Looking for ideas/suggestions

[Raider Ronnie]

Sorry about so many pictures.

When I got my boat the previous owner had this 3 piece custom cover made for the boat (spent some crazy $ on it also)
I guess it worked for him but doesn't work for me.
I used it to cover the boat instead of shrink wrap at my house one winter but the covers haven't come out of the custom bags he had made for it also.
Big problem is the clips they drilled and installed thru bolted all the way around the boat and them catching fishing lines and gill nets.
1st pic shows the cover on, other pics show the clips & bolts/nuts.
I plan to remove all of them from inside the hull and lay some matt inside also.
Problem is hull is gray gelcoat.
I'm thinking of either filling from inside with with white gelcoat tinted gray and mix with cabosil to thicken and lay matt over inside
Or fill holes from inside, matt from inside then put about a 1/2 - 1 inch pin stripe all around the boat to hide the holes.
Transom makes no difference as I plan to fill & glass in all holes, old scuppers, livewell drains & awlgrip transom gray to match the rest of the hull.
Thoughts, ideas, suggestions ???
Thanks

 

[Raider Ronnie]

I would fill the holes completely with glass, Then scallop the outside and gelcoat. I dont like the idea of using gelcoat as a filler. I know water intrusion will never be an issue, But I do all my glass repairs as if below the W/L

Should have included the holes are only 1/8th diameter

 

[traditions]

I think your on with the cabosil and gel.I would run a drill bit thru there to clean out the holes,and apply from the outside.If you glass mat on the inside first,it will be hard to fill the holes because of the air in the holes.I would knock off what comes thru when it was green or let it harden up and then grind or chisel it off.You will only notice the holes when your doing the work,once its in the water you wil have to look close to notice them.If you want to you could wet sand and buff.

 

[Raider Ronnie]

I think your on with the cabosil and gel.I would run a drill bit thru there to clean out the holes,and apply from the outside.If you glass mat on the inside first,it will be hard to fill the holes because of the air in the holes.I would knock off what comes thru when it was green or let it harden up and then grind or chisel it off.You will only notice the holes when your doing the work,once its in the water you wil have to look close to notice them.If you want to you could wet sand and buff.

My thought is to put 1 layer of making tape on the outside, poke hole/clean out with razor blade then 2nd piece of masking tape over the 1st apply thickened tinted gelcoat with body filler spreader from inside hull , this way thickened gelcoat will end up slightly proud of hull.
Remove masking take once hardened, small amount of block sanding & buff.
Worse case it's doesn't look good I'll just put a 1/2 - 1 inch stripe over it to match the boot stripe.
The boot stripe is going to be removed and raised as will the bottom paint water line height.

 

[Tuckerman]

Holes

You can fill them like you described and dab them with gray awlcraft wet sand and buff.

 

[Tunascapes]

I filled quite a few holes by taping one side and injecting thickened epoxy with a plastic syringe. Once full tape the second side while it dries. Works great. If you inject from the outside gravity will work in your favor to create a perfectly flush fill with the outside of the hull.

 

[captainlarry84]

I would re-drill all of the holes as stated to clean them out. Next I would fill all of the hole with West System. Once it has curried I would tape a drill bit one size larger and step each hole down about 1/8. Mix some airosil with the matching gelcote, tap all areas with two layers of blue tape. Build it a little high. Rough sand the gelcote until you start to break into the tape. Once you are at the first level of tape remove the tape and wet sand the job.
Try this method on just on spot where it shows the least. If you like the resultsthen do them all.