is this hull repairable?

[sphelps]

Well lets explore what it would take to do the repair ... In this pick looks like the raised deck would need to be removed to access the whole front area ...

Funny in the picture with the cute little skipper the deck does not look raised .. Btw ya better get some kind of boat ready because she looks like she's the boss and ready to go boating .. :nod:
Anyhoo I am just guessing but you would need to glass about 2 ft back around the whole patch .. Some type of form would need to be fabricated out of some thin plywood and coated with plastic or a releasing agent . Many multiple glass layup's over that from the inside .. Boat flipped and multi layup's on the outside . Faired and gelled or painted .. .. Epoxy would be the strongest material ... Then flipped back over and the decking replaced ..
The hard part will be making the form to match the other side as close as possible ..
This is just my very uneducated guess on how to give it a go .. I may be completely wrong . If it is possible to fix correctly it sure would be fun to watch it happen ..
op2:

 

[cwlson]

I'm going to look for a new hull and trailer to throw my 25hp motor on but I think in going to hold on to this hull to see if I can't make her whole again over time. I really love the look/layout of the hull (I don't know how I like how she is in the water since i have not had a chance toget it in the water) but looking at her I would assume it's the perfect boat for what I do it would be a shame to chop it up and throw away without making an attempt at fixing. Obviously the trailer it's on is junk. So if I can get her back up and water ready I will need to buy a new trailer.

Any tips or ideas as to how I should go about this fix would be greatly appreciated

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Hey Son..whats shakin'.

Yup..can be fixed. I did a Wellcraft that smacked a phone pole flying off the trailer at 30mph lol. Here's the deal though..those suckers are foam filled ( claimed unsinkable ). So getting the deck off..not gonna happen..thus creating a very difficult repair. Two ways to do this..

1. Take a sawzaw and cut out everything that got smashed ( including the deck ). Then reach in there and dig out the foam..about 1' inside. Here is the tricky part..get some formica ( doorskin ) and make the hull shape from the outside. Go ahead and use some screws to attach it..and duct tape the seams. Then grind/scuff the inside the 12" you pulled foam from. Next is to clean and laminate the inside..a few layers of mat..then about 7 or so layers of 1708 ( or woving roving and mat ). Let that cure and pop off your formica 'mold'. Now to the outside. Grind and bevel about 8" around the seam of new glass and old glass. You dont want to grind too deep ( about 3 layers in )..width is more important. Shape the hull fair. Now foam fill the cavity from the deck side. Then kinda fair the foam to the shape of the deck. Grind/bevel your deck about 7" for new glass. Lay up the deck as best you can to shape. ..

2. Lets just say #1 is the best way..The other way is to do an inside repair from the outside. It is doable .. just more tricky. If your really interested in #2 just let me know..but Im telling ya..gonna be harder..

This is just a quicky 'how to' guide..its basic but gives you an idea of what you would have to do.

We can guide you through..step by step if you want to undertake this. It sounds complex but its not. Just involves some grinding and a fair amount of sanding/shaping.

Good luck man.

 

[cwlson]

Hey Son..whats shakin'.

Yup..can be fixed. I did a Wellcraft that smacked a phone pole flying off the trailer at 30mph lol. Here's the deal though..those suckers are foam filled ( claimed unsinkable ). So getting the deck off..not gonna happen..thus creating a very difficult repair. Two ways to do this..

1. Take a sawzaw and cut out everything that got smashed ( including the deck ). Then reach in there and dig out the foam..about 1' inside. Here is the tricky part..get some formica ( doorskin ) and make the hull shape from the outside. Go ahead and use some screws to attach it..and duct tape the seams. Then grind/scuff the inside the 12" you pulled foam from. Next is to clean and laminate the inside..a few layers of mat..then about 7 or so layers of 1708 ( or woving roving and mat ). Let that cure and pop off your formica 'mold'. Now to the outside. Grind and bevel about 8" around the seam of new glass and old glass. You dont want to grind too deep ( about 3 layers in )..width is more important. Shape the hull fair. Now foam fill the cavity from the deck side. Then kinda fair the foam to the shape of the deck. Grind/bevel your deck about 7" for new glass. Lay up the deck as best you can to shape. ..

2. Lets just say #1 is the best way..The other way is to do an inside repair from the outside. It is doable .. just more tricky. If your really interested in #2 just let me know..but Im telling ya..gonna be harder..

This is just a quicky 'how to' guide..its basic but gives you an idea of what you would have to do.

We can guide you through..step by step if you want to undertake this. It sounds complex but its not. Just involves some grinding and a fair amount of sanding/shaping.

Good luck man.

Thanks so much for the info. I was thinking of doing something similar to your firs method but wasn't sure what to use to get the shape of the hull. I guess the good thing is that I don't see any foam where that platform is on my boat so I shouldn't have to deal with that

 

[g0nef1sshn]

awesome choice to hold and try a slow fix over time I think. If I were you Id get the first few steps to the repair, then start a new titled thread of just the actual repair itself.

 

[cwlson]

awesome choice to hold and try a slow fix over time I think. If I were you Id get the first few steps to the repair, then start a new titled thread of just the actual repair itself.

I will definitely start a new thread once I get started. I can't wait to start but I'm hoping I'm not biting off more than I can chew. If anyone else happens to have any tips or tricks please feel free to share them. I'll probably need a good amount of coaching since I have limited experience with fiberglass . Should get plenty of hands on experience after this

 

[MTboatguy]

Fiberglass is actually pretty easy to work with, once you get the hang of it, I know when I am working with glass, one of the most important things is knowing the temp and the humidity, once you figure out how to adjust for those thing, then it is a pretty smooth operation. Before you start, gather your equipment and gather your safety gear! Look through here for Woodonglass initial list of equipment to do glass work, most of all make sure and pick up a good face mask, so importantly, is NOT breathing that dust and fumes.

