Awesome boating season comes to a disappointing end....

[Sonic Blue]

Ah man!!!

I realize these are "first world" problems but, c'mon!!!

I pulled my boat out of the water last week to prep for winter storage. I put 42 hours on the clock this summer between Lake Huron and Lake Erie, Ontario. This is my first boat, first year, first everything. I learned so much and had the best time with friends and family.

So...before I towed the boat to my dealer today, I washed the boat thoroughly, ....and found this crack in my hull. Its about the size of my finger. I didn't think much of it at the time, I mean, how expensive can it be to do a minor repair on a gel coat right? Probably a bubble defect and covered under warranty right? Well, apparently 17 hours, $450 in materials + Tax= $2800CDN ($2240 US) That's the cost of my boat slip for the season.

BUT WAIT...it gets better, before I knew that $, I pulled my Towing Cover out of the box for the first time this year. (you know....the ones no one could get?) I had one in my basement since mid summer. It arrived a month after my Snap Cover arrived so I have been towing and mooring with my Snap Cover all summer. I figured it was time to install the Towing Cover for the trip on the highway to the dealer. It fits perfectly and looks awesome. I just finished adjusting the ratchet straps and admiring how the cover makes my boat look when I noticed the big razor cut in the fabric. Seriously? And yup, you guessed it.... no warranty.. It's not a factory defect. I agree, it was clearly cut with a super sharp blade (at the freaking factory) Patch repair for that will be $100.

All I wanted to do this week was get my boat prepped for winter and stored indoors. Now, since i need to go ahead with the hull repair (i want to deal with it now and not spring) - I'll have to make other arrangements for storage. I am on first come first serve with my storage neighbor.

I know... First world problems.... but it would be nice to catch a break. A much less expensive break.

 

[Neutron]

That is a bummer for sure. Why are they not covering the hull. Is there impact damage?
If so can your insurance cover it?

 

[Sonic Blue]

Yes. It appears to be impact damage. My deductible is higher than the repair cost.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Man, that sucks especially with a new boat.

One upside, however, is that you didn't get much water in the boat with the hull crack, before you pulled the boat out of the water.

Jim

 

[Dixemon]

Bummer man, I see what you did there with the moring cover photo. That's about how I would feel as well.

 

[Dave burke]

Really sucks man. You must have hit something pretty hard to do that. Or something hit you.

In terms of the cost, I’d get a second estimate if I were you. And maybe ask the guys on this forum who have had fiberglass repair work done to opine.

Price seems high to me. With Covid i know everything seems expensive but still… 17 hours is more than 2 full days of work for what is a pretty small hole. And how can the materials be $450? I’m thinking some glass mat, resin, gel coat repair, etc. None of that stuff is very expensive. For sure I’d get a detailed estimate on the hours and the materials.

 

[Sonic Blue]

Thanks. Yes. The price is partially why I posted this. It seemed really high to me too but I have no reference point. I will question the hours before I commit. Unfortunately I have limited options where I am. This is my dealer, who have been really god to me… but their pricing is boutique. I’m wondering if they are sending it out to a 3rd party. Probably.

I will ask about the 17 hours and report back here for some opinions.

 

[Ronnie]

If you want to save your storage spot consider putting it in storage as is and pull it out a little early to get the damage repaired by next season.

I would either take the cover into be patched or would buy iron on patches at Joanne’s fabric to patch the tear In the cover from the inside so all that would be seen is a line wear the tear is/was on the outside.

Also I might not have the hull damage repaired professionally if at all, at least not right away because as a relatively new boater or any boater really you are likely to have other mishaps that will cause other damage (e.g. dock rash, scratches, spider cracking), so you may be better off getting the damage caused by your newbie / rookie mistakes all at once rather than every time one happens. So in this case I might just cut out / grind out the bad part and seal it back up in the garage and/or just pay a shop to patch the damage not make it look like it never happened.

I had a shop repair a hole the size of a quarter in my hull along with a gouge the size of a finger at the stern for a total cost (to my insurance company) for about $3,500. The materials were expensive around $150 but as you realize it’s the sanding and blending that make up the bulk of the cost, not an issue if you just have the hole patched and / or you patch it yourself doing what you can to match the surround paint color for the time being.

we were all new to boating at some point it doesn’t have to be expensive to fix the reminders unless you always want your boat to look like new and you are not in the business of fiberglass repair.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Personally, if it was my boat (I wish!) I would just go ahead and get it fixed. It's "only" $2200 on a 90K boat. I hate putting broken things back in storage. Makes it tough to resell if for some unknown reason you decide to. Can you save a few bucks by shopping around on the repair? Maybe. But, is it worth you time and effort to save a few bucks?

Jim

 

[deubank444]

But wait.... you HAVE a boat! Wish I could say the same!
(sorry for your troubles).

 

[Sonic Blue]

I signed the work order to get it done. I want to be able to get it on the water right away in spring. It looks like the company that is fixing the hull also does cover repairs and it looks like they absorbed that cost. That was a nice gesture and I appreciate that. Ive asked the dealer to add winterizing since the boat is there already. Once all is done, I'll call my storage guy and see what he has left.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I signed the work order to get it done. I want to be able to get it on the water right away in spring. It looks like the company that is fixing the hull also does cover repairs and it looks like they absorbed that cost. That was a nice gesture and I appreciate that. Ive asked the dealer to add winterizing since the boat is there already. Once all is done, I'll call my storage guy and see what he has left.

Well done! It’s a drag for sure to have lay out the dough, but as you say you want to be on the water ASAP after the water turns liquid again so I think that is money well spent. As my friend says, experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want. Like you I’m a first time boat owner, I’ve got the scratches, dings, chips and holes to go along with the hundreds of hours of use, as much as possible those will be getting fixed over winter. I’m sorry that you had to find that crap after a season of good times, but at least it was then and not mid season when it would have been eating at you or kept you from enjoying the boat. As you say, first world problems, but those problems are still relative. You’ll get it all fixed up and you can spend the off season making plans for next season!

 

[Jimmers]

It’s good that you are getting it fixed before it freezes. Chances are that water has soaked the fiberglass and that will fracture more glass through several freeze thaw cycles. At that price you are probably getting a high quality repair and the repair will be considerably larger than the fracture that you see. Consider it money well spent. One question you should be considering is how did you get that damage, however it occurred, you don’t want to do it again!