aluminum rib damage

[fishnforfun]

Hi everyone!
I looked around here and didn't find the answer so I thought I would ask.
I just bought a Grumman aluminum v-hull and put it in the water for the first time yesterday. Made all the first timer mistakes (I hope), Forgot the drain plug, tried to start it without the gass line hooked up, got a rope tied around the prop, and the list goes on.
The biggest mistake I made and the question I have is when loading on the trailer I hit one of the metal tabs that hold the rollers and tore a gash in the rib that goes down the center of the boat about 2 inches long. Is this something that will leak and needs to be fixed right away? Or is it just to haelp with steering and the hull is or should be water tight before the rib is added.
I can not see this from the inside because of the wood floor.
Any suggestions or information on what I should do with this will be greatly appreciated!!
The boat is a 1991 Grumman MF 160 SC Aluminum hull with a 40hp Johnson O.B.

Thanks and happy boating to all!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: aluminum rib damage

Ribs are on the inside of the boat. Sounds like you either tore your keel or one of the strakes. I'm not sure how Grummans are build but I know that on Starcrafts, the keel and strakes are basically just non-watertight appendages. So it's possible you may not need to repair it. Pics would help.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: aluminum rib damage

What EZ said plus, you need to fix whatever it was on your trailer that gashed your boat! There shouldn't be anything on your trailer that would gash your boat no matter how you pulled it onto the trailer.