Dave Lilley
New Member
Fixing cracks in the seats (of their boats)
I am curious how many people had cracks on the seats of their boats where the seats meet the front of the cockpit. I also want to find if they fixed the cracks, and if so, how they fixed them.
I first tried to use MarineTex to fix the cracks. The repairs held at home, even with me sitting and moving on the boat. However, during the boats' first trip on the water after the repairs, the cracks opened up again. (All of the other cracks I fixed with the MarineTex held.) The load in that area must have been too high for an epoxy repair without fiberglass tape.
Therefore, earlier today I crawled in the cubby, which I now call the cabin (I may add a head and navigation station soon), and attempted another repair from the inside. This time I used West Systems epoxy, a micro-fiber additive, and 4� medium fiberglass tape. Before I could repair the cracks, I had to cut openings in the bulkheads for access. I then clean the area and surrounding areas with solvent. Next, I sanded and cleaned up again. After the remaining solvent dried, I applied several large crisscrossing sections of tape. I wetted the area with a light coat of rolled on epoxy. I then rolled on the tape with epoxy, just until the tape went clear. Finally, I smoothed the tape with a squeegee and my gloved fingers.
So far it looks good. I only hope it holds. If you have repaired your seats, how did you do it, and how did the repairs go?
Dave
I am curious how many people had cracks on the seats of their boats where the seats meet the front of the cockpit. I also want to find if they fixed the cracks, and if so, how they fixed them.
I first tried to use MarineTex to fix the cracks. The repairs held at home, even with me sitting and moving on the boat. However, during the boats' first trip on the water after the repairs, the cracks opened up again. (All of the other cracks I fixed with the MarineTex held.) The load in that area must have been too high for an epoxy repair without fiberglass tape.
Therefore, earlier today I crawled in the cubby, which I now call the cabin (I may add a head and navigation station soon), and attempted another repair from the inside. This time I used West Systems epoxy, a micro-fiber additive, and 4� medium fiberglass tape. Before I could repair the cracks, I had to cut openings in the bulkheads for access. I then clean the area and surrounding areas with solvent. Next, I sanded and cleaned up again. After the remaining solvent dried, I applied several large crisscrossing sections of tape. I wetted the area with a light coat of rolled on epoxy. I then rolled on the tape with epoxy, just until the tape went clear. Finally, I smoothed the tape with a squeegee and my gloved fingers.
So far it looks good. I only hope it holds. If you have repaired your seats, how did you do it, and how did the repairs go?
Dave