UBB's destroyed my gelcoat...

[Bill D]

A couple months ago I purchased my 2011 242 LS. I felt good about the purchase because I knew some of her history from the original owners "saga" post on the other forum. I knew how well she had been taken care of and how the upgrades were done with excellent care. Once we had her and had gone through the stress of the first few launch / retrieval cycles, I paid a little more attention to the trailer and noticed the UBB's didn't look very good. They were sagging and had some white residue in spots. (I assumed in was something sprayed on to make the boards slippery)

I decided to replace them with traditional boards. Of course, I didn't get the boards exactly the same and the next retrieval I saw a worn spot!


I played with the position of the boat on the trailer and found another spot that was even worse!


So, my questions are; How bad is this? Is it likely that it runs the length of where the boards rode on the boat? How much does gelcoat repair cost? and... Is this what 3 years of UBB's do to a boat?!

TIA

 

[Bruce]

You are not the first to notice this but you may have the worst case of if!

@Glassman, do you have any thoughts on the repair cost? I am assuming that this will need to be sprayed with real gelcoat and is not a spectrum paste repair.

 

[gthh]

If you are a DIY kinda of guy a couple of youtube videos and a trip to get some gel coat repair. It is not structural so it is just an afternoon repair.

You will have to learn how to block up your boat to get to the area. Keep in mind it is not like jacking up a car.

 

[Bill D]

I am very much a DIY type, and since the areas are in places that nobody can ever see (not visible while in the water and covered by the bunks on the trailer) it's not a bad place to try my first repair job. My worries are 1.) Getting the boat off the trailer and up on blocks, and 2.) there's gotta be a freaking lot of area that needs fixing.

I miss those first months when I didn't know what was lurking behind the bunks. Ignorance was bliss.

 

[jawsf16]

That sucks. I used to love UBBs, but now I hate them. True evidence that the long term effects of a product take awhile to surface. I am glad I did not put them on my AR and sold them with my SX210. Regarding blocks, would it be easier or even possible to temporarily reposition the bunks and retrieve it from the trailer? Probably depends on where the damage is wrt the possible board placement... just a thought.

 

[Scottintexas]

I also had UBB's and the same chalking. I covered mine with carpet this year. I jacked it up a little to looked for any damage but after seeing yours I'm going to have to give it a more thorough inspection.

 

[Bill D]

Yep, that looks familiar. But I wouldn't worry too much. Mine looked worse and weren't in as good of shape. I believe that the sagging contributed to the rubbing. I know that the area in the pic was near the site of the most chalking on the boards. I can't believe I thought it was some sort of lubricant.

This should definitely be put on the list of things to check for buyers in the used market. I would have never thought to inspect the bunks and imagine what's going on behind there. (Obviously )

 

[Scottintexas]

there was great debate about a few years ago when about a dozen of us bought them and what that chalking was and if it was from the gelcoat or the UBB wearing off

some members still say they have no chalking at all which is why it really confuses me,

 

[Bruce]

My brothers worked in marinas while teenagers. They would put boats on a roller trailer then roll them off onto styrofoam blocks for winter storage. I wonder if you could find a roller trailer and some foam?

 

[gthh]

Bill Take a look at this post for some ideas. https://jetboaters.net/threads/how-to-get-to-a-long-gelcoat-scratch-under-the-boat-under-the-front-bunk.6899


You may need a couple of these. They cost around $50 /

http://www.scaffoldmart.com/boat-stand/sail boat stands/sail-boat-stands.html?gclid=CLfUs_m_mMcCFUeRHwodPPAIgA

 

[Gym]

there was great debate about a few years ago when about a dozen of us bought them and what that chalking was and if it was from the gelcoat or the UBB wearing off

some members still say they have no chalking at all which is why it really confuses me,

I'm one of those that has UBB's and no damage. I welded the bow stop just after the UBB install. I believe we determined that the movement of the stock bow stop contributed to the chalking issue.

 

[Ronnie]

A nearby marina may put your boat on blocks at their location for a small fee. I few around me offer that service. I like the stands brought up by @gthh but hate the idea of having to store these possibly one time use items. As for UBBs, I'm running out of mods to do on the boat and trailer and was thinking of putting UBBs on next year's list but paying to have a problem just isn't my thing. Between @jawsf16 's and @Gym 's feedback I'd have to go with @jawsf16 because it is the safest, easiest and cheapest of the two. I guess I will spend the money on something else, probably something I don't need/doesn't need to be fixed, boat addiction isn't just a term its a disease.

 

[jetboater4life]

I'm one of those that has UBB's and no damage. I welded the bow stop just after the UBB install. I believe we determined that the movement of the stock bow stop contributed to the chalking issue.

