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That's a good idea, thank you. I'm still waiting back for the estimate and ETA on when it could be fixed, but will check with the insurance company regarding sealing it back up. I had thought about the water "intrusion" on the fiberglass, but then I also thought "the inside of the hull is fiberglass without gelcoat, and it's wet constantly, so what's the difference?"
@anmut .....yes, good question about the inside of the hull being exposed to water. While I don't like "bare" fiberglass resin being exposed to water and in most of the boats I have owned it hasn't been and on several boats I have owned where the resin/fiberglass chop/mat was exposed I gave those areas several coats of marine epoxy - your situation - IMO, is somewhat different because yours is a damaged area(s) where the barrier coat (paint/gel) has been scraped-off as have the underlying surface of the resins giving the water a free pass into the core areas. In my 2020 Yamaha FX195 there are "bare" resin/fiberglass areas under the swim platform. While these areas should not come into contact with water on a sustained basis (like your hull will) I still don't like it and may, for a winter project, give them a couple of coats with marine epoxy.
I would call and get an opinion from a repair place or two, but i would put something on those worn fiberglass spots if you are going to continue using it this summer before the repair. Maybe there is a similar marine spray seal/gel coat spray????
I would call and get an opinion from a repair place or two, but i would put something on those worn fiberglass spots if you are going to continue using it this summer before the repair. Maybe there is a similar marine spray seal/gel coat spray????
Everything I've read says to never put exposed fiberglass into water. Given how long it has already been exposed, I'd be checking with a fiberglass place ASAP.
Be careful as I'd hate to have your insurance company say "well because you kept using it and the whole hull delaminated, we are only covering the initial damage"
I finally talked to one of the repair shop guys - he said the limited exposure isn't a big deal. Recommended a putty I could slap on myself that he could work with during the repair. Called State Farm to make sure a temporary repair is OK with them and they said no problem, even offered to reimburse me for the putty. So now to track down some good short strand fiberglass putty.
FYI I used Sierra marine to fix gel coat on my old 2012 AR240. I supplied the gel coat and he did the labor. He tried to convince me to have him paint it and I denied. Work was alright, you could see sanding marks and where he blended if in the right light. Also, took him way longer than quoted and when I paid cash that was agreed upon he complained about how much time he had in it, like I should pay him more. This being said that was 6 years ago and I traded it in for a 15 and the dealer didn't notice.
I finally talked to one of the repair shop guys - he said the limited exposure isn't a big deal. Recommended a putty I could slap on myself that he could work with during the repair. Called State Farm to make sure a temporary repair is OK with them and they said no problem, even offered to reimburse me for the putty. So now to track down some good short strand fiberglass putty.
FYI I used Sierra marine to fix gel coat on my old 2012 AR240. I supplied the gel coat and he did the labor. He tried to convince me to have him paint it and I denied. Work was alright, you could see sanding marks and where he blended if in the right light. Also, took him way longer than quoted and when I paid cash that was agreed upon he complained about how much time he had in it, like I showed pay him more. This being said that was 6 years ago and I traded it in for a 15 and the dealer didn't notice.
Good to know. Yeah, he's got a shop out in the country and was like "I'll get back to you by the end of the week with a quote..." How could there be so many boats out and about but no PROFESSIONAL shops that repair them.
Update - patched the spots with some 3M short strand fiberglass repair after confirming with my insurance company that they'd allow me to a temporary fix. That was easier than I thought it was. Mix, spread by hand with gloves on, let sit and sand down a little. We're taking it out Friday/Saturday so I'll let you know how it holds up.
Update - patched the spots with some 3M short strand fiberglass repair after confirming with my insurance company that they'd allow me to a temporary fix. That was easier than I thought it was. Mix, spread by hand with gloves on, let sit and sand down a little. We're taking it out Friday/Saturday so I'll let you know how it holds up.
@anmut ....I would also paint it. It doesn't have to be anything exotic, best would be a marine epoxy which you can buy small amounts of and brush it on or even an automotive spray lacquer - anything to add water repelling to that fiberglass which IMO should not go into the water untreated. Even pure resin is not waterproof.
@anmut ....I would also paint it. It doesn't have to be anything exotic, best would be a marine epoxy which you can buy small amounts of and brush it on or even an automotive spray lacquer - anything to add water repelling to that fiberglass which IMO should not go into the water untreated. Even pure resin is not waterproof.
Thanks for the heads-up. The resin actually claims to be waterproof and for boat repairs. What brand do you suggest that has the most colors available? I wonder how close to the factory blue I could get it...
Thanks for the heads-up. The resin actually claims to be waterproof and for boat repairs. What brand do you suggest that has the most colors available? I wonder how close to the factory blue I could get it...
