Hit a rock

L

louis

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Joined
Feb 10, 2021
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1651
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7
I have hit a rock that damaged the hull of the boat about 8 inches long .No water has cone in but pulling it out it is a bit soggy around 2 small areas .After that I have put water in the boat , it is sitting there for the paste 2 weeks and not leaking but as i say If you apply pressure its a bit soggy .Its impossible to get to it inside .Its under the build in fuel tank and aft berth .There is no one that can fixe it till this winter the boat .will only be in and out of the water for about 20 days .The area is only fiberglass .Any quick remedy that I could apply .There is always a small amount of water around that area inside .I was told since its solid fiberglass it would not cause damage to the boat .Is this true .Is my season finished

Louis
 
After drying it out as best you can I would try marine tex for a temporary fix until winter when you can get it glassed over.
 
What is marine tex is it the same as 3M Marine Prmium filler .Would adding a couple off coats of Polyester resin help
 
how deep are the scraches ? past the gel coat, into the glass ? adding a couple of coat of resin isnt' going to to help much as resin has no strenght on its own, it's the glass that gives it strength.

if the cracks are deep, i'd worry that the flexing of the hull alone will result in the cracks getting larger or deeper. hard to say without seeing the damage.

if the damage is superficial, some Marinetex will be fine... no it's not filler it's high strength epoxy (probably has filler in there). it's comes in white or dark grey (you need white obviously)

if you see broking glass or if the area is pretty big, then you should clean up the area and are probably better off using some glass cloth and resin. not fun to do upside down but fairly easy.

can you post pictures of the damage ?
 
I would be hesitant about using marine tex since its an epoxy and it will bond to the hull very well, but it may cause a problem later on because poyesther resin doesn't bond to epoxy very well and from what you describe, you'll probably need to have the area ground down, reglassed and regelcoated. The marinetex may cause a bond problem for a repair with polyether resin, which is what will probably be used. If the area is "soggy", you probably have micro cracking and delamination in the area and using the boat may make it worse. How big is your boat? Maybe you can find a repair shop that you can trailer the boat to.
 
I do not know how to poste a picture .It has removed the gel coat and removed at least 1/8 of a inch of the fiberglass .I can not see through the haul .It is not a hole but a long gash 15 " by 2 "
As I mentioned I have put water in that compartment and as I apply pressure water sponges out .
I can seal that compartment .There is only a small tube reaching there .My major question will water absorb in the fiberglass inside the haul and cause more damage . Farther examination it will need clothe and is polyester resin ok

Thank you
 
Blueflew The boat is a Bayliner 2655 2001 26 feet My problem I can not finde any one around who can fixe it tile winter
 
If the damage is only 1/8" thick, I don't see how water would "sponge" out unless Bayliner used balsa or foam core material in the hull. If this damage is on the bottom of the hull, that area is usually one of the thickest parts of the boat, so 1/8" shouldn't be significant unless there is core material or that part of your hull happens to be relatively thin. If you would like to attempt a repair on your own, try this web site for tips on fiberglass repair: http://www.bertram31.com/proj/tips/hole_patch.htm. This site is dedicated to the refurbishment of Bertram 31 boats, a true classic. They have a lot of step by step procedures for using fiberglass under the building tips link. Alternatively, I would get out the phone book and go to several boat supply stores and keep asking around for a good fiberglass repairman. There's always someone who knows someone in the business who wants to make some extra money. Or, look in the phone book for a distributor of fiberglass and resin and ask them if they know someone who can do the repair. People in the business don't buy fiberglass supplies from marine stores...way too expensive, they buy from a wholesaler/distributor and they can be a good source of info. Good luck
 
if you see water coming out from inside the boat thru the gash when you push on it then you have a problem and it needs to be fixed. the laminate is cracked and you can't use the boat like that... it sounds like it's not just a scratch/gouge but also a crack caused by the impact.

you're probably going to have to grind around the scratch/crack and laminate some cloth and glass to repair. the fact taht you cant' access the damaged area from the inside makes it significantly harder to repair.

West Systems has a little booklet you can buy that explains common repairs, step by step. it's not that hard to do but being a strutural problem, you may be better off getting done. There has to be a shop around that you can trailer the boat to (asuming you have a trailer) or a repair/maintenance guy that could do it on site.
 
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