filler

[Craig Johnson]

I am repainting a couple of canoes that I took to Quetico and scraped up on the granite. Can anyone recomend a product to fill gouges and dings that are too deep to fill with paint. A link to suplier would be nice to. Thanks.
Craig

 

[Greg Nolan]

I have used Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty with success (not the 2-part Bondo used for filling dents in auto bodies). It comes in 3 oz. and 16 oz. tubes -- the larger tube is a better buy if you have a lot to do. I have also used thickened epoxy for very small jobs when I didn't have the spot puty handy -- but it is harder to sand and fair out. You can get the spot putty at most auto supply shops, and Amazon.com carries it.

 

[Todd Bradshaw]

http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/diy/products/fillers/watertite.aspx

Interlux "Watertight" epoxy filler (used to be VC Watertight) is the best filler I've ever used for that sort of thing. It comes in two cans. One contains white goo and the other blue goo. You scoop out roughly equal blobs with your mixing sticks (don't dip the same stick into both cans) and then stir them together until they are a uniform light blue color. I don't know what sort of stuff they've mixed into their resin to give it body, but it tends to sand and feather-out better than anything I've been able to mix myself. It doesn't sag or drip, doesn't shrink and takes paint well after sanding. The bond is much better than polyester products, as it the resistance to water absorption. The main drawback is the expense. You can drop $40 or so on the smallest quantity they sell. On the other hand, I got nearly 20 years out of the last batch I bought before it finally dried up too much in the cans to use. Once you get spoiled by how easy it is to use and how well it sands smooth, the price doesn't matter much. When you eventually run out, you'll buy another can.

 

[Cricket]

That sounds like nice stuff, Todd. Another epoxy filler that I recently started using, for similar reasons like fairly easy sanding and fairing, and trouble free mixing is System 3's Silver Tip Quik Fair. Its a similar 2 to 1 pre-bulked epoxy filler. I've loved it for easy application.
http://www.systemthree.com/store/pc/SilverTip-QuikFair-c17.htm?gclid=CLqFy5LymrQCFQJx4AodFngADA
Cricket