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1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=37929		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  amckenna5687 [ Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:49 pm ]
Post subject:  1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
I've owned my Hobie 18 for 25 years. The second year I owned it I left it in a fresh water lake for the season. :oops: A bad bad decision. There are hundreds of blisters on each hull. I want to repair them over the winter but I'm not sure what I should do. Should I sand and expose the blister crater, then fill it with puddy or sand it completely smooth and apply new gel coat. I have read the articles on Hotline http://2010.archive.hobiecat.com/hobieclass/ which were mentioned in another thread regarding spraying gelcoat and repairing chips and scratches. Although they were very helpful, they didn't answer my question regarding blister repair. Any help woulld be appreciated.
Thanks,
Andy
Author:  divimon2000 [ Wed Aug 24, 2011 6:06 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
You trying to restore it or just "fix" the blisters? To fix them, you need to grind out each one with a small dremel or air grinder type tool. A nice crater to fill. Then let dry well (craters and inside of the hull). Then you need to acetone each clean and fill them with something like Marine Tex, or West Marine waterproof filler. Then sand each flush with like 120, then the whole boat with something like 220. BUT its all about how you want it to look at the end. Cause this will look fugly unless you paint or re gel. Or, maybe thats a cool look for you. I've done this before to a larger boat and its time consuming but not crazy. Key is to get them all so after you paint, its smooth.
Author:  amckenna5687 [ Wed Aug 24, 2011 7:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
My goal is to make it look new again so I will plan on filling and re-gelcoating. It sounds like it is going to be a lot of prep work since I have hundreds of blisters on each hull. I will shoot for perfection and hope to end up with a good job :) Thanks for your help.
Author:  divimon2000 [ Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
Once you get the hang of it and a good tool, each one can be done in a second. use a good light on top of the daylight to pick them out fast (thats the time consuming part). No need to make a perfect crater or round crater, a simple (quick) "V" crater is sufficient. Go as deep as you need to to remove the crack (or water). A 4 1/2 " angle grinder is too big and the wrong angle, you'll need a die grinder (straight) and metal cut off disk around 1" -3"

BTW, Here's a good filler: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=44059&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10104&subdeptNum=10296&classNum=10300
Author:  amckenna5687 [ Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
I have a dremmel tool but it sounds like it might be too small for the job. Would you recommend a pneumatic or an electric die cutter? Thanks for the link.
Author:  divimon2000 [ Thu Aug 25, 2011 10:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: 1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
Dremel will do it, and maybe safer (less chance to go all the way thru!). I used and air die grinder with a 2 1/2 inch wheel since I had it. So I have no experience with the electric one. I'd say try the dremel with the little metal cutting disc, see how it feels or if you need more oomph. I'm sure you can get a Harbor Freight one for $39 :D

That link was for the best filler. You certainly can go cheaper with the West Marine version. They both will do the job.
Author:  amckenna5687 [ Thu Aug 25, 2011 5:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: 1983 Hobie 18 Hull restoration
I appreciate the help. I hope to post some photos of my progress and I'm sure I'll have more questions later.
Thanks again,
Andy
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