76 Sea Sprite tri-hull hull question

[powell0819]

My husband and I just bought our first boat and have just a pretty simple question. The hull on it looks like it has had some repair done to it before, but we cannot tell if it pierced all the way through the hull or was just a scratch. The patch is kinda showing and you can see the wire grid they used on it. One of the other patches is kinda brown looking like it might be rotted or just have some weird algae growth??

My question is are fiberglass patches reliable on older boats and since it is not leaking now or doesnt appear to have cracked do you think it will hold up when we take it out water skiing and tubing and start going through waves and whatnot?

Again simple newbie question but I dont wanna get out there and it sink on us! lol.

 

[Robert D]

Re: 76 Sea Sprite tri-hull hull question

Wire grid? I suspect you're seeing the weaved pattern of fiberglass. I assume this is a fiberglass hull, correct?

Assuming it is....I wouldn't trust any unknown patch further than 6 feet from the shore. If it was patched/repaired properly, you shouldn't be able to see anything from the outside. A proper repair is not difficult. The hardest thing is getting to the inside usually. (Removing the deck, etc.) It needs to be fiberglassed from both sides. The exterior should be sanded perfectly smooth with the surrounding area, and the hull can be painted.....should be invisible.

How big of a 'patch' are we talking about here, anyway?

 

[powell0819]

Re: 76 Sea Sprite tri-hull hull question

Yes it is fiberglass. The patch is about 2 to 3 inches long and about an inch and a half wide on one and the other is about a 2 x 2 inch square. From the placement and where the boat is used I am betting it is rock damage. It looks as if either it is an old patch or they rushed while doing it. It doesn't feel spongey or anything but like I said one has a wire grid showing and the other is kinda an icky brown color. We didnt pay much for the boat so we expected to have to do some sort of repair on it somewhere. Since it is our first one we kinda rushed on getting it but for the price we paid I can't really complain.