Cracked hull, bottom of boat

[cruiser83]

New to boats so forgive me if this is a dum question. But noticed this long crack on the bottom of my 1980 Tahiti day cruiser. Anybody have an idea of how much it will cost to fix it? Or is it nothing to worry about? Or can it be easily fixed by me?

 

[cruiser83]

[No message]

 

[Scott Danforth]

yes it can be fixed by you, you cant afford to have a shop fix it

start by going to the DIY stickies at the top of the forum, read links 14, 15, and 18, then go on to 2, 3, 4a, and 4b. read them in their entirety, and look at every picture, video, etc.

then strip the boat down, start grinding and cutting, then build it back up

average cost to DIY a hull restoration is about $3k for materials and about a year or so of your time.

 

[racerone]

That can result in the -----" TITANIC syndrome "----- so stop using the boat !-----Structural damage to the hull as a result of poor material choice or rotten plywood stringers under the floor.-----Takes lots of time to fix it.----Some boats are easier to fix then others.

 

[Chris1956]

That must be fixed from the inside, IMO. You will need to gain access to the inside of the hull adjacent to the crack and see what failed. It could be a failure of a support member (stringer or frame) or a failure of the structural foam, if you have such.

You will need to fix the failure and reinforce the hull. Carefully check the balance of the boat for additional issues. Maybe it is not an isolated issue.

 

[alldodge]

The hull is flexing, something inside is soft

 

[kcassells]

total rehab and yes doable.

 

[JASinIL2006]

That looks pretty bad; absolutely, do not use that boat until you fix it. I agree with the others. That is almost certainly a total gut and rebuild. The color of the cracking is particularly concerning, in that it looks like there is bad rot in there.

 

[cruiser83]

Dang what a bummer....

 

[racerone]

I am doing an----- ACTION MARINE 17-----to prevent this failure from happening.-----Lots of composite material , West System , some carbon fiber and Kevlar going into it.-----Not cost or time effective but I want to do it so that someone will say.-----" My grandpa built this for me and it will never break "

 

[cruiser83]

I wish I had the time, I work 9-11 hours everyday as a ups driver, and I got a kid on the way. That's why I been doing everything else as cheap as possible. I just bought a brand new truck, and found out I was having a kid before I made first payment. I could afford to have it restored eventually....I just gotta pay off my sxs and toy hauler first lol. That's was the plan actually, was to pay off other toys then have the boat/interior restored. This has always been my ideal boat. Daycruiser with front cabin, sbc to keep the gas mileage up and big enough to cruise lake powell. While being 50+mph boat. Here are pics of the boat, I'm into it for a little over almost 5k$ with new ignition, steering cable, and wires, fuse box, switches, etc...

 

[cruiser83]

[No message]

 

[cruiser83]

I also have no where to do this except outside in the elements. And whete I live it snows and when wind blows in dry season it gets dusty. It won't fit into my garage

 

[Scott Danforth]

my boat on the trailer is 10 feet longer than the garage and about 3 feet taller than what would fit in the door. many of us work outside in the elements. they sell tarps every day to cover it up during bad weather.

start with reading the links I mentioned

 

[Chris1956]

Does that boat have more power than allowed by the capacity plate? If so, the higher HP could be exceeding its designed strength, and therefore making it unrepairable.

Not many boats of that type exceed 50MPH, hence the question.

 

[Buckischloo]

That is a very cool boat but …… it is unsafe from many aspects. At a stand still it is taking on water and can sink. Under power there is a chance that hull can split open and disintegrate under your feet. It is not financially feasible to pay someone else fix because of the labor involved and it and it sounds like you are not in a position to do it yourself. You will be stunned how much that will cost to have someone else fix it.

I am sure you have heard all of the bad boat jokes. A boat is a hole in the water where you dump your money and B.O.A.T. – Bring Out Another Thousand. You are probably best off cutting your losses, getting caught up on your other toys, enjoying your baby and return to boating later when you have more time and money. I have a few boat projects, none of which make any financial sense. I enjoy the work and the feeling of knowing what I accomplished, that is what I am getting for my money. Sorry to be negative, please listen to the folks here and be safe.

 

[cruiser83]

It's just a 350 vortech that's very tired.
tired...ya I enjoy working on stuff too, but fiberglass and wood work aren't for me. I like the mechanical work.


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[cruiser83]

I must say that was some good info and I learned alot from reading those. I can definitely see how the price can be so high. Thats definitely alot of work! No wonder why small jet boats are popular to do compared to the bigger boats. Lol I could do the demolition stuff, motor, and other stuff. Just not sure about how I feel about installing the new stringers and transoms.. what do you guys think about if I where to cut the floor out and remove the foam, motor and everything else in the way, except the stingers/bulkheads and maybe the transom plate and bell houseing. You think it will have enough support to transport on trailer and I just pay for new stringer/bulkhead,floor and transom to be installed?

 

[Scott Danforth]

get an estimate. however pulling the interior and the drive and motor is only a few hour job, wont impact the price much. so paying for it, plan on about a $10k + bill

 

[cruiser83]

Will do, man this sucks..I even talked to the shop who did the work on the outdrive and they reassured me that it was a good boat...