I am in the process of purchasing a Vision 32. The above the water line survey was great. The current owner is having the bottom painted before we close. On haul out today the general condition of the hull is great. No blisters or abnormal wear patterns with one exception. On the stern side of where the iron keel meets the hull there are cracks in what appears to be a fiberglass fairing on both sides about 8-10" in length. The marina doing the work on the bottom job says this is "normal" "see's it on a lot of bottoms" "it's easily fixed". Is this true and I am just overly cautious? Let me know your thoughts. I still have a week until we close.
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yes it's common
I had the same problem on my 1986 Hunter 28.5 and I used the West system with glass matting to fix the problem. You have to grind about 4" on both sides of the crack down to the fiberglass then apply the west system with the matting. Use an additive they supply to make the resin a little thicker otherwise it will run down the keel. Let it dry and sand smooth then apply new gel-coat and it's good as new!!! This repair if it's done correctly will last a few years. Total cost is about 100.00.... Good Luck Joe
I had the same problem on my 1986 Hunter 28.5 and I used the West system with glass matting to fix the problem. You have to grind about 4" on both sides of the crack down to the fiberglass then apply the west system with the matting. Use an additive they supply to make the resin a little thicker otherwise it will run down the keel. Let it dry and sand smooth then apply new gel-coat and it's good as new!!! This repair if it's done correctly will last a few years. Total cost is about 100.00.... Good Luck Joe
Common Problem...
You will be chasing that crack for the life of the boat. There is no good fix for the problem. A glass over will last a few seasons, but the crack will pop up again. The is a tremendous amount on stress on the keel when the boat heels. I have the same problem on my '92 H-30. The recommended fix was to clean out the loose stuff and use 3M 5200 sealant. It has held up well for two seasons, seems to flex with the keel without cracking and keep the joint water tight.
You will be chasing that crack for the life of the boat. There is no good fix for the problem. A glass over will last a few seasons, but the crack will pop up again. The is a tremendous amount on stress on the keel when the boat heels. I have the same problem on my '92 H-30. The recommended fix was to clean out the loose stuff and use 3M 5200 sealant. It has held up well for two seasons, seems to flex with the keel without cracking and keep the joint water tight.
Keel Stub Cracking
Rob, I did something similar to Art. When my V32 was about a year old, the cracking was consistent all around the joint. The yard reglassed the area and then routed out the area at the joint and used something flexible (might have been 5200) in the resulting V. Was still going fine 9 years later.
Rob, I did something similar to Art. When my V32 was about a year old, the cracking was consistent all around the joint. The yard reglassed the area and then routed out the area at the joint and used something flexible (might have been 5200) in the resulting V. Was still going fine 9 years later.
And from the pessimist...
In my case, I had leaks while sailing, with little evidence of cracks on the keel fairing, and a couple of minor cracks around the keel bolts. Glassing over the crack did not appeal to me because it was a short-term solution. Despite the fact that the boatyard recommended against it, I had the keel pulled. What we found was a severe cracking throughout the keel fairing, mostly between the keel and the hull, where the magnitude of the damage was evident. We suspected that iron keel had transferred the energy of stiking a hard object to the hull, leaving the keel looking fine, but the hull cracked and weakened. A lead keel would have evidence of an impact that the surveyer would notice. Anyway, $2400 later, the hull and keel fairing were better than new. I would look VERY closely at your keel bolts. If there is ANY signs of fiberglass cracks around any of the bolt holes, I would recommend pulling the keel and inspecting the keel fairing surface that mates to the keel. If there is nothing wrong, it can go back with fresh sealant for around $1000. If the hull is damaged... expect $2400 or so. In hindsight, I made the right decision to pull the keel. In heavy seas, I could have lost the keel and the boat. I regretted not pressing the issue earlier during the purchase and either found a different boat, or gotten it fixed as part of the deal. Good luck!
In my case, I had leaks while sailing, with little evidence of cracks on the keel fairing, and a couple of minor cracks around the keel bolts. Glassing over the crack did not appeal to me because it was a short-term solution. Despite the fact that the boatyard recommended against it, I had the keel pulled. What we found was a severe cracking throughout the keel fairing, mostly between the keel and the hull, where the magnitude of the damage was evident. We suspected that iron keel had transferred the energy of stiking a hard object to the hull, leaving the keel looking fine, but the hull cracked and weakened. A lead keel would have evidence of an impact that the surveyer would notice. Anyway, $2400 later, the hull and keel fairing were better than new. I would look VERY closely at your keel bolts. If there is ANY signs of fiberglass cracks around any of the bolt holes, I would recommend pulling the keel and inspecting the keel fairing surface that mates to the keel. If there is nothing wrong, it can go back with fresh sealant for around $1000. If the hull is damaged... expect $2400 or so. In hindsight, I made the right decision to pull the keel. In heavy seas, I could have lost the keel and the boat. I regretted not pressing the issue earlier during the purchase and either found a different boat, or gotten it fixed as part of the deal. Good luck!
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