Hole in the hull

[MrBill_FLL]

sounds like 2x4 bunks warped then cracked hull?

the warping is typical of the wrong trailer, or bunks in the wrong spots. You had 2x4's instead of 2x6's, in the correct spots and angles. I wonder how much more psi that is.... what else could cause that? a tight strap on top of a bumpy road? maybe it filled with water at one time?Can you hold a level, or other long straight edge on the hull to see the amt of deflection? epoxy is the way to go, imho. love the biaxel stuff, thick strong smooth, and easy to cut. just pricey.if you have to go into the balast from inside, I'd cut the V berth and go thru there. the floor is very thin and you can add storage or a cooler. -btw, I registered at photobucket (free) and uploaded a ton of photos.. flickr and picas are other popular free photo host sites.... you can make it private too. nice backup if you loose a hard drive.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

sounds like 2x4 bunks warped then cracked hull?

the warping is typical of the wrong trailer, or bunks in the wrong spots. You had 2x4's instead of 2x6's, in the correct spots and angles. I wonder how much more psi that is.... what else could cause that? a tight strap on top of a bumpy road? maybe it filled with water at one time?Can you hold a level, or other long straight edge on the hull to see the amt of deflection? epoxy is the way to go, imho. love the biaxel stuff, thick strong smooth, and easy to cut. just pricey.if you have to go into the balast from inside, I'd cut the V berth and go thru there. the floor is very thin and you can add storage or a cooler. -btw, I registered at photobucket (free) and uploaded a ton of photos.. flickr and picas are other popular free photo host sites.... you can make it private too. nice backup if you loose a hard drive.

 

[walt]

??

I still have a hard time believing the trailer alone would cause that unless there was a sharp point loading right where the crack is. Just out of curiousity, if you poored water into the ballast tank from the vent, would it drain out the hole?Do you have a very pissed off Ex who recently purchased an axx or chain saw?Definately use epoxy such as West System or System 3 or one of this quality. Polyester resin is what the boat was orignially built with and its cheaper and good for laminations but it doesnt stick to itself very well when cured over a long time and you would have a higher chance of delamination problems later. Epoxy is sensitive to UV so you need to worry a little about that when he repair is made - but then again, if that area see's the sun, you have bigger problems to deal with.

 

[walt]

??

I still have a hard time believing the trailer alone would cause that unless there was a sharp point loading right where the crack is. Just out of curiousity, if you poored water into the ballast tank from the vent, would it drain out the hole?Do you have a very pissed off Ex who recently purchased an axx or chain saw?Definately use epoxy such as West System or System 3 or one of this quality. Polyester resin is what the boat was orignially built with and its cheaper and good for laminations but it doesnt stick to itself very well when cured over a long time and you would have a higher chance of delamination problems later. Epoxy is sensitive to UV so you need to worry a little about that when he repair is made - but then again, if that area see's the sun, you have bigger problems to deal with.

 

[Schoolhouse Steve]

Job for CSI

I've been thinking, if a water ballasted boat were to get a hole in it's hull would it sink? In a way, out boats are "double hulled" since any hole in the bottom of the ballast tank would only fill the ballast with more water. A hole like this might have happened by a sharp rock while under way and go unnoticed until the boat was back on the trailer. It could have happened while putting the boat on the trailer. Or it happened while trailering the boat home. My experience is that trailering the boat on the road can be as or more damaging then what can happen on the water. Perhaps a hard grounding in the past which cracked the hull, plus incorrectly positioned bunks, along with a sudden jolt on the road could have finshed the job. Believe it or knot, I actually hit a man hole cover with lowest part of my Mac 25 trailer coming home one night! Ground clearance at the lowest part of the trailer which supports the keel is only one or two inches. Man hole was sticking above the surface in the center of the road crown, steel support of the trailer "gave way" to asphalt so to speak. I'm not an engineer, but I think our boats face higher stress on the road at 60 MPH than in the water at 6 MPH. Fiber glass is easy to repair, except when working up side down, and if the patch isn't perfect, only your ballast tank will leak, I don't think you will sink. Good Luck.

