hull restoration

[overthere]

Last season I picked up a 16' wahoo the boat is in ok shape I put some work into it few spots where it delaminated on the transom. After having it in the water in a while I noticed it was taking on water slowly. At the end of the season I took it off the trailor and found a hole in the hull. I wanted to strip down the bottom and fiberglass the big problem spots and go over the rest. There is a few coats of bottom paint on it. So the question is what would be the best easiest soulution in getting all the paint off the bottom. Keeping in mind that where the boat is stored I do not have ready access to water.

 

[Mdude]

Re: hull restoration

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the EASIEST solution would be to sell the boat and get another one. Having said that, if you wish to forge ahead, just be mentally prepared to do some serious sanding and grinding. I don't really know of any way around that.

If it were me, I'd strip everything out of the hull I could and flip the boat over. That way I could get access to all areas of the bottom and gravity would be working with me instead of against me. Get a couple of pizzas, ice down some beer and call your friends for a hull flipping party. Of course, flipping the boat over may be a really tall order so, without more info, I can't really say.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: hull restoration

if it has a hole in it, it also needs to be repaired from the inside. doing it from the outside is just a bandaid. you may find rot on the inside.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: hull restoration

Overthere, I also think it should be repaired from the inside. It is the only way I feel the desired strength (likely overkill on my part) may be achieved. Grind out the hole from the outside, until the ground area is at least twice the size of the holed area. Now rough up the glass on the inside of the hull, and lay a couple of layers of cloth or roving in the inside of the damaged area. Now cut pieces of mat to fill the hole from the outside. The intent is to cut a small piece to fit the holed area, and lay a slightly larger piece over the first one, and continue to build up thickness until the ground out area is filled. I like to do the inside and outside at the same time, using epoxy resin. This makes a very strong repair.

The delamination on your transom really worries me. You need to repair that with epoxy products (resin, putty etc) so that it is very strong and has a good bond. Any surface (glass or wood) needs to be sound and dry. Rough up all surfaces with 60 grit paper, and wipe 'em with acetone. Watch this part of th repair closely, as this is the most difficult to do a permanent repair.

 

[overthere]

Re: hull restoration

ok maybe i should have frazed that differently. Does anyone know of a product that removes antifouling paint without the need of water.

And yea it is going to be a pain to do but the boat is worth it i kinda like the look of it. The delamination has been fixed already i cleaned out the areas and made sure there was no wet wood then filled the crevis with fiberglass and used two pressuer plates on either side to hold it.

The problem with fixing it from the inside is on that model boat they laminate the two halves of the hull together i cant seperate and it has a floor. Im going to probably just open the whole up enough so i can get out and visible rot damage and fit some soaked fiberglass sheets in. Not looking to have the boat forever but id like to hold onto it for a few years.

 

[overthere]

Re: hull restoration

its only a pin hole and a couple stress cracks hopefully i wont have to worry about the strength in this repair. Balsa core boat though.

 

[dmarkvid2]

Re: hull restoration

just sand as much as you can getting all the loose paint off, get the bottom as smooth as possible, and repaint. don't forget to wear a mask, most of those paints (if not all) are very toxic

 

[JasonJ]

Re: hull restoration

Dmark has the right idea. We are talking about a pin hole, you could just clean the area by sanding down to clean gelcoat, Marine Tex it, sand smooth, and repaint the entire hull bottom. Considerably easier. This is just my opinion, but there is no real need to repair small holes from the inside. Holes larger than an inch, gashes, long cracks that go all the way through, those should be done from the inside. What you describe, an inside repair is more work than necessary. If you do still want to use fiberglass to do the repair, then doing what Chris 1956 said on the outside will be more than adequate, just skip the inside part.