How bad is this? Need advice.

[Andy in NY]

Okay, I am going to put this all out front. When I bought this boat back in october, I was waaaaay too excited about getting a boat that I did NOT check things out as well as I should have. When I looked at it, I walked around on the deck checking for soft spots. That was all good. Bought a motor for it and was on the water.

Then I noticed that in the middle of the boat where 2 sheets of decking meet one was higher than the other by about an eigth of an inch.

Then, once up to speed I noticed that the seat had some movement (can feel the deck underneath moving).

Then, a few days ago I decided to lay on the groung and look under the boat.

So, it all makes sense now.

I have been having issues with the motor sitting too low and creating some wicked rooster tails, as well as making the boat REALLY sluggish. Well, knowing this now my money is on the fact that the foam is all saturated.


What it looks like to me is that it is actually from the trailer. In the 4th pic, you can see the roller. It is hard, like some kind of wood or hard plastic or something. So, I have decided that I am going to patch the fiberglass and keep using it for the rest of the season, but on a limited basis... just going to and from the sand bar (which is about a 1/2 mile from the launch) and not going out on the lake cruising.


At the end of the season the deck will come up for inspection. If it is just in need of new foam, deck and fiberglass repair I am okay. If stringers and transom are needed, well I just don't know. I have read through many many projects where people do them, but I doubt my ability to do it.


First things first.

1)what do I need to do to patch the fiberglass?
2) what do I do to correct the rollers?

 

[wca_tim]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

wow

what does the rest of it look like?

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

No. 1, replace the rollers with new ones ASAP. Not that expensive. Then spend some time reading search results for "fiberglass repair" or "hull repair" on this forum. From what I've read, it's best to have access from both sides. Others with more experience in f-glass will chime in soon...keep bumping you post from time to time if it gets pushed down the list of forum topics. Lots of folks are out boating this time of year, not on the computer as much.

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

It looks like someone "tried" to repair it already and didn't do to good of a job at that. There are some serious structural issues going on with that boat. The keel is typically the thickest part of the hull and most of it is gone, in the pictures it looks like it is right down to the foam in alot of spots is that right? I personally wouldn't be going out in that boat, what size motor is on it now? If you do continue to use it I would wear a good jacket at all times and take it REAL easy even on smooth water. I don't want to sound too negative but there is alot of work that needs to be done to that boat to make it sound again. It can be done but may require alot of reading/question asking on this forum unless you are pretty good at glass work already. If you do choose to continue to use it please be careful, those photos look very scarey to me. I was in a friends boat when I was younger, about a 15-16' mini tunnel hull he hit a big wake and snapped the front end off I can tell you that thing was under water in about 15 seconds. Even though there is foam in your boat if it is all waterlogged it won't hold it up very long.

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

my comments in red...

It looks like someone "tried" to repair it already and didn't do to good of a job at that.
Yes, they did attempt to repair at some point.

There are some serious structural issues going on with that boat. The keel is typically the thickest part of the hull and most of it is gone, in the pictures it looks like it is right down to the foam in alot of spots is that right?

No. The damaged area is only about 2" long by 1/2" wide. It's like there are 2 layers of fiberglass? The outer layer is gone, the inner is cracked.

So, what is the best method of starting to repair the damage temporarly? I need to measure the rollers and am going to order some more tomorrow.

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

Are there any boat shops in your area? most around here carry trailer rollers might be better to have them in your hand so you can for shure know that is what you want. I would go with the V shaped rollers they seem to spread the load out better not all on the keel. The black stuff works fine and is cheaper than the clear/amber stuff. The black stuff can leave black marks but thats the least of your concerns right now. To start, all of the old stuff that was used to repair the first time will have to be sanded off down to the orig hull and then a bit more. The best way would be to get at it from both sides, that would give you the best quality repair. If that is not an option then your repair job may not even hold at all but you could try just to get you through this season. I would reccomend buying a book on boat/fiberglass repair it would walk you through the entire process much better than I could in a post reply. There are alot of true glass pros on this forum however that may chime in with better ideas/instructions for you. It isn't super difficult work but must be done properly for good results. Good luck and keep asking away you will get the help you need....

 

[salty87]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

"No. The damaged area is only about 2" long by 1/2" wide. It's like there are 2 layers of fiberglass? The outer layer is gone, the inner is cracked."

that sure looks like exposed foam to me too. flotation foam will have a hard shell to it where it comes in contact with air, fiberglass, or anything but itself.

i'd at least slather some marine-tex on it, in layers letting the first ones dry well. 1/2 mi to the sandbar?...yikes

 

[Andy in NY]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

Well, a full deck job is in order this winter. For now, I would like to patch this up to finish out the rest of the season.

I ordered a repair/patch kit. Can you guys help me get this done? I have NEVER worked with this stuff, much less any type of filler. This is the stuff I ordered.


What is the first step in taking care of this?

Can I enlarge the crack a bit to try and get some more water out of there?

 

[Driven1]

Re: How bad is this? Need advice.

Andy,

Also drill, if you can, about 3 1" holes in the front of the bilge well, close and parallel to the hull. One hole in the center and the other 2 about 3" on either side of the center one. This will help to drain water out of the hull of the boat. MFG didn't really design for drainage of the hull below deck very well. If you can't get 1" holes in there, a series of 1/4" holes should be good also.

If you look at the pics of mine where the bilge well is it'll give you an idea of where to drill.