 

[Schoolhouse Steve]

Job for CSI

I've been thinking, if a water ballasted boat were to get a hole in it's hull would it sink? In a way, out boats are "double hulled" since any hole in the bottom of the ballast tank would only fill the ballast with more water. A hole like this might have happened by a sharp rock while under way and go unnoticed until the boat was back on the trailer. It could have happened while putting the boat on the trailer. Or it happened while trailering the boat home. My experience is that trailering the boat on the road can be as or more damaging then what can happen on the water. Perhaps a hard grounding in the past which cracked the hull, plus incorrectly positioned bunks, along with a sudden jolt on the road could have finshed the job. Believe it or knot, I actually hit a man hole cover with lowest part of my Mac 25 trailer coming home one night! Ground clearance at the lowest part of the trailer which supports the keel is only one or two inches. Man hole was sticking above the surface in the center of the road crown, steel support of the trailer "gave way" to asphalt so to speak. I'm not an engineer, but I think our boats face higher stress on the road at 60 MPH than in the water at 6 MPH. Fiber glass is easy to repair, except when working up side down, and if the patch isn't perfect, only your ballast tank will leak, I don't think you will sink. Good Luck.

 

[know one]

The hole I call my boat

Schoolhouse-I am sure it would not sink and water would not come into the cabin with damage like this. I would not put it in the water tho, because I think the water would absorb into the exposed fabric of the fiberglass and cause the hull to soften beyond repair. Well thanks to everybody's comments I have a plan. I will shoot photos as I go and post the repair project on line.Thanks all...PaulPS can I put gel coat on epoxy???

 

[know one]

The hole I call my boat

Schoolhouse-I am sure it would not sink and water would not come into the cabin with damage like this. I would not put it in the water tho, because I think the water would absorb into the exposed fabric of the fiberglass and cause the hull to soften beyond repair. Well thanks to everybody's comments I have a plan. I will shoot photos as I go and post the repair project on line.Thanks all...PaulPS can I put gel coat on epoxy???

 

[walt]

maybe

It may be possible to put Gel coat on epoxy but the one time I tried it, it was a disaster.. had to completely remove all the Gelcoat. I beleive Gelcoat is more compatable with polyester and some Gelcoat wont completely cure if its exposed to air. But there are all sorts of bottom paints which should work fine. Even with paint, you still have to be concerned about the compatability with the epoxy and Id probaby even worry about the specific brand of epoxy you used. Your bottom looks like mine - possibly old bottom paint to keep growth off. You could just use a can of spray paint from the hardware store to paint the repaired area and then re-do the entire bottom later (which is about what I did).. You will almost never have a compatability problem with spray paint.I could be wrong, hopefully you get some better advice here also.

 

[walt]

maybe

It may be possible to put Gel coat on epoxy but the one time I tried it, it was a disaster.. had to completely remove all the Gelcoat. I beleive Gelcoat is more compatable with polyester and some Gelcoat wont completely cure if its exposed to air. But there are all sorts of bottom paints which should work fine. Even with paint, you still have to be concerned about the compatability with the epoxy and Id probaby even worry about the specific brand of epoxy you used. Your bottom looks like mine - possibly old bottom paint to keep growth off. You could just use a can of spray paint from the hardware store to paint the repaired area and then re-do the entire bottom later (which is about what I did).. You will almost never have a compatability problem with spray paint.I could be wrong, hopefully you get some better advice here also.

 

[70623]

