fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

[roger1316]

I recently managed to back my boat into a wooden post. My boat lost that fight... the post was fine but it fractured the gel coat and splintered the fiberglass underneath it. The worst part is that the impact occured almost directly in the lower stbd corner of the transom. I have never attempted hull repair before, but would like try to effect repair myself. Web research has given me the basic idea of how to do this... (sand down area to smooth and get rid of loose glass, cut strips of fiberglass to fit area, lay down with some poly resin, let cure, apply gel coat, etc.) However, have not been able to find advice on how to handle damage in a exterior corner of the boat. One option i found was the possible idea of pulling apart fiberglass strips and actually mixing with resin to create fiberglass gunk that would be mashed to fill the shape of the damaged area. I don't know if that is a terrible idea... but i dont see just laying down strips to stretch around the corner being effective.
Any advice on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[rickryder]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Welcome to Iboats Roger!

Post some pics of the damaged area so everyone sees what your dealing with and you'll get plenty of help

 

[roger1316]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Sorry about that... I definitely should have done that in the first place. Attached are 2 photos. One is from a a little distance away to give perspective on damage location, and the 2nd one is a close up to show condition of the fiberglass.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

OUCH!!!! Is the glass area soft and spongy or solid? What kind of boat is this? I/O or Outboard. How old is the boat? Is the Transom of the boat 100% sound or could it be suspect for needing replaced? I know it's a lot of questions but it will help to guide you to the absolute correct solution.

 

[rickryder]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Looks like an i/o in the first pic

 

[roger1316]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

The boat is a 1983 Galaxy Executive. I bought it last summer. It's an I/O, and as of now I don't have reason to believe the transom is suspect. As for the damage, it feels solid under the splintered glass, firmly stopping a flathead screwdriver from going in far.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Is there damage on the bottom of the hull as well or just on the transom? Hard to be sure but looks like it could extend onto the bottom as well.????

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Ok, have to ask, did you hit a pole that was submerged? Or was it on the trailer and you backed into a post? 28 year old boat will always be suspect to transom replacement unless it was garage kept. Fear non though, it can be fixed.

 

[chris.j.marshall]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Just glad to hear the post was fine

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

Bottom line is this, you will need to grind the glass down to good glass and grind the gelcoat back about 3" all around the damaged area. If it extends to the bottom of the boat then you have to do it there too! For me, I'd mix up some structural Peanut Butter, i.e. Resin, Cabosil and shredded pieces of 1.5 oz Chopped Strand Mat(CSM). I would then spread a layer of the PB over the damaged area and smooth as best possible using a bondo spreader. Let cure for 30 mins. Then lay 2 layers of CSM, a layer of 1708 biaxial or 24oz Woven Roving, and then another layer or two of CSM. These layers will need to wrap around the corners and each be larger than the previous one. You may need to cut the glass to get it to wrap and overlap. Once it has all cured, it is important to bring the bottom to "Fair" as close as possible so there are no bumps or depressions in the hull that could cause issues with the boat planing properly. You will probably need to use a fairing material to make it all nice and smooth. You can then either brush, roll, or spray on some gelcoat to finish her off. Final sanding and buffing and she'll be like new...Well almost!

 

[roger1316]

Re: fiberglass crunch in corner of transom

i wish i had a good story to explain the damage... unfortunately it was simply a case of a rookie backing the trailer into a wooden signpost.
Woodonglass, thank you very much for your detailed description for how to fix this problem! I will give it a go, and let you know how it turns out.