Wife sent boat into the dock... Now what...

[Zyglett]

Hey all,

So my wife accidentally approached the dock too fast and unfortunately smacked into it when dropping me off. It was a windy day, we were going with the wind, and I think a combination of the wind, wake behind her, and also somewhat her just going to fast ended up smacking the boat into the dock. The blow was mainly on the rub rail fortunately, BUT there is some "crunch" visible beyond the rub rail where you can see the hit was absorbed. See attached picture.

Looking for advice on what to do here... It's not very visible/noticeable, and very hard to take a picture of. I had to angle a bright light and focus in perfectly to get this photo. But I'm scared this cracking is going to spread and looking to get advice if there is some DIY solution to stop the damage from spreading, or if I should go get it actually professionally repaired. I do have insurance coverage if necessary.

Yamaha sx190 2015

 

[Neutron]

I cant really see any damage. You need to get a better picture. I see what looks like a dent on the black

 

[Acard7]

I wouldn’t lose sleep over it, good story to laugh about someday! I can barely see the spidering. I have much worse spider cracks on my old AR230 that I don’t do anything with, bought it that way anyways. Had a buddy hit the dock hard on the bow, damage all the way to the fiberglass. I fixed it and yet to have seen any further cracking or anything.

 

[RiverRat]

Love her unconditionally and send it! I’ve done worse…

 

[drewkaree]

Hey all,

So my wife accidentally approached the dock too fast and unfortunately smacked into it when dropping me off. It was a windy day, we were going with the wind, and I think a combination of the wind, wake behind her, and also somewhat her just going to fast ended up smacking the boat into the dock. The blow was mainly on the rub rail fortunately, BUT there is some "crunch" visible beyond the rub rail where you can see the hit was absorbed. See attached picture.

Looking for advice on what to do here...

Have you tried crate training her?

If you had to work that much to take pics that are still difficult to notice very little damage, call it good.

IF it spreads, you will see the direction of any spread, and given your apprehension, you're going to keep a closer eye on it until you're satisfied it's not gonna sink the boat. Given that, you'll spot the issue, and it's not likely going to cost you any more than fixing that minor damage you're showing us.

Hug her, talk about how it felt trying to stop it, that the boat has no brakes, and what you'll look for in the future to avoid this, as well as what she would want as far as help from you for the next time

 

[Cambo]

Your rub rail got rubbed. I was expecting shattered fiberglass and broken windshield from a body hitting it. The rub rail is designed to take an impact

 

[Zyglett]

I cant really see any damage. You need to get a better picture. I see what looks like a dent on the black

My apologies, I should have annotated the pictures a little. Basically it's all this spidering around the impact area on the rub rail, that dent you saw.

 

[Zyglett]

Also this is photo from front to see the rub rail impact. Got really lucky the dock aligned exactly with the rail

 

[flyingnugget]

“crate training her” hysterical.

yea, you are good! Like everyone else says, give her a hug and smack on the ass( I added that ).

There are those that have and those that will do the same thing. The pics honestly don’t look bad. Monitor and get back on the water.

 

[Neutron]

My apologies, I should have annotated the pictures a little. Basically it's all this spidering around the impact area on the rub rail, that dent you saw.

A great spot for a "jetboaters.net" sticker

 

[Zyglett]

Lol y'all are great. Thanks all

 

[Zyglett]

Have you tried crate training her?

If you had to work that much to take pics that are still difficult to notice very little damage, call it good.

IF it spreads, you will see the direction of any spread, and given your apprehension, you're going to keep a closer eye on it until you're satisfied it's not gonna sink the boat. Given that, you'll spot the issue, and it's not likely going to cost you any more than fixing that minor damage you're showing us.

Hug her, talk about how it felt trying to stop it, that the boat has no brakes, and what you'll look for in the future to avoid this, as well as what she would want as far as help from you for the next time

Pro advice. Thanks sir for your time. Made me feel a lot better

 

[anmut]

You can have it repaired in the off season - probably worth an insurance claim if you take it to a good fiberglass shop and you have a low deductible.

 

[F.M.]

