Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

[2fast4u_evinrude]

Hey there

Was boating out yesterday and got into some shallow water. I felt the boat hit the bottom but seemed like a minor scrap type of hit and didnt seemed that bad. Took the boat out of water and found that I caused more damage then expected. I posted some pics for you guys to see. I hope this isnt serious. I am really upset with myself. Wonder if I should get this fixed asap. Can a person use bondo to patch it up? Or should this be done by a pro and am I looking at big bucks?

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

Nice work !!!

No bondo for that repair . . . (sorry Bond-o) . . . Gelcoat would be good. If you want to DIY, then you could read up on how to do gel coat repairs, etc. Otherwise go to a professional fiberglass repair shop, as you mentioned.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

IMHO that's gunna need resin and glass. You can do the work if you are so inclined. Being on the Strake it's a bit more involved but doable. Grind or sand all the gelcoat back about 3" on all sides. Apply Polyester resin and 2 layers of 1.5oz CSM, a layer of 1708 Biaxial cloth and a couple more layers of CSM. Sand, Fair, roll on some gelcoat Sand, Buff, Polish. Done. Search the forum for pics and examples of this procedure. It's done all the time. Less than $75 bucks if you do it $600 - $800 if you have it done. Take you about 4 - 6 hours.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

Hey there

Was boating out yesterday and got into some shallow water. I felt the boat hit the bottom but seemed like a minor scrap type of hit and didnt seemed that bad. Took the boat out of water and found that I caused more damage then expected. I posted some pics for you guys to see. I hope this isnt serious. I am really upset with myself. Wonder if I should get this fixed asap. Can a person use bondo to patch it up? Or should this be done by a pro and am I looking at big bucks?

Sorry mate.. no bondo gonna fix this ( or anything else thats in a can ).

When do you want it back in the water ? ..

Do you have Ins. ?

There is no telling how much damage is there until you grind into it.

IMHO that's gunna need resin and glass. You can do the work if you are so inclined. Being on the Strake it's a bit more involved but doable. Grind or sand all the gelcoat back about 3" on all sides. Apply Polyester resin and 2 layers of 1.5oz CSM, a layer of 1708 Biaxial cloth and a couple more layers of CSM. Sand, Fair, roll on some gelcoat Sand, Buff, Polish. Done. Search the forum for pics and examples of this procedure. It's done all the time. Less than $75 bucks if you do it $600 - $800 if you have it done. Take you about 4 - 6 hours.

While Woody is correct about the glass and structure of the repair.. I dont think you will get it done for 75 bucks. I also dont think your going to get it done professionally for 6-8 hundred. I also dont think you will be repairing that in 4-6 hours ( not correctly at least ). Im sure a shop is gonna ask for 11-14 hours + materials. Call it 2k when its all tabulated up from a shop.

Year make and model ?

YD.

 

[2fast4u_evinrude]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

Sorry mate.. no bondo gonna fix this ( or anything else thats in a can ).

When do you want it back in the water ? ..

Do you have Ins. ?

There is no telling how much damage is there until you grind into it.



While Woody is correct about the glass and structure of the repair.. I dont think you will get it done for 75 bucks. I also dont think your going to get it done professionally for 6-8 hundred. I also dont think you will be repairing that in 4-6 hours ( not correctly at least ). Im sure a shop is gonna ask for 11-14 hours + materials. Call it 2k when its all tabulated up from a shop.

Year make and model ?

YD.

The boat is still functional with no leaks so I can go back in the water anytime. Just bothers me to see the damage on the boat. Its a 1993 Maxum 1700sr with a 3.0L mercruiser alpha one leg.

 

[emoney]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

There are leaks that you can't always "see", don't forget.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

The boat is still functional with no leaks so I can go back in the water anytime. Just bothers me to see the damage on the boat. Its a 1993 Maxum 1700sr with a 3.0L mercruiser alpha one leg.

When you can see Glass fibers such as in you photo, you should be concerned about water wicking into the hull via the exposed glass. This will also weaken the glass and eventually can cause delamination. You should get this reparired as soon as possible. I may be off a bit on YOUR costs but Glass and resin in the quantities you will need should not be that expensive. YD is a pro and he KNOWS the prices a Shop would charge sooo....If it were me, I'd be giving it a go at trying to repair this myself. You'll get plenty of help here on the forum.

