Gouge in Hull

[eeboater]

Well, I was tinkering around today trying to figure out where the small amount of water could be originating from when I go boating. I think I finalized my theory that it splashes in through on of the side vents.<br /><br />But while I was sniffing around, I laid down on my creeper and rolled under the transom of the boat. Tucked in up and behind one of the trailer bunks I noticed this:<br /><br />

<br /><br />It was nice and hidden -- been under there several times before and never noticed it... in fact, I'm surpised I didnt. The gash is about 5 inches in lenght. It is definitely from the previous owner because it was "repaired." Now, as you can see, there is a small amount of cracking in the filler they used to patch the hole. Does anyone have any reccomendations on how I should address this issue? I was thinking about simply reinforcing the previous patch by filling the small cracks with something that will hold up to the weather/water/conditions under them.<br /><br />To answer the question that is going through everyones minds, yes, there is a slightly hollower thud beneath the gouge. I tapped on the area with a hammer to see how far it expanded and it seems to only have extended in the near vicinity of the gouge. I'm willing to bet it came from the short time he ran the boat in the water post-collision with said object. I'm not too concerned about it -- there isn't much I can do short of tearing the inside of my boat out... and I'll get rid of the darn thing before I go through that.<br /><br />Thanks in advance.<br />Sean

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Gouge in Hull

Just using a filler type product won't work very well on that crack, you need to put some glass on it. You implied you can't get to it from the inside, so whatever you do will be on the out outside. Grind an area a couple of inches larger than the crack, if you find more damage grind that out too. Taper the edges as much as possible, from nothing at the crack out to the edge of where you sanded. Use some epoxy (poly will work too, but you need to do a better job) and glass to cover the area until you have at least filled the area back up to level with the surrounding hull. If the hull is thin in that area, you may need to add more glass than what is needed to get it level, this will leave a raised surface when your done with the repair. The raised surface won't affect anything, it will just be a cosmetic issue, if it doesn't bother you then there's no problem. Sand it down to get a better surface and paint it with an epoxy compatible paint, or if you use poly, you can use gel coat. Now you don't need to sell the boat and the repair will be safe and only you will know there is a slight bump on the bottom of your boat.

 

[Chief101]

Re: Gouge in Hull

I like the idea of using epoxy in this situation as the last patch could be(looks like) Marine-Tex and would not be compattible with poly resin. Would be really good to do a couple layers of glass on the inside area of the gouge also. Chief Chief

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: Gouge in Hull

It really needs some attention to the inside as well; I would think an outside-only repair would be very temporary at best. I'm willing to bet you are getting some water in that crack.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Gouge in Hull

I like inside repairs also, but an outside repair especially with epoxy will do just fine. All of the stuff from the first patch should be removed before any new stuff is applied, so he shouldn't be going over any old epoxy.