crack in gelcoat / bulk head

[BigDog98]

Looking for some advice towards how serious the crack is inside the v-birth storage where the bulk head is and v shape hull meets. I was told by my surveyor that it is not structural and obviously is not taking on water from it. here is a picture of it. I was told that it is something that needs attention but is not that serious. Looking for advice on how to repair it. Thank You , picture are in link.

 

[Woodonglass]

I've copied your pics here so the members can more readily access them..






As far as the repair goes, I'd recommend using a Dremel to grind it out, clean it well with acetone, and then just use some 5 minute epoxy and thicken it with some talcum powder to make it like mayonaise and then putty knife it place

 

[BigDog98]

I've copied your pics here so the members can more readily access them..






As far as the repair goes, I'd recommend using a Dremel to grind it out, clean it well with acetone, and then just use some 5 minute epoxy and thicken it with some talcum powder to make it like mayonaise and then putty knife it place

ahh , thank you. How deep is too deep? I dont want to grind into the bottom of the boat by accident. How thick is that area? Thanks

 

[Woodonglass]

I'd use the V-Grooving Bit and git rid of the "Glob" that's there and back into the crevice. The Gelcoats about the thickness of a penny and then the glass will be about that thick too! You want to get just a bit into the glass and you're good to go!!:stupid:

 

[BigDog98]

I'd use the V-Grooving Bit and git rid of the "Glob" that's there and back into the crevice. The Gelcoats about the thickness of a penny and then the glass will be about that thick too! You want to get just a bit into the glass and you're good to go!!:stupid:

What's your opinion on the crack? Nothing major? A quick patch should fix her right up? There is another crack about that size but its way deep inside there and could not get a pic of it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Well, I'm not the consumate EXPERT but based on it's location, I'm going to agree with the surveyor and state it's only cosmetic and nothing be concerned with. You can fix it or leave it as is.

 

[BigDog98]

Well, I'm not the consumate EXPERT but based on it's location, I'm going to agree with the surveyor and state it's only cosmetic and nothing be concerned with. You can fix it or leave it as is.

The surveyor said the same thing , he is no expert in determining what type of damage but recommended for a fiber glass specialist to take a look and recommend a way to fix it. I think its something that does not require paying a fiber glass guy 100 bucks for an hour of his time to inspect it.

 

[BigDog98]

No Title

Here is a part out of the survey i had done yesterday on the boat. This is a overall report of the condition of fiberglass , does any of it look major and can it be fixed? Is it easy to fix?

 

[tpenfield]

BD -

It is a little hard to tell exactly what we are looking at because the pictures are so close. But . . . the area of the crack does not look like it was in tended to be tabbed to the hull, merely resting on the hull. So, in that regard, the surveyor is probably right that it is superficial and an easy fix.

As far as the report, the only thing that jumps out is the moisture content in the stringers that were measured at 30% ish. I assume that the surveyor used one of those marine inspection meters, which approximates the moisture content of the wood core by evaluating how 'wet' the covering fiberglass is. You may want to see if you can get some direct readings of the moisture content in the wood. Direct measuring of the wood usually results in a higher reading that the marine meters give.

I measured the moisture content of the stringers in my boat with a direct measuring meter while I had the boat apart and they were about 15%.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yeah, I agree the 30% moisture reading is a bit high BUT it's my understanding that they can be a bit misleading and in many case not ALL that accurate.

 

[BigDog98]

Yeah, I agree the 30% moisture reading is a bit high BUT it's my understanding that they can be a bit misleading and in many case not ALL that accurate.

I hope that's the case but the direct question is , should there be any moister inside the stringers at all? The boat is 16 years old so I don't know if it's a normal thing. The question is will it get worse over time?

 

[BigDog98]

BD -

It is a little hard to tell exactly what we are looking at because the pictures are so close. But . . . the area of the crack does not look like it was in tended to be tabbed to the hull, merely resting on the hull. So, in that regard, the surveyor is probably right that it is superficial and an easy fix.

As far as the report, the only thing that jumps out is the moisture content in the stringers that were measured at 30% ish. I assume that the surveyor used one of those marine inspection meters, which approximates the moisture content of the wood core by evaluating how 'wet' the covering fiberglass is. You may want to see if you can get some direct readings of the moisture content in the wood. Direct measuring of the wood usually results in a higher reading that the marine meters give.

I measured the moisture content of the stringers in my boat with a direct measuring meter while I had the boat apart and they were about 15%.

