ACP Problem

[Scott]

Hello Fellow Hunter Owners! I'm the proud owner of a 146. Unfortunately, I'm in the process of fixing a couple of cracks in the ACP Plastic Hull. The largest crack starts at one of the bolt holes that mounts the plastic access cap to the interior of the Hull & runs up the transom. I've fixed the crack (per the instructions given in the ACP Repair Manual); however, I've noticed the plastic shell has delaminated from the foam core in that area. I'd like to fix this before I reinstall the plastic ring in the access hole. Could someone give me a recommendation on what kind of glue to use to try & bond the plastic back to the foam? I'm thinking the Devcon Plastic Weld is better for plastic to plastic joining & wouldn't work well for plastic to foam. I'm thinking maybe Gorilla Glue. Lifting the rear (aft?) of the boat and letting the Gorilla Glue run as far as possible under the delaminated plastic. However, I know that Gorilla Glue expands as it cures & I'm worried that it would expand & possibly force the Plastic to separate worse. Also, I noticed today the Plastic Shell lifts off the foam more when it's cool. I leave the boat setting in the sun & after a while - the plastic seems to tighten up. Maybe this is needed and if I glue it up the plastic will crack worse because there would be no expansion/contraction area. I'd appreciate any tips someone could give me.

 

[crazy dave condon]

send me some photos

photos please to davecondon@mindspring.com and then I will comment

 

[Scott]

OK

Crazy Dave, I could send you some photos, but I'm not sure they'd do much good. I might have overstated the problem in my previous post. The plastic is only lifted off the foam about three millimeters. Something that my low resolution camera (old) wouldn't show. I slide a knife between the plastic & foam to see how far the delamination goes & it goes back pretty far straight toward the transom. The plastic & foam are bonded fine in the other directions. This is a small issue & I'm not really worried about it. I just wondered if anyone else has had this happen & what kind of glue they used to stick the plastic back to the foam. Thanks!

 

[Keith1654]

Seeing the same thing on mine

I have the same thing happening on mine (2004 146) except on the inside of the boat. Just noticed it last week and haven't done anything yet to fix it. Might be difficult to get to unless I drill a hole and insert the glue and then patch the hole.

 

[Scott]

Hello Keith!

Mine's an 04 146 also. Who knows, maybe Hunter used weaker glue for that year? I ended up not doing anything to fix the delamination on mine. I wanted to get the boat back on the water for Memorial day weekend. Had a Hobie Cat calling me out. I spent alot of time fixing that crack & if it cracks there again I'm gonna be pissed. I never found out what kind of glue to use for the delamination. Even after calling Hunter a few times and sending them an email (no response). I've also noticed a few bubbles in other places where the plastic has come off the foam. Maybe that's why these boats crack? The plastic delaminates from the foam, allowing the plastic to expand/shrink more in that area (heat/cold), eventually weakening the plastic. Just a theory - I'm no engineer. Good luck.