I welded mine rock solid right before my UBBs and I got lots of chalking and quickly carpeted them. My boat is super snug on my trailer with tight boat buckles in the back, a boat buckle holding down the front and a Fulton F2 holding the bow eyelet to a welded bow stop. I think it depends on how bumpy your roads are and how far you trailer. I posted a bunch of pictures of mine somewhere on a thread long long ago.

And straight from harddrive here they are again. These are what they looked like after a long bumpy trip, probably 300+ miles.


So I ended up carpeting my UBBs http://yamahajetboaters.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=57453&start=60 I apologize for those that can't get to that link, I'm too tired to port it over to jetboaters.net at the moment.

 

[Ronnie]

Wow, that sucks @jetboater4life.

Did you have that much wear/rubbing damage as a result of just one 300 mile trip?

I'd be pissed if I spent that kind of money only to end up with carpeted bunk boards (I.e., what I started with) , albeit i would never have to replace the board itself but ....

 

[Bill D]

@jetboater4life Thats way closer to what mine looked like. Except, mine were warped. They bowed/ sagged in spots. The bow stop on my trailer has been welded and is rock solid and there are also boat buckles installed. During my usage, once tight, the boat doesn't seems to move. (Everything is still tight when I arrive) It's frustrating to not know everything contributing to this damage.

I suppose I'll get a couple estimates and weigh the options. Finding a marina that would block the boat may be sweet. Tuscaloosa has an awesome ordinance on parking boats in your driveway, so I'm not even sure where I'd be able to do the work. From what I've read it takes a few days / a week to complete.

 

[Glassman]

You are not the first to notice this but you may have the worst case of if!

@Glassman, do you have any thoughts on the repair cost? I am assuming that this will need to be sprayed with real gelcoat and is not a spectrum paste repair.

The cost will depend largely on whether you do it yourself or hire someone to do it. In this instance there isn't that much coverage area that I can see, but there could be more hidden by those boards.

There is a pretty good video on removing a boat from the trailer:

Once you get it off you'll see the extent of the damage.
I would guess a quart of gel coat should be sufficient. BTW, Spectrum paste IS real gel coat, it's just been thickened.
You "could" use that product, but it would be a good deal more effort. On the other hand, if you don't own spray equipment and the damage is minimal, it could be much less expensive to go that route.

If it's just those two spots, you could shift the boat on the trailer and take your time brushing on the gel coat. Fortunately it isn't a deep gouge.

 

[Bill D]

I've spent some time this morning watching the videos you guys have posted and others about gel coat repair. It doesn't seem like it's anything that is too crazy. It all just sounds intimidating. @Glassman is this something that can wait till the end of the season, or does it need to be addressed right away?

 

[Glassman]

I've spent some time this morning watching the videos you guys have posted and others about gel coat repair. It doesn't seem like it's anything that is too crazy. It all just sounds intimidating. @Glassman is this something that can wait till the end of the season, or does it need to be addressed right away?

Not having seen the damage in person, I can't tell you for sure that no water is penetrating into the exposed fiberglass. You have two things to repair. The boat and the trailer. Obviously the boat needs to come off the trailer at some point, and I would do that first. Any repair attempt on the hull will only be damaged by those boards.

If it were me and I wanted to put off the full blown repair until the end of my boating season, I'd still do some sort of stop-gap remedy.

I would do the following;

Get the boat up on stands above the trailer. It's easier than it sounds. If you don't have access to stands like those in the video you can use other means. You can make tall blocks from 2x4's by building them in a square crossing pattern



drop the tongue as low as you can, put two stands or blocks at the transom. Raise the tongue as high as you possibly can. The transom should rest on the stands at the stern. Place a stand or a large block made from wood under the keel at the front where it breaks upward, lower the tongue . You should have a bit of room between the hull and the bunks if the stands are tall enough. This should enable you to see just how bad the hull looks behind the boards. I've lifted my boat using a floor jack and boards. It's not that difficult.
Of course, the easiest way is to look at it while it's in the water.
But I'd prefer to keep the hull dry, because what I would do is give the hull a quick sand and spray some gel coat on to seal it. You can use a disposable aerosol sprayer


After a few coats of gel coat, cover it with plastic wrap or give it a quick spray with PVA to let it cure without becoming tacky.

http://www.amazon.com/Preval-0225-2-Pack/dp/B00CW809ZO/ref=sr_1_6/186-8242164-9098535?ie=UTF8&qid=1439072140&sr=8-6&keywords=aerosol+sprayer



Let it dry and go boating.