how bad is this boat crack?

[rderenzy]

I've been getting some water in my bilge - even when im' not doing water sports.
sometimes my bilge fills up with a small 1/8 of an inch, other times (rougher water it seems) fills up to a good inch or more

got me looking under the boat and I found this nasty sucker (see attached)

I'm new to boats - how bad is this crack? its near the axel of the trailer, so rear of the boat
surely its not allowing water into the bilge right? that would have to go through several inches of fiber glass - but if its cracked where does the water go?

anyway - trying to gauge concern here and get feed back, thanks

 

[GA_Boater]

If you're lucky the glass is 1/2" thick, most likely much less. If the crack has broached the hull, water will make it's way to the bilge. It has nowhere else to go.

Hope this isn't the boat you're thinking of selling.

 

[mr 88]

You do not have several inches of fiberglass anywhere on that hull. It is something that should be repaired sooner than later, either a marine or most auto repair shops can tackle that if you do not want to. You can put a lot of water in the bilge while on the trailer and see if it seeps out from there. In many cases it will leak more with outside pressure forcing it in as well as the hull flexing when hitting waves. Also if you have a I/O you may want to check your bellows to see if there cracked and letting water in through the drive shaft or shift cable boot.... Marine epoxy MAY work and be a cheap fix along with you doing the work yourself ,its not in a spot where anyone can see it so blending colors is not needed. My concern with the epoxy would be that your in a spot where flexing is probable and I am not sure how that would hold up there but it may be worth a try,cant make it any worse than it is.

 

[rderenzy]

If you're lucky the glass is 1/2" thick, most likely much less. If the crack has broached the hull, water will make it's way to the bilge. It has nowhere else to go.

Hope this isn't the boat you're thinking of selling.

I am thinking of selling this and getting a newer boat yes - that doesnt' mean I would hide it from the buyer or the trade in dealer

I'm taking the boat out tomorrow, but we will be doing water sports - and its always so hard to tell how much water gets into the bilge from the water sports (wet people, jackets, climbing over the engine)

 

[rderenzy]

You do not have several inches of fiberglass anywhere on that hull. It is something that should be repaired sooner than later, either a marine or most auto repair shops can tackle that if you do not want to. You can put a lot of water in the bilge while on the trailer and see if it seeps out from there. In many cases it will leak more with outside pressure forcing it in as well as the hull flexing when hitting waves. Also if you have a I/O you may want to check your bellows to see if there cracked and letting water in through the drive shaft or shift cable boot.... Marine epoxy MAY work and be a cheap fix along with you doing the work yourself ,its not in a spot where anyone can see it so blending colors is not needed. My concern with the epoxy would be that your in a spot where flexing is probable and I am not sure how that would hold up there but it may be worth a try,cant make it any worse than it is.

thanks for this info.
I had the bellows checked last year, they were all good (or so he said)

I will fill that bilge to the top with water one day and see if I can get anything to seep out - that is a good idea.

depending on that, i'll take it to a marine repair shop and have it patched just to be safe.

 

[b.gagnon]

By reading your other post stating the condition of the boat when you bought it.....I would say you are going to take a loss selling it in the condition it is in. It's a parts boat as it sits. I would never advise anyone to buy it with a crack like that. you should sand or grind the crack to see how deep it is. with any luck It may just be the gelcoat. There could also be structural damage in the hull that you can't see. I would not use the boat until you check and see if the crack goes through the hull. Once a hull structure is compromised It could easily break up at speed.

