hull

[ncwest39]

Hey guys<br />I had purchased a boat,my first boat in late September and it has sat in the shop since.I got the creeper out and looked under the boat(I had to raise it up to see this )What i saw was a patch along the Keel area of the boat,Looked as if the boat was beached one to many times,To me it looks like normal wear and has no dents,patches seem to be in good shape,do not have good access to get under the deck and see if its been leaking,But will probably do that,my question is this,Is what i am seeing commom or not.The boat is a 1987 and is 22ft and probably about 4500lbs,Thanks for the imput

 

[Solittle]

Re: hull

Dave - What would be common in one area would not be in another. Where the bottom and shore are grassy or sandy it is unlikely that much damage will be found and the reverse in other locations. The keel is usually the place in the hull where the fiberglass is the thickest and damage can be more cosmetic than structural. If the patch covers a crack then the damage could be severe if not fixed properly.<br /><br />Have you contacted the prior owner?

 

[ncwest39]

Re: hull

The old owner has moved and can not contact him but thanks for the help.

 

[MajBach]

Re: hull

Is it possible this is simply one of those adhesive keel guards?

 

[ncwest39]

Re: hull

I wish,It actually has the mesh tape and mud on it.I was just wondering about it due to the age,It seems to me that would be somewhat common in that area of the boat.I personally would not do that to a boat(beaching it to the point of the Keel wearing out)Just wondering if this is common,Thanks

 

[POINTER94]

Re: hull

ncwest39,<br /><br />Being near to the mississippi it would not be all that uncommon to find out that this boat found itself on the beach almost every weekend at some of the island parties. (Attendance not mandatory but highly recommended. ) If the wear is located at the front of the boat at a point near where the keel flattens out to the stern this would be a strong indictment of this type of treatment. In your area not all that uncommon. I would look at sanding the area with a wet sand paper to find out if the "mesh" is a material they used in trying to patch an exposed area of fiberglass or the fiberglass itself. <br /><br />Access and repair once you have discerned what the material is. You can also take the winter to completely dry out the hull.<br /><br />When launching in the spring, load the boat with as much weight as you can to increase the water pressure against the hull. When you take the boat out see if any water has made its way into the bilge. Is there any cracking or spiderwebbing around the repair?

 

[ncwest39]

Re: hull

Thanks for the reply,the area is where the keel flatens out and i have not noticed anything like cracks and spider webing around the repair.The boat is a 1987 Lessons.It was made in Missouri and had a very low production but anyway the boat sits high in the water and if you take up the floor all you can see are the gas tanks.The old owner did inform me of this when I purchased the boat.The interior had been redone before I bought it.I hate to pull the interior out and fuel tanks if I still cannot acess the hull.I may have to do this but nothing about the repair says that I should and on the other hand I hate to wait until spring to find out if it leaks,Thanks for the input.

 

[flashback]

Re: hull

ncwest39, as far as gel-coat is concerned, it is about as water proof as a cotton T-shirt.. I would'nt worry too much if that is all thats missing..............good luck