Hull damage repair, advice sought.

[sailpcb]

Hello All. I have water intrusion coming in after my boat had sat on its keel during winter low tide. It appears to be coming from some smallish cracks located directly below the staircase access to the engine, where there is a raised fibergalssed support for the bottom of the stairs. I took her out sailing on a light day yesterday to get an idea of the damage. Upon return there was about a gallon of water in the boat. I remove it, came back the next morning and noticed some water , but not a lot. I need to do this repair myself as much as possible and need some guidance on how to tackle this problem.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I've used plumbers epoxy sticks as a quick fix when I didn't want to haul out. It was the only thing that held up to the incoming water. The stuff is actually really tough. More difficult to grind than fiberglass

 

[fred1diver]

Pictures of the damaged area would help us help you

 

[sailpcb]

I've used plumbers epoxy sticks as a quick fix when I didn't want to haul out. It was the only thing that held up to the incoming water. The stuff is actually really tough. More difficult to grind than fiberglass

Thanks, I will probably put a temp fix to stop water coming in until i can get the time/money to haul her out. I am concerned about further damage though.

 

[colemj]

Are you saying your hull is cracked and letting in water? If so, this is a structural issue, particularly so if it was caused by the keel sitting on the bottom, and no temp fix should be done for any longer than going directly to a haul out.

Mark

 

[sailpcb]

Pictures of the damaged area would help us help you

 

[sailpcb]

The [pics I posted show the bottom of the stairs as well as other areas for damage.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

It appears to me to be a serious structural issue at the joint weakened as a result of whatever caused it. Hard to tell more from a few pictures. Putting a bandaid on it might temporarily fix the symptom but hiding or pretending the structure damage isnt significant isnt wise (or safe). Plus latent water in that area of th hull can cause more long-term deterioration.

 

[jssailem]

@sailpcb telling us that you are sailing a "Jeanneau Sun Odyssey" is like telling me you drive a Ford and there is a problem with the vehicle.

Looking back at your earlier posts, I am guessing your boat is the 1996 Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 45.1 you mentioned back last April that needed parts.

As @Don S/V ILLusion mentioned, water coming into the bilge is something serious. It is not a band-aid patch type of problem. I understand that you noticed the issue after the boat experienced "Winter low tides". I have my doubts that the low tide was the cause. A 1996 boat, while being used by a former owner, may have been exposed to any number of
damage-causing accidents. You are in Florida, and since 1996, there have been multiple hurricanes and tropical storms that may have weakened the hull. The previous owner may have sailed into a reef or grounded on a sandbar.

The only safe action on your part is to get the boat out of the water and inspect the hull keel joint. Any patch you stick on the inside of your boat will only hide the problem for a short time, and the damage will get worse.

Your boat, your decision.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I agree with the above posters -- Haul out is required to repair. Slapping some epoxy on there will help keep some water out of the bilge but it wont stop the rot.

Any idea what happened to the rest of this panel that's cut off halfway up?

 

[Davidasailor26]

I have my doubts that the low tide was the cause.

In northern areas boats spend the whole winter on blocks and jackstands. The stands are there mostly just to stabilize the boat, with most of its weight on the keel. Just sitting on the bottom in low tides should not cause stress cracks, and certainly not leaks. My guess is this is some preexisting damage that you’re only now noticing because of the water. Did you have a survey before purchase that would’ve noticed significant structural damage?

Is it possible the water isn’t from the cracks at all, but is just traveling over them from some other source like a rain water leak on deck?

 

[dlochner]

Has the boat been run hard aground? It is hard to tell from pictures alone, however, some of the damage looks like the damage that comes from a hard grounding. In a hard grounding one of the main areas for damage is at the aft end of the keel. The impact causes the front of the keel stub to be pulled down and the aft end to forced up.

Sitting quietly on its keel during a low tide is not necessarily a problem if the water is calm and the bottom soft. If, on the other hand the bottom is hard or rock and there is any wave action, the repeated pounding on the bottom may have caused damage that we can't see until the boat is hauled.

