Does this hull crack look bad?

[Chasin Baitman]

Fiberglass is "waterproof".  That being said, water moves through fiberglass, at an osmotic rate.  That is part of the reason we often find water in the wooden portion of our transoms after a decade or two, or three.  As water gets in among compromised layers of resin/fabric, it will hasten the failure of the composite as it is 'working' (moving) or as it vibrates.

Thanks.  I *think* I understand most of what you're saying :P:  So would areas of delaminated fiberglass show as "bubbled up" on the hull?

[StreamFixer]

Thanks.  I *think* I understand most of what you're saying :P:  So would areas of delaminated fiberglass show as "bubbled up" on the hull?

I'm no expert.  There are others on here with a lot more knowledge about glass than I.  That being said, I think that is what you are seeing with bubbled gelcoat...

StreamFixer

[Diablo]

Here is a excerpt from this page which is a much longer article on fiberglass blisters.
http://www.hartoftmarinesurvey.com/guide.html

"Fiberglass blisters form only when water penetrates to the laminate. This water not only damages the laminate by forming blisters causing localized delamination but also combines with uncured water soluble and hydroscopic components in the resin forming an acid solution which is highly corrosive to even the well cured polymers in the resin. As more water reaches the laminate, more corrosive solution is formed and more resin broken down. The effect is that of flushing the resin out from between the fiberglass strands. A laminate so affected is often referred to as having been hydrolyzed.

When a laminate gets hydrolyzed, a loss of strength takes place mostly in the form of increased flexibility. The hydrolysis is very layer specific and does not normally extend to the same degree through all layers. Consequently, the loss of strength can be quite high in the outer layer but the overall loss of strength in the hull itself minimal at least early on in the process. "

Blisters are common on the bottom of older larger boats.

[croaker stroker]

Here' a quote from Belinda...

Turnips, It is not a structural issue and cannot damage your boat.  The boat would be perfectly fine if it was made without gelcoat at all, albeit very ugly.  Gelcoat is just the pretty coating.  That being said, over time it can get a bit worse and start chipping off, especially if water and dirt start causing it to separate more.  It still will only be a cosmetic problem.  Fix her this year, next year, or a couple of years from now.  It should make no difference, unless it bothers you when you see it.

Belinda :twocents:

[StreamFixer]

Please keep in mind that Belinda was not responding to this question, rather it was a question a couple years ago.  I don't think that issues was quite the same as this one.

While her answer was informative regarding the contribution gelcoat makes to the structural strength of these boats, this crack looks like it goes much deeper than just through the gel coat.

Let's be careful to not mislead anyone on an important issue such as this.

StreamFixer

[Qwakwak]

This looks much more serious than a gel coat crack. From the looks of the scrapes and dings around the crack, my guess is its the result of an extremely hard impact. I'd take a dremel tool and bevel the edges to see how deep it is. Any repair will require that so you won't be doing any additional damage. Good luck.

[wedocq]

Some duct tape should do 'er. Just be sure to wear your life vest every time out. :biggrin:
-Shawn

[LvrWurst 21 SR Skip]

BetaDog....where is it exactly on your boat? Can you post a better pic that shows location?
I think we can all agree with your concern that it is serious....and we can all mentally masturbate this to death.
:twocents: If it were mine, I'd  start digging into the worst part of the crack to see how deep it is....you can't harm it as a good pro glass guy will start doing the same thing...and then likely recommend a fix.
Best of luck... Lvr

[wedocq]

I think we can all agree with your concern that it is serious....and we can all mentally masturbate this to death.

Ummm, I think you meant exacerbate.  :biggrin:

[LvrWurst 21 SR Skip]

Shawn...your right...Forgive me, please. I've always confused that terminology....Lvr

[Markshoreline]

I'm sure he meant extrapolate.

[croaker stroker]

Please keep in mind that Belinda was not responding to this question, rather it was a question a couple years ago.  I don't think that issues was quite the same as this one.

While her answer was informative regarding the contribution gelcoat makes to the structural strength of these boats, this crack looks like it goes much deeper than just through the gel coat.

Let's be careful to not mislead anyone on an important issue such as this.

StreamFixer

Sorry if I misled anyone.

I took her to mean that "the boat would be fine without gelcoat".      ...Just pointing out that the fiberglass resin is waterproof even without gel coat. Nothing to do with the crack.

[betadog808]

Thanks guys.  Well luckily the fiberglass guy was able to swing by while I was at work.  He pretty much reiterated what you said.  He wants to grind around the area to see what's really going on.  The only thing he added was that if the glass looks good and if the structural integrity is ok, he can do a patch from the outside.  It wouldn't be pretty(unless I paid more) but it would be one less thing to worry about. 