 

[gm280]

Just my $0.02 cents worth. First I would NOT fill the bilge to see if it is leaking. If there are other cracks anywhere in the bilge area, you are only letting more water draw into possible cracks. I would crawl under the hull and poke around with a screwdriver at that cracked area to see if the crack was already rotting. If it isn't rotting, then I would use a Dremel type tool and "V" grind out the crack. Then using some peanut putter, I'd fill in the crack followed by some CSM mat and feather it in so it looks smooth and finished. You could even put some gel coat over it after you finish repairing it if you like. JMHO

 

[rderenzy]

thank you for both your input - I'm sure this was there when I bought it - so I've taken it out probably a good 50 times w/ the crack.
I need to take it out on the water and just let it sit to see if it fills up - water sports are tough because that adds water

I only take the boat on small inland lakes, maybe if the boat rips apart and sinks - it wouldn't be the worst thing

I've poked the crack, its very solid and sturdy- I've been out on the lake with it for 6+ hours and my bilge has never been super full

I will make sure a repair marina patches it or investigates it further
Its hard getting this feed back - some are saying the boat is done - don't use it, has to be parts - where I see other boats that their dam hull is ripped in half or a hole in it and its patched and resold and fully functional if done correctly.

do you think this happened because someone hit something? was doing something in proper? or just bad luck

 

[ziggy]

do you think this happened because someone hit something? was doing something in proper? or just bad luck

how old a boat ya got?
if the stringers were rotton to start with. i'd think the boat would flex to much and might lead to cracks. or maybe even just sitting on the trailer like it is, with the keel roller not supporting the boat at that spot, the boat bouncing on the trailer as it's being towed might lead to something like that.
i've never fixed a boat so don't know. but i'd sure be picking at that spot to see if it's superficial or really a crack in the boat.
imho, i'd not feel safe with a crack in the bottom of the boat, unless ya deem it only superficial. but seeing as to how yer getting water inside the boat, seems like things could be adding up to a crack to the inside. maybe try to inspect your stringers with a drill for wet wood. that would lead to structural integrity. leading to the boat flexing to much underway, leading to a crack.
as for letting it come apart while underway and sinking. that'd be unsafe for you and where will the fuel go in the fuel tank. the lake? that'd be a big bummer. i bet the fine for polluting a lake could be pretty steep.

fwiw, when i was buying my boat. i looked at one that had a crack like that along the keel. 3' long maybe. after i saw the crack, i was done looking at that boat. nice cobalt too.... other than the crack.

i hope ya research this problem thoroughly to make sure your boat is safe for you and everyone ya have on board.

 

[mr 88]

Just my $0.02 cents worth. First I would NOT fill the bilge to see if it is leaking. If there are other cracks anywhere in the bilge area, you are only letting more water draw into possible cracks.

I would want to find ALL the cracks ,the hull is not cored so water intrusion will not compromise the hull. The stringers should be well above the crack that is shown in the picture. Yes if you filled it up above the engine mounts you might have a issue with water entering the encapsulated stringers through bolt holes.At this point it appears the damage is done and finding all the causes of leak IMHO is the best option and adding water is about the only way, short of bagging off the area and smoking it, even then without the hull flexing it might not seep through like water probably would.

 

[rderenzy]

---

Crap sorry - this is a 1997 open bow - 4.3 merc

I love the idea of V dremmel it out, see how far that crack goes and from there deciding what to do

Mr88 . here is the problem, I know this boat was was submgerged - there is an old water line in the back, that goes well above the engine mounts - must have been from a long long time ago.

question -
on a typical boat - if your out on rough waters for a good 4-6 hours - or your running it hard - hard corners, hard lines
when you get back to the dock, will you have even one drop of water in your bilge?

 

[ondarvr]

Don't fill it with water, while the hull isn't cored, it is full of foam, so unless the water has a direct pathway to a crack it may take a long time (if ever) to seep in that direction so you could see it. Also the extra weight on the boat and trailer isn't a good idea.

​Unless you crawl under there and do a little inspecting and grinding you won't know exactly how bad it is, although if you're lucky there may be access from the inside, but that's a long shot.

It can be fixed from the outside if needed, but will be easier if you can get to the inside. Just applying epoxy isn't going to do it, don't use any putty until you're done doing all the glass work. Putty would be used as a fairing compound if needed.

If the crack has been leaking, then the foam will probably be soaked, not good.

