Fiberglass Damage

[mraz72]

I just noticed this dent in the bow, I have no idea how it got there, it's in a weird spot, in the bow under the starboard seat. Here is how I am thinking about handing it.

1. wait until the end of the summer so I don't lose any boating time
2. bring it to a fiberglass repair shop
3. either I call Yamaha or they can call to see if this in under warranty

My question is, is that a good plan? Should I contact Yamaha now? I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't grow or else I might have to look for a repair shop sooner.
Should I look for any temporary fix/filler?

Here is the damage


for reference here is where it is

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

That won't hurt anything, so wait for the season to be over before worrying about it

 

[Neutron]

That is a strange spot to get damage.
Let us know what Yamaha says, but doubt it would be covered.
Looks like as if something solid was between the seat and that spot. And when someone sat on it or stood on it, it cracked.
I would fix it on your own. If done even so-so you wouldn't see it unless seat was up

 

[Betik]

Sometimes I carry my box anchor in the bow and That has the weight to cause just damage, so I am super careful.

I would just fix it myself. Seams small and easy

 

[mraz72]

I have no idea how that happened, and it does seem like a weird spot. I have the bow filler cushions in a lot, and recently I had my daughter with 3 of her friends out and they were all bounding around in the front. Seems like something heavy smashed it, oh well.

Hesitant to fix it myself as I have never repaired fiberglass and I feel like it would look like crap if I did it. I agree, it's not in a spot that matters much.

Any guesstimates as to what something like that would cost to repair at a typical fiberglass repair place?

 

[Gym]

Looks like that was hit from the side where the piece is pushed in. I can't imagine Yamaha covering that as it looks like it was caused by some sort of trauma rather than stress. You can always ask though.

 

[McMark]

Maybe it’s a void. Especially since you don’t know how it happened. You will need your dealer or glass guy to confirm and call Yamaha. I say that because it’s on a corner. It happens and it’s covered under the hull warranty. I had 2 that needed to be repaired. Both in corners.

 

[biffdotorg]

Fill it with Marine Tex (white) sand it down and paint it. Yamaha gelcote is painted in most locations. So it will look nearly perfect when done.

Take some 1000 grit sand paper to sand off the edges created from taping off the location. Nobody but you will know it was repaired. I agree with above, it's in a location that could wait till the off season.

Good luck,

 

[Matt Phillips]

It looks like maybe a seat filler cushion wasn't installed completely in that indentation, and then someone sat on it and crushed the glass. I've noticed that my cushions can be a little finicky when going in. I doubt Yamaha would cover this as they'd claim user damage. The best thing to do is fix it yourself and move on. If ya can't it's not a critical place and can wait until the off-season.

 

[Dave Baran]

You may want to fill in behind with some fiberglass cloth patch and marine epoxy for added strength. Then fill the top with white gel coat repair. Sand lightly with 400 then 800 and 1200 emory paper; buff and polish. Simple job just takes some time. Probably 2-3 days allowing for dry / cure time.