Well, now I've done it...... Hull damage help needed.

[2kwik4u]

On our 7th season and finally borked something pretty badly.

Was investigating a new party of the lake today. Was going maybe 2mph in 2-3 ft of water. Found a rock just below the surface. The initial hit want bad, but the backing out over it and dragging the hull probably did most of this. At one point we had to turn the engine off and hop in to float us off the obstruction, as well as unjam the reverse bucket.

Think I can just put some 5200 over this and put a keep guard on it, or should I look into a professional repair?!? Finger for scale.




Thoughts?

Supposed to take family out tomorrow for the 4th. Think it's ok to float it like this for a couple of hours, or should I call of the trip?!?

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Everyone will have different opinions as usual. But I can tell you I had a similar experience a few years ago. Decided to leave it for weeks in the lake at the cottage until I could get it out to repair it.

I just picked a good time in the fall to let it dry out well. Then dremeled it to clean up edges (and the stains lol). Cleaned with acetone. Dry. Then applied gel coat. It's actually a pretty easy job and since it's under the boat, even if it's cosmeticall not perfect, it won't matter. Doing gel coat is actually super simple. Mix, apply with a popsicle stick and then seal it with the plastic they provide of parchment paper. Let it cure. Then peel off and sand as you would anything until smooth and polished.

In short, I wouldn't cancel your outing. And this isn't hard to fix. No sweat.

 

[zipper]

That first one worries me. Don’t get the raw glass wet. Rather use epoxy for that one. Remember, any sealant will need to be removed prior to a proper repair.

 

[Acard7]

Seal it somehow and repair it in the off season!

 

[RobbieO]

On our 7th season and finally borked something pretty badly.

Was investigating a new party of the lake today. Was going maybe 2mph in 2-3 ft of water. Found a rock just below the surface. The initial hit want bad, but the backing out over it and dragging the hull probably did most of this. At one point we had to turn the engine off and hop in to float us off the obstruction, as well as unjam the reverse bucket.

Think I can just put some 5200 over this and put a keep guard on it, or should I look into a professional repair?!? Finger for scale.

View attachment 203288View attachment 203287View attachment 203286
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Thoughts?

Supposed to take family out tomorrow for the 4th. Think it's ok to float it like this for a couple of hours, or should I call of the trip?!?

Too bad you didn’t have a keelguard. If I’m seeing that correctly. I wouldn’t jet the glass wet.

 

[I_squared_r]

It doesn't look bad to me so I would only seal it with gelcoat. Dry it good with a heat gun, sand it with some heavy grit paper, and brush multiple layers of gelcoat on there. At a later date you can make it look nice by wet sanding it smooth.

I wouldn't cancel the holiday plans because of that. I don't think the gelcoat would cure fast enough for a day out tomorrow. I wouldn't put 5200 on it because it'll give you grief later when you try to gelcoat it. You could get 2-part epoxy, put a little extra hardener in it, put a piece of tape over it so it doesn't drip, then warm it up with a heat gun. It'll cure really fast and seal it so you can enjoy the day. (there's also additive to thicken epoxy so it doesn't drip, but it's expensive at west marine, sucks to sand it) Or you can try flex seal or something lol It wouldn't be the end of the world if the glass absorbed a little water, because you can dry it with a heat gun or with time. Many ways to tackle this so take your pick. I personally would go out, enjoy the day, and take care of it during the week.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Gorilla makes a quick drying two part epoxy that dries really fast, so does JB weld, JB makes a marine specific epoxy that dries white.

go enjoy your day on the water tomorrow.

 

[3 green tornados]

If you don’t have the time and you just want to get on the water “gasp” use flex seal tape. I have very similar damage that happened a few outings back (probably 20 hours of on the water time) and I have yet to fix it properly. It has not let any water in, not soft and has not peeled off. Took all of 5 minutes and a single use alcohol wipe with about 10” of tape. Hoping to fix it this month….

