kerf and a slight surface depression that fairing compound and gel coat can finish. Kent notes the backer-patch-and-string approach suits locations where an inspection port or deck plate is impractical, such as the bottom of a pontoon hull. Both repairs still require sanding and fairing before gel coat.
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