Any ideas on how to repair this?

[bkreder001]

I purchased a bass boat recently and being fairly new to the boating world I did my used boat buying tips that I have read about in this awesome forum and all looked good. The only issue that I saw was about 8 holes/cracks not all the way through the hull and along where the bunks on the trailer hold the boat. I asked the owner and he said that it was like that when he bought the boat. It looks like someone tried to use some sort of silicone to seal them up. Any ideas how to repair would be appreciated. I am attaching pics so you can see what I am talking about. Thanks

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Get rid of the silly-cone! Wire brush it out...... sand it get rid of all traces. Marine tex will fill those holes very nicely and work for you.

Now..... you need to check it there has been water infiltration into the hull from those holes too. The marine tex will fix the outside but you need to check the inside too.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Ayuh,.....

And,... After you finish up what Bob has said,.....

Realign the trailer bunks so it Don't happen again.....

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Thanks Bob and Bondo. What would I be looking for when you check the inside too.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

water stains, discoloration, rot. i think it would lift the boat and check all the way down those bunks.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Getting Boat Off Trailer

you don't need stands.

1/you can lower the tongue to the ground. i would get some 6x6 or old railroad crossties cut the +- 12 inches, now block up the transom. 2/

Raise the tongue of the trailer the back of trailer will drop away from trailer. this is the tricky part. between the cross braces of the trailer block the keel lower trailer, boat will be suspended on the blocks.

3/ pull forward, lift bow again, and reblock i a different place. repeat until trailer is out from under the boat.

4/ to reload, just reverse the procedure.

if you were just working on the bunks, or painting the bottom. you could just do the first 2 steps.

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Thanks Tashasdaddy

Does fiberglass rot? Is that what I am looking for? Can I tell from the outside or do I need to cut a hole in the deck?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

fiberglass can get waterlogged, the wooden stringers rot. see how much more damage is outside.

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Thanks everyone!!! I will be looking to do this repair within the next 2 weeks. I will keep this post updated as I go.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

From the pics they look like normal air pockets left by the lamination crew, they're typically repaired on the production line, but that's only if they find em before it gets shipped out. They're really only cosmetic, but it's a good idea to fix them, Marine Tex works well. Take an ice srcaper (windshield type) or similar type of plastic and run down each strake, put some pressure on them and you should be able to find more air bubbles if there are any.

 

[reelfishin]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Any good epoxy should do the trick, but if their deeper than they look or if you have to grind any amount of glass away to get to uncontaminated fiberglass, you may want to consider using some glass to fill the area, but only if it's really deep.
I filled a few spots on my boat that way, but I was keel to trailer damage from a mis aligned keel roller at the the rear of the trailer. I ground out the bad area and I mixed up some finely chopped fiberglass in some epoxy resin and filled the void and then followed it up with some white tinted epoxy for the final layer so that the sanded finished repair would blend in better. It ended up being nearly undetectable and has lasted for three years now.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Thanks Tashasdaddy

Does fiberglass rot? Is that what I am looking for? Can I tell from the outside or do I need to cut a hole in the deck?

If improperly laid glass is exposed to the elements long enough, it can get fungus growing throughout it. I don't think the glass itself is rotting, but it sure is nasty stuff when you're grinding it out... you'll want top notch eye, lung, and skin protection if you ever have to work on an area like that. But I don't think you'll have to worry about that in this case. It looks too recent for that, but do like TashasDaddy said and check the wood (stringers, deck, etc.) for signs of contact with water or rot, as you may have to worry about them rotting away from this.

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Well I finally got around to this repair. I took ondarvr's advice and started scraping with a plastic scrapper and he was right there are more areas that are now exposed after the scraping. They area's range from about a quarter inch to about 3 inchs. After scraping I can see some white fibers. My question is can I still use the Marine tex to fill in or do I need to do something else. Thanks

 

[firehog6305]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

you can still use the marine tex, or you can use a product called dura glass, its like a waterproof bondo with fiberglass threads in it, works very well, but what every you use, make sure you push it in useing your fingers to fill all the voids, then you can use a plastic spreader to finish it up, I like useing a single edge razor blade myself. good luck

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Where can I find dura glass? Is it at the home depot?

Thanks

 

[firehog6305]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

I dont think home depot has duraglass, an automotive paint suppy house will have it

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

Ok Thanks. Now do I have to seal the duraglass in any way after I apply it to make it waterproof or is it waterproof right out of the can?

 

[bkreder001]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

I have one more question. If I decide to use the Marine Tex can I use the gray? The bottom of my boat is gray so that would blend in better than the white. The person at the marine store said I could use the gray on fiberglass but when I was reading the box it said the gray was more for mechanical applications.

 

[oops!]

Re: Any ideas on how to repair this?

marine tex- is a near legendary product in boat repair......color match can be done with bottom paint after.....