Recommend me some filler

[Gixer]

I want to fit a U bolt through my deck but the area beneath for the backing plate is concave, uneven and inside the anchor locker so will get wet. I need something malleable but sets hard enough to drill. I’m thinking epoxy with a filler but am wondering if there’s anything else I could use.

Thanks

 

[Rappey]

Car body filler as its cheap, easy to use, fast setting and incredibly crush proof

 

[PaulRainbow]

Get some P40, it's chopped glass strand in a resin. Mix some up, roughly apply it to the under deck and bolt everything together. Don't use too much hardener and don't hang about, it sets quickly and rock hard.

 

[B27]

If you have epoxy on the shelf, epoxy with chopped glass is good.

 

[Ceirwan]

Epoxy with Colloidal silica or chopped glass if you have it in.
But a bit expensive to buy for one job.

The easiest thing off the shelf is the car body repair filler was mentioned above, the structural one, not the fairing filler.
If you wrap the backing plate with brown plastic packing tape then you can can remove it once the filler has cured, bonus points of you mask around it for a super neat job and don't just have bits of squeeze out everywhere!

 

[IanCC]

Epoxy with Colloidal silica or chopped glass if you have it in.
But a bit expensive to buy for one job.

The easiest thing off the shelf is the car body repair filler was mentioned above, the structural one, not the fairing filler.
If you wrap the backing plate with brown plastic packing tape then you can can remove it once the filler has cured, bonus points of you mask around it for a super neat job and don't just have bits of squeeze out everywhere!

How do you stop permanently epoxying the bolts in?

 

[PaulRainbow]

How do you stop permanently epoxying the bolts in?

That's a good point with using U bolts Ian. Best bet would be to assemble with normal bolts, let the filler dry, wind the bolts out, drill the holes and put together with the U bolts.

 

[Gixer]

Wow, that was quick!

Sold, P40 it is.

Thanks guys

 

[Mister E]

When using filler if you spread it on some plastic the desired size.
It is then easier to push up where you need it,just remove the plastic sheet when cured.

 

[Poignard]

I would use CT1

CT1 White

 

[Ceirwan]

How do you stop permanently epoxying the bolts in?

There's a few ways.

But I would drill the holes first so I could see from the backside where the backing plate should go.
Tape up the holes at deck level, and then fit the backing plate into place using an old bit of wooden batten or something to hold it place.
Then redrill the holes once its set.

If you have a cored deck then if you made the holes over size then you'd be sealing off the core as well, so two jobs in one.
Pauls method with the bolts is another good way of doing it if you're struggling to hold the backing plate in situ, some wax on the bolts will make them easy to remove.

Or you could just leave the backing plate bonded in if its stainless or something like G10.