​There is no answer to your question about how much water should come out of the bilge after running for a day. Just too many variables, but, no water should be coming in from any place other than over the side from splashing through waves and wet bodies (rain too). So if any water comes out after the boat has had an easy and dry day (week) on the water, there's a leak and it needs to be fixed.

 

[Horigan]

My bilge is always dry no matter how hard I run the boat.

Also, why isn't the boat on the roller? Are the bunks adjusted properly to distribute the load between the bunks and the roller?

 

[rderenzy]

thank you both - im' not going to try to repair my self, i'll take it to a professional.
I think that crack is letting water in - I'm quite sure even on a calm, no water day, I've had water in it - but its hard to tell because it could have had water in the front from a past outing, and then drained to the back.

I have two rollers on the trailer - I asked about this, from a mechanic- said those are only there in the event the bunks/pads fail or fall/break
I always thought the rollers would be used to guide the boat and they touch
yet another issue w/ this boat

 

[rderenzy]

My bilge is always dry no matter how hard I run the boat.

Also, why isn't the boat on the roller? Are the bunks adjusted properly to distribute the load between the bunks and the roller?

the rollers are not supposed to touch the boat, I verified this, researched and went to the dealerships and seen the same thing there

 

[rderenzy]

So, update on this "crack"
I'm still waiting for my appointment for the fiberglass repair shop

I took the boat out today, 5 hours in the water
anchored for 4.5hours and just enjoyed, good number of boats so I got rocked good with waves.
the other 30 min, drove it aggressive, fast, sharp corners.

bilge was dry.
hopefully that means the crack is not all the way through, and I admit the picture is way worse than it looks in person

however, I swear when I was in rough water the bilge filled up pretty good, 3 inches or more - doubt that was all from waves crashing into and over the boat - also could have been water not drained or moved to thefront of the boat from prev water sports?

either way, once the fiber glass shop investigates should know more.
but happy no water came in today during a 5 hour float

 

[rderenzy]

oh, is there any possibility whatsoever that somehow, crashing through rough waters, my front was up to high, and butt too low to allow water to get into the hole of my bilge pump exit spout? same thing w/ my exaust spouts
those are pretty low no the boat and I could see those hitting water line, espeicaly in very rocky wavy water

just thinking out loud here and I don't think that crack is letting water in

 

[JimS123]

the rollers are not supposed to touch the boat, I verified this, researched and went to the dealerships and seen the same thing there

Wow you got some really bad advice there, and/or your research is flawed. You should not go to those dealerships again or you might harm the boat more than it already is.

Your rollers are specifically designed to support the keel of the boat. The keel is the strongest part of the hull. You don't show other parts of the setup, so we can't tell for sure, but it could be that poor trailer support is what caused the crack.

Lots of controversy on this subject, re. whether they are needed or not, and many of today's trailers have no rollers, but the trailer you have was designed for them to be used.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Whom ever told you the rollers should not support the boat is daft. I've never seen a boat with rollers where the roller don't touch the boat, if they don't it is the wrong sized trailer. That crack may not open up for many hours, then from bouncing around it opens up and the boat leaks. That is the nature of cracked fibreglass.

As far as running a boat for water sports with a crack in it and you feel safe because "it's a small lake", go nuts, it's a small lake after all however I have no idea what difference that makes. To risk sinking a boat in any body of water is crazy my man. Think about the environment, the hazards a sunken vessel is to other boaters and least of all maybe the well being of your passengers. It's called being irresponsible. People think they can swim to shore because they can see it. I always hear people say "I'm a great swimmer, I have a pool". 2 laps in a pool isn't swimming.

 

[briangcc]

Umm guys... My Four Winns trailer had those same rollers, one at the keel and one further up, and the boat never touched either of them when loaded. Only goal of my rollers was to protect the boat from smacking a cross member. Otherwise it was fully supported by the bunks. Bunk height was not adjustable on this trailer. My new boat is setup the same way. So without more pics his trailer may be setup correctly for his boat.