 

[cwlson]

Fiberglass is actually pretty easy to work with, once you get the hang of it, I know when I am working with glass, one of the most important things is knowing the temp and the humidity, once you figure out how to adjust for those thing, then it is a pretty smooth operation. Before you start, gather your equipment and gather your safety gear! Look through here for Woodonglass initial list of equipment to do glass work, most of all make sure and pick up a good face mask, so importantly, is NOT breathing that dust and fumes.

I've tried searching for the install list but couldn't find anything

 

[MTboatguy]

I've tried searching for the install list but couldn't find anything

Take a look through this thread, he has posted one of his lists on there.

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...0-s-omc-evinrude-gull-wing-a-work-in-progress

 

[cwlson]

Take a look through this thread, he has posted one of his lists on there.

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...0-s-omc-evinrude-gull-wing-a-work-in-progress

Whoa.... that's a pretty serious list of materials

 

[MTboatguy]

Whoa.... that's a pretty serious list of materials

When you are working on glass, it is a serious business..benefit from our mistakes and live a long life.

 

[jbcurt00]

My lungs are on my serious list of stuff I'd like FULL use of for my ENTIRE life

Yep, gotta be healthy and alive to reap the benefits of fixing what some considered unfixable.

Good luck on your hunt for a less 'in need' boat for this year and on fixing this one

 

[sphelps]

Well you won't need 4 sheets of ply and 15 gals of resin .. Most of the tools ya prolly have on hand .. A 4.5" grinder with the 24 grit disc and backer pad is a must ..
Do you have a glass supplier in town ? Safety glasses and at least a half faced respirator with proper filters .. 4" short nap roller and covers and some chips brushes .. Gallon of acetone ... The full coverall would be nice unless ya don't mind a little itch .. Woodonglasses list was for a full restoration .. And if it were a full resto you would need that list plus some more before it was over .. :lol:
You will need to decide on poly or epoxy resin .. Epoxy cost more but is stronger .. If your going to re gell coat it then poly would be best is my understanding ..

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Thanks so much for the info. I was thinking of doing something similar to your firs method but wasn't sure what to use to get the shape of the hull. I guess the good thing is that I don't see any foam where that platform is on my boat so I shouldn't have to deal with that

You can make the shape pretty much spot on with thin formica and tape. This way will get you real close without having to do much sanding/fairing ( it will be smooth when you pop it off ). Big trick is to take time and make sure you have it Real close before you pile on fiberglass.

With the foam and deck deal..well the foam will give you a backer to lay-up glass on the deck. So if you dont have foam there now..you will when you start glassin

As far as materials. All you need right now is a respo, suit, goggles/glasses, sawzaw and something to dig out the foam. Get it cut and dug out..then we go from there

 

[Suprathepeg]

I know that a lot of guys here will tell you to repair it but you gotta take some things into consideration:

1. Old bare hulls can be had for $50 or less cause most people have no real use for them, or they started a project and realized that its a lot of work and gave up. You can turn a bare hull into something exactly the way you like it in far less time than it takes to just repair the hull on this boat.
2. Are you retired or do you have Kids? If you don't have a lot of free time on your hands a job like this can quickly turn into that project that has been sitting in your back yard for the last 10 years pissing off the wife. Its fairly quick easy work for someone who has a lot of experience but for a guy/girl who is a glass virgin its a lot of dirty hard work in your spare time. I took my boat to a pro to have the floor redone and some minor glass work done because I didn't want to spend my summer working on a boat I could be enjoying. I did all the interior work myself and it was still a huge time and money commitment (I've easily got 80-120hrs into it).
3. Remember that most old boats are really only worth the trailer and the motor. Example I can pick up a decent older boat 60's-early 80s with motor and trailer for $2500 water ready. Then sell the trailer for $600 and the motor for $2500, all the interior stuff for another $400, the hull could sit on craig's list for the next two years before I pay someone to take it away. That said a lot of the guys with really nice restorations of older boats have really nice boats and the value to them is that its theirs.
4. Lots of people including myself will tell you to do it so I can read your thread online because I find it interesting, that's one of those "you suffer so I can live vicariously through your pain type things..."
5. Restoring an old boat is like restoring an old car. Its a passion project all day long.

If It were me, I would strip all the useful bits from the boat and trailer, buy another boat and go fishing...

 

[cwlson]

That makes me feel better knowing I won't need that much ply and resin. The mask and goggles as well as the coverall arnt an issue as I have those already. Safety is my #1 concern although the Whole losing the trailer and it hitting a telephone pole may lead one to think otherwise.i honestly didn't know there were different resins. All my experience with fiberglass has been automotive repairs or making speaker boxes and stuff like that

 

[cwlson]

Platforms off....

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Hmm..funny..no foam.. Bah..oh well

Well hell..if thats all you got then you could probably get away using just duct tape on the outside. Its hard to tell if you have actual delamination going on..or if it just tore the glass. I would cut along the 'tears' in the glass to relieve it ( so the glass can go back to shape ). Duct tape outside..do some grinding on the inside and lay that up. Then you have to grind and glass the tears on the outside. Do the same relief cuts with the toe rail/splash rail..whatever rail thing and repair that when you glass the deck.

Meh..not so bad IMO.

 

[cwlson]

Well here goes nothing..... just picked up all the materials going to start the project today maybe I'll be able to get this thing fixed and back on the water sooner than I thought.... fingers crossed.

 

[gm280]

I have to watch this for the educational valve. But please buy a 3M 6700 series respirator and cartridges to protect your lungs. You can probably pick one up for around twenty dollars or so, and some goggles as well. But post the pictures, I will be interested in this... :thumb: