TOPIC: Major fiberglass damage repair.. suggestions?

Hey everyone... how would you folks tackle this one? I got talked into this repair and have mulled over a couple of ways to go about it, but wanted to hear what methods some of you guys would use. I'm always open for ideas so any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

find a new hull... You prolly looking at 100hrs worth of work there

If I was doing it. I would get out some cardboard and maybe a body tool (looks like those nail things you can make the shape of your hand with) and start making templates off the otehr side of the boat. Once you have enough in both the verticle and horizontal directions you can start working (maybe 1 every 3-4"). You will need to cut back until you can get to good solid hull and then gring at least 3-4" farther so you have a mating surface. Start from the inside with some cloth and make the gernal shape. Then move to the outside building up with alternating unidirectional mat and bi directional roving. Sand and shape between coats. Thats not a polyester boat so you will need to use epoxy, I like Aeromarines myself.

Good luck, your going to need it.

that is a big job. you have allot of removals (foam as well as boat parts) to do before you can begin. Do you have the chunk that is missing or is it gone? Did the insurance co. total the boat?
grind down to clean glass all around inside and out I am sure you know. The missing chunk along with making a cardboard template from the other will help. Patience in body working skills. I hope they guy does not mind the length of time to repair and you are paid well. I would re-gelcoat the entire side of that boat above the chine (unless the damage extends below it) and redo all the hull graphics. Looking at all of the photos there is more than 100 hours there for one man.

Yeah, the insurance totaled the boat and the owner bought a new boat and sold this one to the current owner. I have most of the chunk missing, but it's pretty mangled. I've done a lot of fiberglass repair over the years (boats and vettes) but never with having to build a section of this size from scratch. Should be a fun (insert sarcasm here) build. Just a word of advice... Don't smack a channel marker post at 60 mph in your boat. lol

if he hit at 60... how far back does the spider cracking go? when you impact a solid object with something fiberglass, it tends to cause way more damage than you see. You may spend 150 hrs redoing this only to find that in 6 months there is a crack 5' behind the repair. Bassboat hulls are dirt cheap around me, seems like a better idea to just salvage what you can and move on.

wow doug,you have your hands full with that one,i wouldnt do it,its really bad.
but if anyone can fix it its you,john

I would say if you have the diser and knowledge to go for it..
If You worked on Vettes guessing a bit flatter to work with.
Never takcled working with fiberglass, closest i've done has been some repairs to my gelcoat, just scratches thought nothing major...

Good luck and report back, better yet keep camera handy...

I agree Id buy a used hull and transfer the hardware, bass boats are everywhere
but if you really wanted to fix it Id do it the way I make cowls and hatches for my race boats....cut away the broken damaged areas
hot glue chunks of foam in place, break out the butcher knives,rasps & sanders to begin sculpting the foam to shape then glass it

I would try to find an identical hull with an owner who, perhaps with a bribe of a really good bottle of single malt scotch, would allow you to make a mold from that section of his hull.

Then I would lay up a new hull section and trim it to a size larger than the damaged area on this hull. I would cut the damaged hull to fit the new replacement section. I'd taper the edges at a 14 to 1 slope to insure adequate bonding surface. Then I'd epoxy the new section into place.

Lastly, make sure the interior foam is replaced, then go catch some Bass. This ain't rocket science.

Clark Savage Jr wrote:

I would try to find an identical hull with an owner who, perhaps with a bribe of a really good bottle of single malt scotch, would allow you to make a mold from that section of his hull.

Then I would lay up a new hull section and trim it to a size larger than the damaged area on this hull. I would cut the damaged hull to fit the new replacement section. I'd taper the edges at a 14 to 1 slope to insure adequate bonding surface. Then I'd epoxy the new section into place.

Lastly, make sure the interior foam is replaced, then go catch some Bass. This ain't rocket science.

As Clark said..Run an add on CL...maybe do a detail job and a few bucks as to be able to make a casting of the section needed

Why anybody would buy that is amazing in itself!!! The money just in materials let alone labor could have bought a good boat. Personally I would cut the bow off and make a bar and turn the rest into lawn art!!!
ps: I'll bring my cutter and drop it off next time I go to S'port and give you an easy job!!!

Hi Doug; If its fiberglass it can be fixed. I once repaired a 46 ft sailboat that had pounded on a reef in storms south of Key West, Florida for a month before being salvaged and towed into my boatyard on a barge. It had holes worn into and puched through the starboard side 15ft by 2ft and on the port side 4ft by 4ft. The boat was worth well over $100,000. so the time consuming and costly repair was worth it to the new owner. The question is, is the boat being considered worth what it will cost to repair it and the work involved.. That is the real question... Lot of work involved in that job to do it right. Brian

Hey Doug. If you have another hull that has some what the shape, review this video I did by using another boat's hull to build up a large area.

Thanks for all the input everyone. The owner bought the boat for next to nothing so he can afford to sink some money in for repairs. It is a very low hour boat and has been garage kept since it was new and well worthy of repairing. I'll post some pics of the repair process once it's all finished up.
Doug

Don't forget the duct tape. I'm sure your going to need some there. I see bass boat hulls go cheap here too. It could be one of those jobs you want to do for the challenge. I would survey the whole boat before doing anything. Check her well for hard to see damage.

doug i cant wait to see the pics,i love seeing how others take on challenges,it will teach me alot,john

have a great book here the fiberglass repair manual by alan h vaitses shows how to take a mold from the good side of the hull and make a repair using it.

classicfins wrote:

Yeah, the insurance totaled the boat and the owner bought a new boat and sold this one to the current owner. I have most of the chunk missing, but it's pretty mangled. I've done a lot of fiberglass repair over the years (boats and vettes) but never with having to build a section of this size from scratch. Should be a fun (insert sarcasm here) build. Just a word of advice... Don't smack a channel marker post at 60 mph in your boat. lol

lol.. what's bad is I know the marker he hit and it looks almost just like that one. lol