The fun never ends!

[Evinrookie]

So far I've had my boat on the water once and have had more problems than I can count without taking my shoes off. I thought owning a boat was supposed to be a "luxury". Oh well. My latest issue appears to be caused by the previous owner redecking the boat. Apparently he got too close to the edge with too long a screw and put a hole in the bottom of the hull (I'll inspect a little better next time I buy a boat). The boat is a fiberglass tri-hull and the hole is about the size of a nickel. The fiberglass and gel coat around the hole appear to be in good shape and no delamination seems to be present. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to fix a hole this size? Any reccommendations on materials would be great. I'm still in love with boating despite all the hair I'm losing.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: The fun never ends!

Some marine tex should do the job....

http://www.marinetex.com/

 

[Acer2428]

Re: The fun never ends!

Think of it as fixed cost. Once you get all the big stuff out of the way, it will be spread out over many many more trips. The rest of it will be maint.

The first time I had my boat out for more than 30 minutes I had the rear seat/engine cover break, bilge filled with water, and motor died. Then, new bilge (same day) and the switch fried, so bilge filled up again....lol

 

[Evinrookie]

Re: The fun never ends!

I suppose things could be much worse but it's been almost comical all the little setbacks on getting out on the water. I've told some of the story in some of my other posts and had begun to wonder why any sane person would want to own a boat. And then I realized, sane people don't want to own one. People like you and me do!

Oh, and in business school we'd use the term "sunk cost". Not exactly a word I want associated with my boat.

 

[Acer2428]

Re: The fun never ends!

That's why I avoided it!

I had to get towed in TWICE on the same day, to the same dock. Pretty hard to swallow. I thought about just pulling the plug and paddling my tube back to shore.....damn EPA

What did I do? I bought another used boat.... So now I can have TWO sets of adventures.

 

[Evinrookie]

Re: The fun never ends!

You're a brave, brave man Acer.

I've still only been out once so far and didn't require a tow, however I am currently in the market for a nice set of paddles.

 

[Acer2428]

Re: The fun never ends!

An oar is a MUST have, that's for sure. It's certainly better than nothing and especially helpful in the river (can be used as a rudder).

The new boat is a LITTLE bit nicer

Best of luck to you! And I agree with rick, marine tex (white) should do the job nicely. Just ordered some for my boat on the iboats store.

 

[Evinrookie]

Re: The fun never ends!

That Marine Tex looks like good stuff but is it made to fill holes or just gouges? I've got a hole and all of the fiberglass repair kits I've see come with some sort of fiberglass cloth to build up the hole. Also, do I need to repair the gel coat or does the Marine Tex take care of this. To my knowledge the gelcoat's primary function is color and a smooth finish. The hole is on the bottom of the hull and isn't visible unless you crawl under the trailer. Eventually I plan on repainting it but if it isn't necessary to buy a $30 gel coat repair kit I won't. The keel of the boat also needs a little love. Can I just spread this stuff on to reseal the gel coat.

 

[moterboat]

Re: The fun never ends!

hey,your boat looks like mine, its apperance looke loads better than mine, the gel coat and floor is shot on mine,so when I catch a saltwater catfish,I don't mind beating it on the side of the boat to get it off the hook.

a boat is a hole in the water where you continuly pour money!!

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: The fun never ends!

hey,your boat looks like mine, its apperance looke loads better than mine, the gel coat and floor is shot on mine,so when I catch a saltwater catfish,I don't mind beating it on the side of the boat to get it off the hook.

Thats just wrong! Scared of taking a catfish off?

 

[Evinrookie]

Re: The fun never ends!

Looks can be deceiving motorboat. The gel coat is in good shape except for the keel. And the previous owner replaced the floor which is why I have a hole in the bottom of my boat. The paint job looks good from about 20 feet away but when you get up close you can see it's a real hack job. Does anyone know if Marine Tex can fill a hole without using mesh screen and if I use it, do I need to repair the gel coat in that area? (See my last post in this thread).

Thanks,

 

[Mark42]

Re: The fun never ends!

The white marine tex will do the job. If the hole is big, use some fiberglass matt to give extra strength.

No gel coat is needed, especially if the fix is on the bottom side where it won't get sun. Sun will make the epoxy yellow over time. Gel does not stick to epoxy well, so the usual fix is paint touch up if the fix will be seen.

 

[Evinrookie]

Re: The fun never ends!

Thanks for the help Mark42. I'm going to take another look at it tonight to see if I think it's too big to forgo the matt. Great looking boat by the way.