Making a boat hull tougher? Possible?

[brownies]

I have a fiberglass bass boat that I used for one specific lake.
At least, once a year it gets flipped, patched, and put back on the trailer. Sometimes more than once, depending on how bad it's taking on water.

The question is....Anybody know of anything that can be done to the hull to make it stronger/tougher? This year I'm going to have to repair it correctly due to so much "dead glass" in it now.
After repairs correctly..Any thoughts on rhino-liner? Or some other type of coating? (seems like I saw an add once where a rhino liner sprayed concrete block dropped off of a building....and it didn't break).
OR...how to cost effectively make the hull thicker, stronger, Without adding tons of weight to it.

 

[kmurray802]

Re: Making a boat hull tougher? Possible?

What's causing the leaks?Is it from running over objects or is hull just in poor condition?You could prep & paint with a marine paint after repairing holes.This would waterproof hull,however if leaks are from "stump-jump'n" paint ain't going to do you much good.
They make keel gaurds that may help.

 

[vandy21]

Re: Making a boat hull tougher? Possible?

I have absolutely no idea, but it seems like a rhino liner would add a lot of drag and slow down your boat? This may be completely false, but that is just my guess.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Making a boat hull tougher? Possible?

Use Kevlar Fabric,+ Epoxy,........ It'll be Bullet-Proof.........

 

[brownies]

Re: Making a boat hull tougher? Possible?

Stumps is the problem. Boat hull is now in bad shape. Hit a stump, make a crack or hole, QUICKY UGLY PATCH UP REPAIRS designed to go another year.
Correct repair on a one inch hole would be to go WAY out around it, past the end of the cracks that you cannot see (can't see em, but, they are there). small hole makes a large area of DEAD GLASS.
The repairs are just quicky globbed on patch work. Speed, looks not important.

Here's the proceedure. Flip boat, grind quickly, more or less just trowell on chopped up fiberglass filler out of a can, and then maybe lay some glass mat and resign over it (or vice versa depending on the hole/crack).
have taken a chainsaw, cut a large chunk out, put sheet metal in, and just rough glassed all back over the sheet metal.
ZERO finish work afterwards. NO sanding, shaping, or grinding afterwards.

Go to a dirttrack sometime and look at the cheapest class of cars running. Fenders get beat back in shape with a hammer and a 1st class repair is just any old junkyard fender and a can of krylon.
There is just no sense for one of these cars to get brand new sheetmetal or any form of "correct" bodywork.

Same with the boats that are used on this lake (I'm not the only one, this is common practice).

BUT, If I repair my hull this year correctly, make it look like a "hull" again (lol). I was just fishing for suggestions on how to make it lots stronger so as maybe to prevent having to flip it once a year.

20 keel guards might actually work (all over the bottom of the hull), but, expensive.

Kevlar matt? hmmm....now that's an idea.
Other idea was to go at it from the inside and add about 3/8" layer of chopped glass sprayed to the inside. But, might just be toooo heavy then. Getting off of stumps once on them is also a consideration....

Note: this lake has inspired some very creative trolling motor break away systems. Some of which work MUCH better than anything Min Kota or Motor Guide offer.
A few guys are now experts on straitening prop shafts with nothing but a hammer and block of wood.
You can JB weld up the side of a lower unit, add a grease zerk, use wheel bearing grease and get by a few years on less than 10min blasts on plane.

 

[blue77]

Re: Making a boat hull tougher? Possible?

AH HA something I can help with (maybe). This is the 'non-boat answer' as I dont know enough about hulls to help there. BUT I know engineering

Ok so we are not looking for the most sea (water) worthy repair but something that will make you have to make less rough patches.

Kevlar will not do it, kevlar is very strong in the impact area but NOT strong in tortion... so it wont work for you. BUT something like the rhino liner WILL work, it will absorb the impact and not crack, it wont add additional stress at the junction parts either .. it WILL be heavy and it WILL be slow.. but for you it MIGHT work