small holes: fiberglass required?

[newbie_stripper]

Hi, apologies if this has been asked (feel free to point me to links) but I'm a newbie that just bought an older Great Canadian Huron. It's in great condition except for some small (pinky fingernail) size holes that only go through the resin & fiberglass (not the cedar). I still want to repair them before taking it out on the water, and so have been watching repair videos & searching this wonderful forum for info. All the info I've seen is for larger holes and there are great resources for fiberglass & epoxy repair. But I'm wondering how large a hole has to be before justifying fiberglass? For my holes smaller than a pinky finger, could I get away with just using epoxy filler and then sanding down and finishing with varnish?

Also, from what I've read my materials list should be:
* West Systems 101 Handy Repair Pack
* Epifanes clear marine spar varnish
* plenty of sandpaper
but I would take any advice there, too.

 

[John Sand]

Welcome aboard!
I own an old wood/canvas canoe that lost its canvas and was coated with fiberglass. That made it light and tight but easily damaged. Bang on a rock and it leaks. I just sand the leak and brush some epoxy on it, works fine. In the field I use clear Gorilla Tape. Good luck with yours.

 

[MGC]

If you could post a few images of what you are dealing with, that would help. From my experience, no two repairs are quite the same. They tend to be variations on a theme most of the time, but never quite the same. Pictures could help us to suggest a specific fix.

 

[newbie_stripper]

Thanks so much and yes, here are a few pics. The holes are pretty small but I don’t want water getting in there.

 

[newbie_stripper]

Oops! Lemme try again.

 

[pklonowski]

This thread is from 11 years ago, but Todd always has had good answers:

S

Thread 'Filler for small holes and scratches.'

May 22, 2015

What is the best filler for small holes and scratches to use before painting?

I have some small scratches from rocks and one or two small puncture holes may have gone slightly into the canvas.

I have seen posts mentioning using Bondo spot putty, Epoxy and custom made fillers.

I have some West Systems epoxy and high density filler that I was considering using for the small holes but I wasn't sure if this would be the right filler for the scratches.

Thanks for any advice.

• Slackwater
• Replies: 2
• Forum: Wood and Canvas

Scroll down to Todd's post.

You'll want to remove all the loosened resin... the material that looks whitish. This enlarges the holes, which you still need to fill. Then you'll probably want to put actual fiberglass patches over the filled areas, about 2" larger diameter than the filled holes.

Others may have different ideas...

 

[MGC]

If that is all you are dealing with, I would keep the fix really simple. I'd simply put a nice dab of thickened G-Flex in the holes, level it out as it cures and call it a day. You should be able to avoid making patches and doing a bunch of sanding. Back in the day I might have mixed up a small batch of resin and possibly put some small bits of fiber into the one rock gouge and simply dripped the resin into the two spots where the tacks popped through. If the plan is to try and sand out and polish the whole boat, you would be better off with using resin since it might blend a bit better, but given that there are other dings and character, just go for the quick practical fix.