Yeah he used a meter to measure it. To my understanding he told me that it's sounds like it's only moist at a thin part and is nit the whole stinger , the moister stops halfway into the stringer. Is it possible to cut that part out of the stringer and replace it with some marine epoxy ? To stop the moister from spreading? And is it normal for a boat to have any % of moister?

 

[BigDog98]

BD -

It is a little hard to tell exactly what we are looking at because the pictures are so close. But . . . the area of the crack does not look like it was in tended to be tabbed to the hull, merely resting on the hull. So, in that regard, the surveyor is probably right that it is superficial and an easy fix.

As far as the report, the only thing that jumps out is the moisture content in the stringers that were measured at 30% ish. I assume that the surveyor used one of those marine inspection meters, which approximates the moisture content of the wood core by evaluating how 'wet' the covering fiberglass is. You may want to see if you can get some direct readings of the moisture content in the wood. Direct measuring of the wood usually results in a higher reading that the marine meters give.

I measured the moisture content of the stringers in my boat with a direct measuring meter while I had the boat apart and they were about 15%.

It was just a meter that he layed on top of the wood/fiber glass and it had an arrow that showed the % on the meter, I don't know if it's direct or not.

 

[BigDog98]

The boat also has a little delamination on the bow near the windlass , to my understanding it is a simple repair. Just drill a small hole through the gel coat and inject resent inside tomfill the delamination. I suspect it's delamination because of the the windlass mounting screws , water probably coming in through there.

 

[drewm3i]

What kind of boat? Seems poorly made...I would sand/grind down and use marine tex gray!

 

[tpenfield]

It was just a meter that he layed on top of the wood/fiber glass and it had an arrow that showed the % on the meter, I don't know if it's direct or not.

Yes, sounds like the Tramex Skipper Plus meter. . . takes indirect readings by trying to read through the fiberglass to estimate the moisture in the core (wood). So, 30% would probably be moderate to high. Usually you get moisture in some areas of the structure, but other areas can be fairly dry.

I think the bulkhead on my Formula 330 was reading about 40-50% with the surveyors meter. I drilled some test holes into the wood and it was sopping wet . . . basically 100% moisture.

It is tough to say how you would/could fix the stringers if they became a problem. That would be a whole other discussion.

You can check out my Formula 330 bulkhead threads in the restoration forum.

 

[BigDog98]

What kind of boat? Seems poorly made...I would sand/grind down and use marine tex gray!

That is a 99 searay 270 sundancer

 

[BigDog98]

Yes, sounds like the Tramex Skipper Plus meter. . . takes indirect readings by trying to read through the fiberglass to estimate the moisture in the core (wood). So, 30% would probably be moderate to high. Usually you get moisture in some areas of the structure, but other areas can be fairly dry.

I think the bulkhead on my Formula 330 was reading about 40-50% with the surveyors meter. I drilled some test holes into the wood and it was sopping wet . . . basically 100% moisture.

It is tough to say how you would/could fix the stringers if they became a problem. That would be a whole other discussion.

You can check out my Formula 330 bulkhead threads in the restoration forum.

So in other words it can either be less then 30% which is not that big of a deal or it can be very high were it could be soaking wet and cause problems. Do you think it would need urgent care? The survey said that he only detected it in small areas of the boat and its not the whole stringer. Any way to repair just part of it without ripping the whole boat apart if need be?

 

[tpenfield]

Usually, the actual moisture level is higher than the Tramex meter reads . . . just in my limited experience. I had a similar situation as you when I bought my 33 footer. It had a bulkhead with high moisture . . . a bit higher than what your situation. The surveyor told me it was solid and to keep an eye on it . . . but it was not a show stopper. I decided that the boat was still a good deal, so I went for it.

I drilled a few test holes to get a better idea of how much moisture was there and how far it went. After a year of ownership and trying to get things to dry out, etc. I cut the bulkhead out and replaced it. During that process, I found that the fuel tank was causing the problems.

I think what you should do is drill some test holes to expose the wood in the areas that have the high moisture. Then you can see if you are getting water, or at least be able to use the inexpensive moisture meters ($30 at Home Depot) to test the moisture level in the wood itself.

Here are the links to my threads on the subject. SeaRays are fairly well built boats, but with age every boat can have issues, some serious, some not. You will have to decide.

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...-out-bulkheads

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...ad-replacement

 

[BigDog98]

I was told that searay uses a full fiberglass construction in their stringers, is that true?