There are a number of issues in this boat including sketchy wiring, rotted structural members, and water damage. It would be best to hire a surveyor to inspect the boat and determine the extent of the hull damage. In this case given the boat sat on its keel, the surveyor may want the boat hauled. A good surveyor will advise you on the extent of the damage and ways to repair it. It may be possible to file and insurance claim to help cover the cost of this expensive repair.

 

[marcham]

Hello All. I have water intrusion coming in after my boat had sat on its keel during winter low tide..... I need to do this repair myself as much as possible and need some guidance on how to tackle this problem.

Do you see water coming up through the crack? What does the hull-keel joint look like? Is the water salty or fresh? Is there any water coming from the shaft seal?

The interior of the boat doesn't have gelcoat, it's painted. So any crack is structural, not cosmetic.

Besides the crack, there seems to be part of the grid structure that's been cut away (the black parts with hoses coming over it)? Difficult to tell remotely, would have to be on the boat.

Do you have insurance? Was the boat grounded on purpose? The boat is not meant to rest on it's side. This imparts a lot of flex and side force on the keel and grid system.

Damage to the grid is usually repaired by:
- remove the mast
- fully removing the interior woodwork (it might be possible to support the plumbing / electrical off the floor)
- removing the keel,
- repairing the exterior damage,
- retabbing the grid to the hull,
- re-assembling the cabin interior, and
- re rig the boat

I know this was done on a Beneteau 351 (Beneteau and Jeanneau construction is basically identical) and the cost was $55 000 CAD. The boat will be on the hard for 2-3 months. A crack in the bottom of a modern sailboat is a very serious structural issue, I would advise against sailing it. It will only get worst with stress on the mast. This is the worst case scenario.

In your case, the crack appears next to an area of the boat that appears to have been cut out at some point (the black / rotten parts) ? Is that area glass? wood? Did it come cut out like that from the factory? I don't see grid delamination. Does the crack go all the way across to the outside of the hull? Have you dived the boat yet?

Were the holes in the grid cut by the factory or is that something that was done by an owner? Normally, wiring going through a fiberglass member is protected from chafe, which I don't see.

Some wires have butt connectors in the bilge, that is a huge no-no, and they are corroded.

Some of the hoses and wires are unsupported. They should be secured every 18 inches.

From 1000 miles away, it looks like some of the wiring was made with household wire. Household wire should not be on a boat (it's stiff and brittle) but most importantly, the jacket may not be oil resistant.

Time for haul out and assessment by a yard that's done this kind of work before. This is not a DIY project if you've never come close to doing anything like this before. Your (or a future owner) safety is at stake. Have you contacted your insurance company ? At a minimum, hire a good surveyor, shipwright or fiberglasser.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. This kind of issue does not lend itself well to remote assessment, you need an expert on the boat. We really can't tell from the photos if this is a DIY $10, $1000 or a professional $70 000 repair....

 

[SteveHughessails]

Do you know any divers? Would it be beneficial to get pictures of the bottom or see it prior to hauling it out? Is it expensive to have a vessel lifted and placed on the hard? Can you do such a repair at a yard?

 

[dlochner]

Do you know any divers? Would it be beneficial to get pictures of the bottom or see it prior to hauling it out? Is it expensive to have a vessel lifted and placed on the hard? Can you do such a repair at a yard?

A diver won't yield much information. If this is due to a grounding or bouncing off the bottom the hull needs to be sounded looking for delamination. Can't do that in the water. Repairing the damage isn't easy, it will require a lot of different skills from fiberglass work to electrical work.

Hauling and blocking the boat is not cheap. Usually the cost is per foot, expect to pay somewhere between $500 and $1000, maybe a little more.

 

[william24424]

IDK, Any water in boat is concerning. I'm assuming all through hulls, attached hoses, clamps, stuffing box, raw water cooling system and fresh water tanks have been checked thoroughly. Water seeping in through a crack in the hull seems terrifying... good luck.