New Owner Need Some Advice

Looks like it got punched or wracked in when the previous owner ran into something. The backing blocks on the inside make it look like they're not going anywhere. Fixing it will entail grinding off all the cracked/compromised material and then a touch more beyond that so that the repair can be melded into the lines of the bow. Then you'll need some fiberglass tape (it's a small area; you don't need a whole lot) and epoxy to layer over the ground-off area until it fills back in what you ground off. You will need to sand everything smooth and even with the existing surfaces before applying gelcoat over it all, masking where you want the new material to stop. Matching the color is the hardest part. Since I'm colorblind I let other people do that for me. Then you sand (really fine) the new gelcoat down so you can't see where the new and old meet. Might take a weekend, what with letting the epoxy and gelcoat each kick overnight.

It's hard to tell from a photo, but it looks to me like the gel coat is peeled up, but the underlying fiberglass isn't damaged. The fact that the bow eye itself isn't loose supports that thinking. If so, the damage is only cosmetic, not structural. I'd remove the eye, fill the damaged area with a good filler, paint it to match and replace the eye.

You can proceed as above, or just make a very minor clean-up (flaking off) and only really concern yourself sealing the fiberglass from further weathering, as it does appear to be sound. It is a semi-flexible point which takes some abuse. A flexible sealant would suffice.

If you do remove the Eye to make a repair, It looks like you've got some extra length on that bolt. I might cut a piece of Starboard to match that wood backing, and either go over or replace the wood. in either case I'd add a large washer where it meets the backing plate. I'd also run the shackle through both holes.

Lastly I'm assuming the rope is tied off to something secure, I might consider replacing the rope with SS cable.

Overkill maybe, but if you're going to take it apart to fix the fibreglass might as well build back better.

I suspect that line is the attachment point for the bitter end of the anchor line.

Sailormon6 said:

I suspect that line is the attachment point for the bitter end of the anchor line.

Click to expand...

I'm sure you're right.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, the rope goes a couple feet to the anchor chain. In terms of a filler/sealant to patch it up my local place has fiber glass tape, but they also recommended these 3 products-
MARINE FILLER - UNION CHANDLERY BOAT FILLER
GLASSFIBRE FILLER
GELCOAT FILLER
Would one of these or some combination be as good as the fiber glass tape & epoxy? I'm thinking the GLASSFIBRE FILLER and then GELCOAT FILLER over that.

I like Marine Tex. It's available in gray or white. The white is a fair match to the white on most boats, and, if you mask off just the area you're repairing, you might be able to get by without painting it.

I have no experience with the products you mentioned.