@anmut you can order the exact color from your dealer BUT here's the huge deal I was told that my color is PAINT. My 2020 SX195 hull is "Yacht Blue" marine paint. All of my other NON- jet boats were gel coat which I could match from Spectrum but RIVA and Yamaha said the bottoms of the Yamahas were now a paint NOT a spray-on gel coat finish. If that's correct and I assume it is because my gel coat guy repaired my 2018 Yamaha Waverunner SVHO's black hull with spray- on Yamaha Marine Paint (black color). If you can get the OEM Yamaha paint in time I'd use it. If not, I'd use any marine paint whose color was close then re-do it properly later. I have never heard of any resin or combo resin/fibergalss/compound- not even the vinylester resins - that are waterproof without a final barrier coat such as gel, paint or barrier bottom coating
@anmut you can order the exact color from your dealer BUT here's the huge deal I was told that my color is PAINT. My 2020 SX195 hull is "Yacht Blue" marine paint. All of my other NON- jet boats were gel coat which I could match from Spectrum but RIVA and Yamaha said the bottoms of the Yamahas were now a paint NOT a spray-on gel coat finish. If that's correct and I assume it is because my gel coat guy repaired my 2018 Yamaha Waverunner SVHO's black hull with spray- on Yamaha Marine Paint (black color). If you can get the OEM Yamaha paint in time I'd use it. If not, I'd use any marine paint whose color was close then re-do it properly later. I have never heard of any resin or combo resin/fibergalss/compound- not even the vinylester resins - that are waterproof without a final barrier coat such as gel, paint or barrier bottom coating
That's interesting - I've been telling the repair people that it's a blue gel coat, I should probably call Yamaha and double check that it's not painted. I will say that the damaged gel coat doesn't have any signs of having a layer of paint on it, seems to be the same color all the way through.
Here's the waterproof stuff that I put on. Basically my goal is to just seal up the fiberglass for temporary and have a professional make it look stock again.
Btw when they say the hardener is "fast drying" they're not kidding. I mixed about a half cups' worth at a time last night and each time the stuff was unusable within 5 minutes.
Paint? No way, I don't believe that. I know my 2017 is gel coat, very unlikely that Yamaha switched to painting their bottom hulls. I think your dealer didn't know what they were talking about.
That's interesting - I've been telling the repair people that it's a blue gel coat, I should probably call Yamaha and double check that it's not painted. I will say that the damaged gel coat doesn't have any signs of having a layer of paint on it, seems to be the same color all the way through.
Here's the waterproof stuff that I put on. Basically my goal is to just seal up the fiberglass for temporary and have a professional make it look stock again.
Btw when they say the hardener is "fast drying" they're not kidding. I mixed about a half cups' worth at a time last night and each time the stuff was unusable within 5 minutes.
@anmut .....yes the mixture can dry very fast. You can vary the amount of catalyzer you use to lengthen working time of the product. It will be very interesting to see what you are told. My dealer had no idea and referred me to the area repair wizard. There is a factory mold chip on my new 2020 SX195 (not sure why it left the factory like that) - the gel coat guy plans to repair it and paint it with Yamaha "paint"- so - I'll be REALLY interested to seen if you receive different information/instructions.
I actually found a company near me in Iola, WI that builds fiberglass fishing boats called Recon Boats. They were recommended by another marina so now i'm hopeful again that someone besides "a guy with a garage" can do the repairs and match up the colors correctly.
Man, that sucks! Just got back from vacay from a rental on the lake. My ONE stipulation was it had to have a boat house with a lift for the exact reason you specified. Won't get rocked and tossed around, or potentially rip free like yours did. Such a shame! Things happen, though. Even as cautious and careful as I am I still get the occasional nick, or scratch. Obviously nothing of your magnitude.
@anmut, does your boat have an articulating keel (i.e. rudder)? If it does, you'll probably want to take a close look at it to make sure that there's no damage to it since it sits below the lowest point of the hull.
FINALLY, FINALLY, my boat is back to brand new. Almost 9k worth of repairs. Nearly 100 hours in service. I had them throw on a keel guard while they were working fixing it. Looks like brand new. Interesting lessons from Recon Boats in Iola, WI:
1) If you ever have gel coat damage and plan on having a professional repair it, no need to fiberglass it - use packing tape as a temp fix. They manufacture high-end fiberglass fishing boats so I would trust them on this.
2) 1 quart of Yamaha Blue Hull costs $800! EIGHT HUNDRED DOLLARS!
3) White hulls are harder to match a repair to than a colored hull because of the way the water stains a hull.
4) High-flake fiberglass hulls, if not sealed correctly, will develop a discolor below the waterline. I've seen this complaint on some of the high-end tow boat groups.
I would 1000x recommend Recon Boats to work on any fiberglass boat I had in the future. They did a phenomenal job and, because I had this work done with them, they gave me 50% off their indoor and heated storage for the winter. On top of that, she fixed a few small chips and scratches that weren't part of the original quote and not related to the July damage - just because she wanted it to look perfect! My jaw is still dropping from finding a company that treats customers like this - super rare in these days.
Here are the original damage pictures from July and the repair.