However, if there is damage to the glass/waterlogged, etc.  he suggested that maybe the boat should be scrapped.  He said you would need to remove the cap to get to the see what's really going on.  At that point, the cost wouldn't be worth it. 

He also suggested I fill the bilge to see if water exits via the crack. 

We hope to get together in a few days to grind around the area to really see what's up.

No matter how it goes, thank you so much for all the help and suggestions!

[Chasin Baitman]

Definitely keep us posted. Take some pics when you grind out the area if you can. I think we're all quite interested to see what you find. And good luck!

[betadog808]

Well, filled the bilge up...no drips from the crack so that's at least a little good news...If there was a leak, it's pretty much game over right there....

[FINREAPER]

These boats are tough! I'm willing to bet streamfixers money that it will be a fixable repair, and she'll be ready for the water soon enough.

[Old Chaser]

Too me it looks like it might have been dumped on the boat ramp or on the pavement at one time? Is the crack on the keel? Just curious-what is the location of the crack- where does it start and where does it end and how long is the crack?   

[StreamFixer]

I'm willing to bet streamfixers money

WOW     You have made it BIG time   :arms:  Just to be sure I have enough for you to bet, would you be interested in purchasing some guaranteed winning lottery numbers???   :biggrin:

StreamFixer

[First Cabin]

Well, filled the bilge up...no drips from the crack so that's at least a little good news...If there was a leak, it's pretty much game over right there....

Certainly not game over even with the crack no matter how deep.  A good fiberglass man will make quick work of that and it will be good as new.

I had Arima do a few fiberglas repairs on my old Sea Ranger and they made it look so darn easy.  Reminded me of a good drywall guy.  Better to pay an expert.  You can do yourself but it will take many times longer and not look as good.

I think it is important to take a grinder to that and reveal just how serious, or not, that ugly crack is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[betadog808]

Too me it looks like it might have been dumped on the boat ramp or on the pavement at one time? Is the crack on the keel? Just curious-what is the location of the crack- where does it start and where does it end and how long is the crack?

It's cracked on the port side of the keel.  A little to the side of the keel point.  The crack is about 2 feet.

I'm just hoping when we expose the crack the glass looks ok...

[croaker stroker]

....or the keel roller came off of the trailer and the supports gaffed the hull.  (Hopefully not all the way thru)

Looks like there's a thick layer of MarineTex/Bondo goop to grind through.


I actually had something like that happen on a roller trailer. The rollers turned upside down. Lucky I was going really slow and was able to avoid damage.

[betadog808]

Well, filled the bilge up...no drips from the crack so that's at least a little good news...If there was a leak, it's pretty much game over right there....

Certainly not game over even with the crack no matter how deep.  A good fiberglass man will make quick work of that and it will be good as new.

I had Arima do a few fiberglas repairs on my old Sea Ranger and they made it look so darn easy.  Reminded me of a good drywall guy.  Better to pay an expert.  You can do yourself but it will take many times longer and not look as good.

I think it is important to take a grinder to that and reveal just how serious, or not, that ugly crack is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thomp, I hope you're right.  But my glass guy was saying that if it comes down to having to do a repair from the inside, the money spent wouldn't be worth the boat's worth.  I guess I'm not going to worry about it too much until we see what's going on in there.

[Qwakwak]

I agree with Old Chaser. I'm thinking it was dropped off a hoist. Seems if it was dropped off a trailer the gouges would be parallel with the crack. It looks like the previous owner threw some bondo on it hoping the buyer wouldn't notice.

[Old Chaser]

I don't think there is any stringer or reinforcement on the other side(inside in the bilge area) with the damage being so close to the keel. The way I see it you're only dealing with the one thickness of hull in that area. Some one please correct me if I'm wrong! I think next I would check the area for soundness in and around the damaged area by pushing(carefully) against the fiberglass to see if there is any give or weakness. When your testing the area use something that wont puncture or damage the hull any more- maybe the blunt end of a hammer handle or rubber end of a hammer handle -- be careful. After doing this test --and you find no areas that spring or bend or move excessively in and out, I think you could say that the damaged area is structurally sound. Then al l you need to do is fix the damaged area (a little bit of fiberglass and some gel coat) and you would be back in business. Something like that for a little bit of piece-of-mind. I remember Don saying those hulls are very very strong.

[betadog808]

Update...so the glass guy came by today and did some grinding.  He said the damage isn't as bad as it could have looked.  It looks like the crack goes along the hull more than into the hull, so that was good.  He wanted to do a good job, so he ended cutting out the affected area and will fill it.  Then he will put a layer of glass, hence why he sanded off gelcoat around the area.  The large area will also allow him to feather the repair so it doesn't have a huge bump.  We both agreed that the look is secondary, safety is much more important.  Here's some pics, more to come as he works on it.  Thanks again for all the help!