1972 cordell bass boat fiberglass

hello all and thank you for taking the time to help me with my project. i just recently bought a 1972 cordell bass boat and am looking to get this baby on the lake. it has a couple little dings in the coating but not down to the fiberglass and a good amount of spider cracks where the old rivets used to be, my idea is to smooth over the dings and cracks with bondo #272 fiberglass filler, sand down and smooth the whole boat then spray it with a a poly urea from line-x especially made for use in water. we use this stuff in industrial coolers and also water silos. anyone ever heard of coating the hull like this and will it affect my boats cutting ability in the water as some people say. i dont want to be the fastest or coolest looking boat out there i just want a good first boat to get out on the water and catch some fish

 

Hi
Spider cracks are a signal of damaged glass below the surface so read the signs !! If you just fill over the top then they will be back before you know it !
Theres a little bit of work involved but need to take a disc grinder and scallop out the part back to the glass and even into the first layer then lay some chopped strand in to refill and totally cover the place where the dammaged glass was . A rivit hole could end up being a area about 2 or 3 inchs in diameter . Be care full with the grinder and dont go all the way though . When the glass and resin is hard sand down a little below the surface and then use your bondo filler . Remember bondo is only here to small the surface not to fill holes with Bondo I has very little strength as such . To make things strong it needs glass to reinforce it .
Can redrill the holes and re-pop-rivit what ever was on there before . Use a snug fittng flat washer behind the panel and pop the rivit through the washer ,It Spreads the loads over a bigger area !.

 

Bondo does not do well around water. Use Epoxy resin with a filler such as microballoons or wood powder to create a putty. Then fill. As it sets up you can carve it with a knife or chisels and when it is fully set you can grind or sand it.