What should I use to fill the spots on the 18HT hulls that are dimpled or compressed from the core collapsing? These hulls shave been bopping around in various storage places for years, and have quite a few small concave areas.

Thanks.

Low density epoxy filler [West microlight] would be my choice.

I watched some of A cat sailors use a hair dryer to take out the dimples on their Bims.You have to be very careful with the heat.If you could get in touch with Bob Hodges,he was very good at it,could explain the technique.

So you are forcing the foam to expand?

yes that is the idea it will get out the minor dimples,large dings are fill and sand effort.

Have plenty of both. Thanks

The core of the HT is kinda hard to explain but it doesn't seem foam like. But then again, don't know for sure. It has the consistency of sawdust really... which I guess could be foam.
If the hair drier thing works.. Please let me know!

be careful with the heat

Jim,
I would be very careful with heat, it might delaminate the skin from the core.

The HT has a gel coat finish, so, you could repair small dimples with more get coat. Gel coats a bit finicky to apply and needs to be sanded and polished smooth, but that would give good results if you did it right. Try a small area and see how it goes before you start on larger areas.


The core on the HT is foam, and I've heated foam, it can start to melt if you get it too hot, and I've melted it, or burned it rather with a heat gun.


Bill

Fred,
Doesnt Bob have an a2? Thats nomex core. Are you sure he did it with a Bim?

A nomex core boat has little air pockets and a hair dryer might cause the air in the nomex cells to expand and the dimple to expand.

I dont see how this would work with foam, but if it works, thats a neat trick.

Bill

I've actually done dent removal successfully with Bimare fiberglass products Bimm 2000, Javelin (and 18HT is the same)
1. I use my heat gun set on low, push the gun straight at the dent, then withdraw it.
2. Pass your other hand quickly over the surface of the dent to check its temperature.
3. If the surface gets a little too hot to keep your hand on, its the correct heating rate.
4. Repeat until the dent comes SLOWLY out: there is a delay to this, so take your time. About a minute per dent.
5. Do NOT pass the heat gun side to side, as you will swell the surface around the dent.
This works great. Newer Carbon boats I dunno.

you CAN most certainly melt it!

Looks like a monkey's ash tray!