Fill old tower mount holes

[Canuck-Surfer]

So I'm super stoked to finish polishing the cap on my 96 Sport restoration and get the new Aviator Pro tower installed. This weekend I will be filling in the holes from the original tower. I want to get some input first.

The cap is about 3/8 in thick by the old holes. I know I can't fill it in with just gelcoat. What is the simplest yet reliable way to fill the holes correctly?

I was thinking, put some tape on underside of hole and drop epoxy into whole from top until its almost full. Then use my matching Silver Cloud gelcoat repair paste from Spectrum on top. Will that work well?

[bturner]

Are you trying to do it right or just get it done? If you're trying to do something close to right without resurfacing the entire area this is how I would do it at home with common products you can buy at an auto parts store.....

• Buy the smallest amount of "Kitty Hair" you can. https://www.amazon.com/Evercoat-868-.../dp/B000Q8ICHY
• Use some acetone on a rag to wipe down and clean the area under the deck where you plan to work and let dry.
• Use some Gorilla tape or something similar to cover the holes from the bottom. Your doing this to hopefully keep the filler from dropping through.
• Mask underneath and cover the area in case some patch material falls through. The stuff you're working with is all but impossible to clean up if it gets on carpet or vinyl.
• Mix up the Kitty Hair and fill the holes to about 1/8" below the surface and let dry. You won't need much and a soft touch is required not to knock the tape off you placed underneath.
• Clean up any slop with acetone or another appropriate thinner/cleaner.
• Mix your Gel Coat and fill the hole the rest of the way to just above the surface.
• Start with 600/800 wrapped around a rubber sanding block to knock down the Gel Coat to surface level.
• Move to 1200, then progress to 2000 and finish up with a rubbing compound/ polishing compound.

This is the quickest, cleanest way that I know of to fill a hole correctly without patching from the bottom first with fiberglass or refinishing the entire area.