Fiberglass hull damage - Repair Chronical

[AltheaToldMe]

So I hit a rock while boating last weekend. This was on Sunday night. I checked the bottom of the boat today to assess the damage. I found that the cut is about an inch wide at it's widest and about 10" long. The disturbing part (to me) was the fact that it appears wet after 2 days on dry land.

Is there water stored between the layers of fiberglass and if so, what is the best way to dry it out before attempting a repair. Secondly, if the hull is breached (and it does not appear to be,) is there a way to dry out the foam?

I'm kicking myself right now, but I have to find the best way to repair it and move on. I have no idea what course to take, but I'll bet there are plenty here that do. I have access to glass mat and resin now. I happen to out of town right now and there is a marine supply place a block or so from here. I am going to pick up some Marine-Tex as I have read about it here.

Please give me a direction to head. I am almost sick over this.

Thanks all!!

 

[matt2002]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Try drying it out with a heat gun.Go easy and don't over do it.

 

[AltheaToldMe]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Here are some pics of the damage for further consideration. Tonight I got the large kit of Marine-Tex, some fiberglass mat and resin. I went and lightly sanded the area this afternoon. These pics are post-sanding. Still looking for opinions on the situation though.

 

[AltheaToldMe]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Any tips on prepping this and filling it with MArine-Tex??

I am going to work on it tonight.

Thanks!!!

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Take a look in the Restoration forum.....................post your questions and pics there....................thats what they specialize in.............

 

[gcboat]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Ouch !!!!! Before any repairs are done it must be dry. Not kinda', sorta' or maybe. It may take up to a month for it to be done. Forget the heat guns, driers, etc. as all they will do is make the water migrate to another location. If not in the form of steam then it will just push it along. Get a fan of some kind and let it go for awhile. Moving air is the best way to dry moisture.
Now, the Marine Tex is a quality product but after looking at your pics it might be best to go with some mat beforehand.
80# paper is the choice for roughing up, nothing finer.
Use epoxy resin - will cost more but worth the extra dime.

 

[oops!]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

this is a standard hull repair........

but first, lets flag this one and get it moved to the resto forum....

unless you have a cored hull....no....water should not be trapped in there..(if the hull is a cored product your in deep trouble). what kind of boat is it........(i dont think it is a cored hull)
put the bow up high..and let any water drain thru the bilge...the reason its dripping is there is probably water trapped behind the area. if you raise the bow, the water will flow away fron the area.

my advice is to grind the affected area....(not too much, or thru the hull)
get rid of any glass that has turned white ish.....(it wont hold resin).

vaccume, then clean with acitone. you will need to add some layers of fiberglass....yes you can use epoxy there.
after glassing, fill with marine-tex or better yet, gellcoat...then sand and re finish.

post pics of your progress

cheers
oops

 

[AltheaToldMe]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

this is a standard hull repair........

put the bow up high..and let any water drain thru the bilge...the reason its dripping is there is probably water trapped behind the area. if you raise the bow, the water will flow away from the area.

cheers
oops

^^^Wise words!

Oops,

Thanks for the advice. I am going to keep adding to this thread to chronicle my repairs. Hopefully someone in the future will find this information valuable. I know I have learned a lot from other folks detailed reports so I will detail this as much as I can.

So, I checked out the boat tonight. I stopped by a local supplier and purchased a fiberglass kit and some 80 grit paper to be prepared. I was very disappointed to find that there was water still dripping from the wound. Oops got me pointed in the right direction though.

It made sense to me that there was a large amount of water somewhere and I needed to get rid of it. I started by removing a layer of floor that was use in the past to cover over a problem (I just learned this.) Then I removed the centerboard floor that covers the fuel tank. When I removed this, I discovered that not only was the floor in need of some TLC, but that there was 6 inches of water at the bottom of the hull that was not making it?s way back to the bilge. I grabbed the floor jack from my van, and jacked the bow WAY up. When I did, all the water poured out the drain hole. I?m a bit confused as to why this water remained in the hull after removing the plug, but from now on, I will be storing the boat in such an orientation that ALL the water will be drained from the hull.

By cored hull, oops, I assume you meant that it was a double hull filled with foam? It appears that that is not the case here. I think it?s a one piece hull. I was not able to get a visual of the inside of the damaged section as it is under the open bow. I?m not sure I want to see it anyhow

So, I am certain that the damaged area will dry out now and in a lot less time than it would have. When it does, I will begin the repairs and update this thread as I go. For now?.more reading.

Thanks to the folks who replied and also to the folks that have already taken the time to document repairs of this kind I the past. The information is invaluable.

 

[Robj]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Hard to tell the real extent of the damage from the pix, but if water is dripping from it, then it is nearly or through the hull. In that case, IMO the repair should also be done from the inside and outside. I would put layers of glass on the inside and outside. Then fill, sand and fair the outside and gelcoat it.

Have a great day,

Rob.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

"I?m a bit confused as to why this water remained in the hull after removing the plug"

Sounds like there may be a bulkhead with a clogged drain hole (or no hole at all).

 

[AltheaToldMe]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Re: Fiberglass hull damage.

Well, I started the repairs this evening. Let me tell you that I was almost sick with nervousness about having to sand/grind stuff off of a boat that I JUST bought. It?s my first boat, and I was jut not confident. The fact that you are supposed to grind off an additional 2? of perfectly good gelcoat around the wound made me even more nervous.

A note to those who read this and are preparing to undergo the same repairs...The boat hull at the keel is a hell of a lot stronger than I ever could have imagined. I used an angle grinder to knock off the roughest of stuff and was amazed at how tough the hull is. Taking off the right amount of material from your repair area is pretty easy as long as you have some kind of sense. By the same token, you can sail right on through the hull in no time

Anyway, I stared with a drill with a rust and paint removal wheel chucked in it. It?s a rough composite material in something like 30 or less grit. I also had an angle grinder with standard flat 4? grinding wheels. I went to town on the damaged section and got it pretty close to where I need to be to move on to the cleaning step. I think I need to feather it out a little further on each side, but I can see myself having to remove the rollers that are in the way first.

Long story short, I ran out of daylight and packed it in. I?ll finish the prep sanding tomorrow night and get to the cleaning process. Here are a couple of pictures to fill you in on the progress.

By the way?.I am NOT experienced at this, I am a stone, cold novice. I?m not writing this as an expert how-to, I am writing this as a guide to newbies from a newbie. I?m also hoping that people might point out mistakes that I am making an help me to correct them.

Thanks to all who have posted thus far and good luck to those attempting this type of repair in the future.

 

[oops!]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage - Repair Chronical

looks like your doin just fine...!!!

all the glass that has turnes white needs to be removed... it wont hold resin any more.....you will need to add a layer or two of glass on that area...and rob js suggestion of outside and inside is a sure thing for a permanant repair....

as far as the water not running out....cn spots hit it....


if you need to get the rollers outta the way....just move the boat on the trailer till your clear of the rollers....and put a block under the transom.

cheers
oops

 

[AltheaToldMe]

Re: Fiberglass hull damage - Repair Chronical

Thanks Oops!

I got all the water out. I just need to keep a bow-up attitude while the boat on land. The bulkheads all have holes in the proper place and they are open. When I pulled the boat from the water the last time (the time when the damage happened) the launch area had only flat land. No land to get the boat on a tilt to drain it properly. In the future I will know and make sure the hull is empty.

Most of the glass that you see there that looks white simply has dust on it. When you wipe the area with an acetone soaked rag, it turns clear/green. I will take more pictures as I clean it up.