Like others I couldn’t make out much damage beyond the rub rail in the first photos. So I asked my wife to look at it to see if she could see any damage. She, of course, asked what happened. When I told her, she said, “The wife hit the dock, riiiiight.” And then immediately asked if that what I told people about scratches in our boat.

 

[WiskyDan]

Hug her, talk about how it felt trying to stop it, that the boat has no brakes, and what you'll look for in the future to avoid this, as well as what she would want as far as help from you for the next time

Boat and relationship advice in the same thread - only on JetBoaters.net!!!

 

[usmcgoose]

it looks as though the rubrail did its job. The scuffs/scratches in the gel coat are fine (I too have spidering in the gel coat where my boat has bumped the dock a littel hard. Feel around for any soft spots in the area which would point to damage to the fiberglass. As long as it feels solid, no worries. Everything else is cosmetic and parts that can be replaced.

 

[adrianp89]

That is a major impact - at a pretty high rate of speed (for docking). That is a different conversation to have.

It's already July - I would wait out the season. I'd guess it's about $1000 repair without a new rub-rail. A good repair involves removing the rub rail and grinding down at least 6" on both sides of the crack to see how bad the damage is. Then fix the fiberglass, gelcoat and paint back up.

There is also a good chance you can just leave it and it won't spread at all. You could wetsand the cracks down to like a 250 grit and move your way back up and that should hide them pretty well.

 

[FSHER]

I've worked in an aerospace composites shop and have been a composites nerd building car parts, guitars, skateboards, half a boat and all kinds of things that seem to stack up in the garage and not get used. all done with resin infusion, vacuum bagging or hand layup

I'm far from a professional but in my experiences........

The exterior is a gel coat, a polyester resin with a tint. Its far thicker than an automotive paint and more durable(ish) but its also harder than auto paint and that can make it more susceptible to cracking/crazing/spiderwebbing and shrinkage. this doesn't necessarily mean that the fiberglass behind the gel coat has been compromised as the fiberglass would likely have a little more flex to it based on the cloth and resin they used. if its dented than its damaged.

I would look on the inside of the boat and see if there is any damage or cracks. if so, it may need professional assistance.

as far as the gel coat cracks, it could present issues down the road, water could get in and pernitrate the fiberglass cloth, unlikely in such a small area but possible. if water does get in and you live in the northern states you would be dealing with the explanation and contraction of it freezing and thawing. again unlikely, very unlikely.

if there is no damage to the fiberglass and you're feeling crafty and comfortable with DA sanders, die grinders, buffing and polishing than this is doable for an armature.

1. sand out the damage and remove material slightly beyond the cracks in depth and length. making 1 large hole would be the easiest, at lest for me.
2. feather out the edges and move to finer grits of sand paper the farther out you go.
3. depending on the depth of the repair you may need a layer of fiberglass. lay it down and sand it smooth in the same shape as the repair area but slightly smaller in all directions.
4. roll on a few layers of gel coat like painting a house but with a foam roller or even a paint brush. I believe spectrum is the supplier for Yamaha. sand in between. I use gel coat almost like a filler/bondo. you'll end up sanding a lot off. Try match the thickness of the MFGs gel coat. they can have different tolerances between suppliers and I'm sure the mfg has it all figured out.
5. sand it all flat and smooth and wet sand with the finer grits maybe up to 2000
6. buff with a wool pad and move to a finer compound and a foam pad if needed. and you'll buff an area much larger than the repair area. the great thing about gel coat is that is just a solid color. you can scratch it and beat it up and as long as you dont go deep enough to hit the fiberglass, it can be buffed out. unlike a car if you scratch the clearcoat down to the basecoat you're screwed.

if your comfortable, this could be a long day project, maybe wet sand and buff on the second day(?)

I'm sure someone can disagree with my assessments and repair strategy considering this is the internet but I've done repairs in this exact manor with 0 issues on multiple vessels and vehicles, not a pro though.

Hypothetically and based on the pictures, you probably could leave it alone and it'll be absolutely fine for the life of the boat.

Hope this helps

-Mark

 

[drewkaree]

Boat and relationship advice in the same thread - only on JetBoaters.net!!!

The crate training is the important thing. Gotta get 'em early before they start forming bad habits.