How to Safely Plug a Hole Below the Waterline | Boat Repair with Andy Miller of Boatworks Today

Got an unwanted hole in your boat from an old drain or thru-hull that’s now a potential hazard? Don’t wait for it to fail and put your boat at risk! In this step-by-step tutorial, expert boat repairman Andy Miller from Boatworks Today shows you how to properly and safely plug an unwanted hole below the waterline. Whether you’re dealing with an outdated fitting or just trying to prevent a leak, Andy walks you through the materials, tools, and techniques needed to ensure a watertight, durable repair. This is a crucial fix that every boat owner should know, and Andy’s tips will help you get it done right the first time.

Stay safe on the water and protect your boat—watch now and learn how to plug that hole like a pro!

TotalBoat

#BoatRepair #BoatworksToday #ThruHullRepair

00:00 Introduction
00:46 Materials and Products Needed
01:12 Thru Hull Fitting Removal
03:18 Surface Preparation
05:10 Fiberglassing the Thru Hull
06:10 Fiberglassing Interior Repairs
07:23 How to Use Epoxy Fairing Compound
09:22 Final Steps

[restrothunderroad]

Really informative video. Andy is the man, love his work!

[trailsandsails]

This was a really helpful video both in regards to the repair AND use of products. Thank you!

[ReelHazardous]

If you were going to put gelcoat on the bottom of the hull instead of paint, would you use polyester instead of resin but do all the other steps the same still?

[mvlaubach]

I have to ask about the order of patch pieces, as I've seen it done both ways. In the way that you show, the largest was at the top, so the largest touches the boat and the smaller parts just fill in the concave area. The other way that I've seen it is to put the smallest in first, then work to the larger. This second way has every piece making contact to the original fiberglass. My understanding is that if the inner most piece comes loose, the rest are still adhered. In the "largest on first" method, if the inner piece comes loose, they all are loose. Am I overthinking it (not unusual!) or is the smallest first version more for structural repairs? Love the videos!

[n-mi]

interesting... I would have started the stack with the larger piece so as to minimize the number of cuts exposed to the outside...

[christophermccann]

I have the 2:1 high performance resin (and several old thru-hulls to fill). Can the 2:1 system be used for this project?

[jack_daa]

Why is he adding both microballoons and silica to the epoxy, at 6:55 in the video?
What are the ratios?

[SOLDOZER]

Why epoxy when boats are made with Polyester?

[philippeladouceur]

Why epoxy it’s not compatible whit gelcoat ? Why not use product that the boat was build whit !!!! Like fibreglass whit a polymer resin and then finish whit gelcoat specifically under water line …. !