New to me boat nightmare, found hull damage

[xjdriver]

So this weekend while working on my new to me 2003 keyWest 1720, I found some hull damage, 2 impact spots with spider cracks all around them on the left side of hull near the stern. How did I not see this when I bought it? Too late now. What do you guys think? Do I need to take it somewhere, is it even worth it?

 

[Woodonglass]

I don't see anything that's very worrisome. If you have anykind of handyman skills you could do these repairs in your driveway and only a few hours. Basic fiberglass hull repair. Grinding, glassing and Gelcoating is all that's required and all of it is doable by the average boat owner. Lots of examples here on the forum. If you decide to take it on,you'll get all the help you need by our members

 

[xjdriver]

I don't see anything that's very worrisome. If you have anykind of handyman skills you could do these repairs in your driveway and only a few hours. Basic fiberglass hull repair. Grinding, glassing and Gelcoating is all that's required and all of it is doable by the average boat owner. Lots of examples here on the forum. If you decide to take it on,you'll get all the help you need by our members

Do you recommend any kind of repair kit? Also, would I need to worry about the spider cracks, or just repair the impact damage?

 

[tpenfield]

The torpedo obviously bounced off and did not detonate

Little bit of gelcoat work and it will be fine.

 

[Woodonglass]

Do you recommend any kind of repair kit? Also, would I need to worry about the spider cracks, or just repair the impact damage?

Spider cracking is problematic and labor intensive to repair. A dremel tool with a pointed tip and LOTS of time to grind all ALL the cracks. Then was it down and fill with a good fairing material. This should be informative...

https://www.diy-fiberglass-boat-repair.com/spider-cracks.html

Repair kits are usually BONDO products so it's best to buy the materials separately and make your own, A gallon of Polyresin with hardener, 1 Yard of 1.5oz CSM, and 1 yard of 8oz fabric is all you need for basic repairs. Some glass bubbles and cabosil to thicken the resin is nice to have too.

 

[xjdriver]

The torpedo obviously bounced off and did not detonate

Little bit of gelcoat work and it will be fine.

LOL, think I may have over reacted a little, it just seems like the more I look at things, the more issues I find.

 

[xjdriver]

Spider cracking is problematic and labor intensive to repair. A dremel tool with a pointed tip and LOTS of time to grind all ALL the cracks. Then was it down and fill with a good fairing material. This should be informative...

https://www.diy-fiberglass-boat-repair.com/spider-cracks.html

Repair kits are usually BONDO products so it's best to buy the materials separately and make your own, A gallon of Polyresin with hardener, 1 Yard of 1.5oz CSM, and 1 yard of 8oz fabric is all you need for basic repairs. Some glass bubbles and cabosil to thicken the resin is nice to have too.

I don't think it would be worth it going after the spider cracks, as they go down the hull for a good few feet, and they appear here and there on the other side of the hull.

 

[JASinIL2006]

LOL, think I may have over reacted a little, it just seems like the more I look at things, the more issues I find.

Welcome to wonderful world of boat ownership! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

 

[Woodonglass]

As stated before a good sanding with 60 grit and then a skim coat of filler or thickened gelcoat Might do the trick for a while. Spider cracks are NOT an easy fix soooo you do the best you can and hope it lasts for a while.

 

[Scott Danforth]

new to me 2003 keyWest 1720........ 2 impact spots with spider cracks all around them on the left side of hull near the stern. How did I not see this when I bought it?

you didnt see the damage because you saw a new to you shiny toy and had googly eyes like we all do when we make an emotional purchase

how to fix spider cracks so they stay away for a long while

40 grit.... sand down to fiberglass
layer of csm, layer of 1708
then sand back down (40 and 80 grit)
fair then sand (80 grit)
and then gel coat

or grind them out
use hairy gel coat in a skim coat
then sand (80 grit)
then final gel

 

[Chris1956]

Those are minor issues, as they do not go thru the hull and do not expose much glass cloth. The spider cracks are not an issue either.

Grinding out the area will require more putty to fill it in. If you do not have the correct gelcoat or putty color match (difficult), it will look like crap.

I would try the easy way. Wipe the area down with acetone. Buy some marine white putty and mix up a marble-sized piece. Using a strong but flexible putty knife(plastic is best to not scratch), force some putty into each wound, scraping the area clean. Very much like spackling a nail pop.

Since you are using a small amount of putty, the color will be less noticeable.