 

[2fast4u_evinrude]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

Well this scares me now. Maybe I will leave it out of water for now. Just sucks that it happened just when summer started. I do have insurance on the boat. In the state/province I live in canada, we buy boat insurance that goes towards house insurance. I better get it done the right way or I may end up opening a can of worms down the road. I will take it in a couple boat repair shops in my city to see what it would cost to fix. Just want to see if its worth me filing a claim and paying a deductible. I do have friends that work in auto body shops. I asked them about it and ofcourse they say they can fix it. Would this be like doing fiberglass work on a car? Where would a person get the gel coat and to color match it? What a crappy weekend, Learnt my lesson lol.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

The fiberglass products used for Cars are not suitable for below the waterline fiberglass repairs on boats. Take it to a certified Marine Repair shop. Be ready, it won't be cheap. Gelcoat is similar to paint in that there are mfg color codes that can be obtained in order to mix the gelcoat to match barring fading and staining.

 

[2fast4u_evinrude]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

Well after thinking all night about this, I am going to file a claim with the insurance company. I mean why pay for insurance if you dont use it. My question now is that when fixing this, would it be consider like a temporary fix? Or would it be as good as original. Theres a couple ads in my local phone book saying over 25 years experiance. I dont know the quality of the workmanship so im going to have to pick one of the shop and hope for the best. I plan on keeping this boat for a long time.

 

[62cruiserinc]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

I would get the names of previous customers from the shop. Then I would contact the customer and get their opinion on the work that was done now that the customer has had the boat after the repair. Often its hard to tell a good repair job from a bad one right after its done, time separates the good-looking-at-first job from the properly done durable job. With the amount of money you will be spending its worth checking into their work. Also, a poorly done job that has to be redone by a good shop may cost extra if they have to undo the bad work first.

Steve

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

The boat is still functional with no leaks so I can go back in the water anytime. Just bothers me to see the damage on the boat. Its a 1993 Maxum 1700sr with a 3.0L mercruiser alpha one leg.

Bummer.. Spectrum Colors does not supply your gel. The shop should be able to custom color match it (1-2 hours).

The reason why I asked how long til you wanted to be back in the water was considering if you did it compared to a shop. A shop could have that done in 3-4 days. At this time in the season you might be able to find someone to jump on it right away.

Sure you could do it yourself .. If you have a grinder, fiberglass, resin, MEKP, Cabosil, acetone, brushes, bubble roller, respo, suit, glasses, gel, sand paper, air file ( or do it by hand with a long block ), paper cups, stir sticks, paint sprayer ( or 4 preval sprayers ), PVA or wax additive, tape, masking film/paper, buffer + buffing pad, compound and polish, rags, rubber gloves and the willingness to do the repair upside down ( where all this crap is raining down on you ).

Now .. if you get lucky and can find someone to sell you just what you need in the amount you need it out of this list then your cost will be lower .. if not then your have to buy in Bulk ( expensive ).

If your going to file a claim go with the guy that has the same shop and phone # for the longest ( he is probably the best ). Ask him to go through how he is going to repair the damage. Your color match should be almost right on because its on the bottom of the boat ( less weathered = better match ). Also you will probably get a lot of scratches/gouges done at the same time. Heck he might even give you a few freebee chips somewhere else ( I would ).

If the shop that you choose says its gonna be a few weeks before he can fit you in .. just ask if its gonna be ok for you to use it until then. I can say that unless you have damage that is worse then whats in the pics or your discription..you can go back on the water until the shop can get you in. Your not gonna have any more water intrusion then what he is gonna grind out anyways.. so its cool.

Good luck

YD.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Scrapped bottom of fiberglass boat HELP!

I would get the names of previous customers from the shop. Then I would contact the customer and get their opinion on the work that was done now that the customer has had the boat after the repair. Often its hard to tell a good repair job from a bad one right after its done, time separates the good-looking-at-first job from the properly done durable job. With the amount of money you will be spending its worth checking into their work. Also, a poorly done job that has to be redone by a good shop may cost extra if they have to undo the bad work first.

Steve

The problem with this is that unless he is a mom and pop shop that does everything himself .. You can get misleading answers to this.

Lets say Sally is pleased with the job. However .. at the time Mike was working there ( Very good glass guy and did things correctly )..and is now no longer there. Now its Nick that does the fiberglass ( not a very good glass guy and cuts corners ).

Yes..a rework job WIIL cost you more ..not May.. but WILL ..

YD.