The Repair

Skip using any putty, it won't be strong enough. Do cut an access hole in the top of your balast tank. Maybe a good screw in access plate could fill the hole when your done. Now for how to repair. You are going to need to cut all the damaged glass out. Cut at least an inch wide slot along the crack too. Some plastic drop cloth and cardboard can be used to get the shape back. Lay this up on the outside of the hull. Epoxy won't stick to the drop cloth. Lay up your fiberglass cloth from the inside. No more than 3 layers at a time. If you try and go 4 or 5 layers at a time the epoxy will get too hot and crack. OH do sand the old glass at least 6" out from where you have cut, and degrease/wax everything before you start. when you get the glass built back up to the thickness of the hull, add 3 more layers overlapping the hole by at least 3". Now, pull the cardboard off the bottom, and grind back the original glass about 3". Grind down into the glass enough so that 3 layers of new fiberglass will make everything level again. After the 3 new layers have set, give it a good coat of just epoxy and feather it out at least 3" from the new fiberglass cloth. This will be your barrier coat, so use a barrier coat additive in this if you want for better protection. Sand as smooth as you want and paint. Hopefully you can find a good screw in access plate for the hole you made inside, coat all the repair inside with the barrier coat too. Use 4200 to install the access plate. Use machine bolts and lock nuts and washers, not screws to put the access plate in. If the boat seems to be taking a lot of stress from the trailer in this area, add stringers (glass them in) to strengthen the hull in any weak areas. This repair should be as strong, or stronger than the original hull. Heavy weight fiberglass cloth will fill the thickness requirement faster than light weight (thin) fiberglass cloth, but won't be as strong. If you really want strength, kevlar cloth can be used in place of some of the fiberglass layers. Carbon fiber would be even stronger, but costs quite a bit. For stringers you can use wood, but you can also use foam. The layers of fiberglass over the core will be where the strength comes from. You could even use papertowel tubes split in half for stringers, it's the tubes of hardened fiberglass cloth that will give the stringers strength.

 

[70623]

The Repair

Skip using any putty, it won't be strong enough. Do cut an access hole in the top of your balast tank. Maybe a good screw in access plate could fill the hole when your done. Now for how to repair. You are going to need to cut all the damaged glass out. Cut at least an inch wide slot along the crack too. Some plastic drop cloth and cardboard can be used to get the shape back. Lay this up on the outside of the hull. Epoxy won't stick to the drop cloth. Lay up your fiberglass cloth from the inside. No more than 3 layers at a time. If you try and go 4 or 5 layers at a time the epoxy will get too hot and crack. OH do sand the old glass at least 6" out from where you have cut, and degrease/wax everything before you start. when you get the glass built back up to the thickness of the hull, add 3 more layers overlapping the hole by at least 3". Now, pull the cardboard off the bottom, and grind back the original glass about 3". Grind down into the glass enough so that 3 layers of new fiberglass will make everything level again. After the 3 new layers have set, give it a good coat of just epoxy and feather it out at least 3" from the new fiberglass cloth. This will be your barrier coat, so use a barrier coat additive in this if you want for better protection. Sand as smooth as you want and paint. Hopefully you can find a good screw in access plate for the hole you made inside, coat all the repair inside with the barrier coat too. Use 4200 to install the access plate. Use machine bolts and lock nuts and washers, not screws to put the access plate in. If the boat seems to be taking a lot of stress from the trailer in this area, add stringers (glass them in) to strengthen the hull in any weak areas. This repair should be as strong, or stronger than the original hull. Heavy weight fiberglass cloth will fill the thickness requirement faster than light weight (thin) fiberglass cloth, but won't be as strong. If you really want strength, kevlar cloth can be used in place of some of the fiberglass layers. Carbon fiber would be even stronger, but costs quite a bit. For stringers you can use wood, but you can also use foam. The layers of fiberglass over the core will be where the strength comes from. You could even use papertowel tubes split in half for stringers, it's the tubes of hardened fiberglass cloth that will give the stringers strength.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

DON'T USE JUST BONDO!

THAT evercoat sure looks like plastic filler aka bondo.kitty hair (from evercoat would be better, as its a polyester fiberglass putty with glass 'hairs'I'd make my own filler, with epoxy and silica gel. or microbaloons instead of the silica for easy-er sanding...yeah, its got to be strong to suppor the hull on the trailer.... too bad the hull rests on that spot...

 

[MrBill_FLL]

DON'T USE JUST BONDO!

THAT evercoat sure looks like plastic filler aka bondo.kitty hair (from evercoat would be better, as its a polyester fiberglass putty with glass 'hairs'I'd make my own filler, with epoxy and silica gel. or microbaloons instead of the silica for easy-er sanding...yeah, its got to be strong to suppor the hull on the trailer.... too bad the hull rests on that spot...