 

[2kwik4u]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

We took it out yesterday and spent about 5hrs on the water. No additional damage that I could see when we got home. We have about 3-4 weekends of other "stuff" going on with work, kids, friends, so we're not going to be boating for a little while. Might be a good opportunity to get started on a fix during a random weeknight.

Anyone have a good source to order the gel coat from? Would like to get the black to match these damage spots, and then I need the white to match to the top as well (have a few dings above the waterline I've been neglecting). I seem to remember Spectrum as a name, but googling that only gets me to the internet provider. Also, how much do I need? Volume wise it looks like maybe a few tablespoons, so a quart feels like too much, but I don't want to try and apply it with a fingernail brush either.

 

[2kwik4u]

Too bad you didn’t have a keelguard. If I’m seeing that correctly. I wouldn’t jet the glass wet.

I think I'm going to either get a keelguard, or get it line-x/rhino lined once I have it patched. Had the boat 7 seasons now and this is the first significant damage to the underside, so clearly I don't need it often.

Although, you can see where the bunk carpet needs to be replaced as it's clearly been scuffing the crap out of the hull during launch/retrieve cycles.

 

[I_squared_r]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

We took it out yesterday and spent about 5hrs on the water. No additional damage that I could see when we got home. We have about 3-4 weekends of other "stuff" going on with work, kids, friends, so we're not going to be boating for a little while. Might be a good opportunity to get started on a fix during a random weeknight.

Anyone have a good source to order the gel coat from? Would like to get the black to match these damage spots, and then I need the white to match to the top as well (have a few dings above the waterline I've been neglecting). I seem to remember Spectrum as a name, but googling that only gets me to the internet provider. Also, how much do I need? Volume wise it looks like maybe a few tablespoons, so a quart feels like too much, but I don't want to try and apply it with a fingernail brush either.

I bought generic marine store black gelcoat, but I never went far enough to actually blend it, polish it, etc. because it was underneath, so i can't comment it if it's a match. 1/2 a pint is enough for that job and you can apply it with cheap chip brushes from home depot. Sand it down a little with like +/- 120 grit and prep it with alcohol so the gelcoat has something to adhere to.

 

[RobbieO]

Thanks for all the help and advice guys.

We took it out yesterday and spent about 5hrs on the water. No additional damage that I could see when we got home. We have about 3-4 weekends of other "stuff" going on with work, kids, friends, so we're not going to be boating for a little while. Might be a good opportunity to get started on a fix during a random weeknight.

Anyone have a good source to order the gel coat from? Would like to get the black to match these damage spots, and then I need the white to match to the top as well (have a few dings above the waterline I've been neglecting). I seem to remember Spectrum as a name, but googling that only gets me to the internet provider. Also, how much do I need? Volume wise it looks like maybe a few tablespoons, so a quart feels like too much, but I don't want to try and apply it with a fingernail brush either.

https://spectrumcolor.com/....They match the factory colors

 

[2kwik4u]

https://spectrumcolor.com/....They match the factory colors

Thank you.

I found the color match I need. Have to call them at lunch to order though, guess they don't do online ordering anymore.

 

[RobbieO]

Thank you.

I found the color match I need. Have to call them at lunch to order though, guess they don't do online ordering anymore.

Better to have a live person. That way no mistakes.

 

[anmut]

I've gone through a similar experience and here's what I've learned:

1. If you're going to repair it permanently and professionally, don't put a hardened patch in place as your pro will have a hell of a time removing and redoing it properly.
2. Silicone caulk CAN BE USED for a temp deterrent. I've had a small spot on my keel patched up for hours of on/off boating since hitting something in spring. I check it weekly for peeling or other issues and it's stayed in place perfectly.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Glad to see you did not allow this to deter you from taking the boat out!

 

[Cleveland Steamer]

I did the same thing last year. Below is the thread. Cost me $800 to get fixed.

My thread