Possible Hull Delamination?

[jklett]

I have a 17' vee bottom runabout I'm trying to fix up and I think I have a problem. Last fall, I ripped out the transom, floors, and stringers. I replaced the transom(glassed in), and began to replace the stringers when winter rolled in. I didn't have a chance to seal them so I covered the boat and figured I'd worry about it come spring. Well, sometime over the winter some plastic got lodged in the drain hole and the thing filled up with water/ice thanks to a leaky cover . When I opened it up in the spring, I saw the mess and cleared the drain emptying the water out. The transom was fine, but the new stringers were starting to rot. I figured no big deal, I'll rip them out and start over . Well, after I took the boat off the trailer and blocked it up, I tore out the stringers(again) and that's when I noticed that the starboard side of the hull was springy feeling when I stepped on it, but the port side was not. The springy section also looks kind of whitish, not the solid tannish color of the stiff parts. I think the water sitting in the hull and freezing got into the fiberglass on that side and caused it to delaminate. <br /><br />My question is, is there a way to fix this so it's as strong as the rest of the boat, or should I just get happy with the sawz-all and be done with it once and for all ? The section goes from about 3" off the keel all the way up to the chine and is about 4-5' long. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Possible Hull Delamination?

You could try to grind a small area and see how much it penetrates. Once you determine that, you could grind all the compromised layers out, and lay new layers in. You don't want to cut all the way through, you would have a tough time making a repair like that work well. As long as you can leave the gelcoat and a layer of two intact, there is no reason why you couldn't build it back up with new layers. You want to remember to taper the surrounding area, and glass your layers in sequentially larger layups to fill in the cavity you created when grinding. Since it is in the inside, none of it has to be pretty, it just has to be strong. Also, if you are using 2 part foam, that will give additional strength. Good luck...

 

[prockvoan]

Re: Possible Hull Delamination?

The time and money to repair that boat,you better love it.Me,I would send it down the road.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Possible Hull Delamination?

Procks point is also valid. You gots ta love the boat, or love rebuilding boats to do this sort of thing.

 

[jklett]

Re: Possible Hull Delamination?

Thanks for the advice, I started to grind out a small section and the whole mess goes all the way to the gelcoat. That and it's a bigger section than I originally thought. I was able to grab and tear out big sheets of fiberglass that ran from almost to the bow all the way to the transom. I thought over my options and decided that it would be easier for me to cut my losses on this one. The wife gave me the thumbs up to build a new boat from scratch. It will be much easier to build a new one than completely re-lay the entire starboard side of this one. Live and learn.