Repair fiberglass boat hull crack

Main crack is about 10 inches long with approximate 3 inch branch crack. I first have to repair the crack now, the hull is slowly turning instable and difficult to work on, some reinforcement before. How to fix a hole on a fiberglass boat complete diy guide. Dear boat doctor, id like to start sailing my older mfg pintail daysailer. How to repair a badly damaged fibreglass boat youtube. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. The acetone will gummy up the surface and make it more acceptable to the new resin. Most hiredout repairs of any type are roughly 50 percent labor and 50 percent materials. The previous owner used marinetex or similar material as a patch, but i would like to grind that out and do a proper repair. The prep work is a biggie, and cleanliness is paramount.

Ever wanted to fix a crack or hole in a fibreglass boat. First, remove all wax and grease from the work area by wiping down the area with acetone and a clean rag. One of the things that the basic boat owner should have some knowledge about is boat hull repair. Heavy accessories like outriggers, seats, and ttops are intended to be located on reinforced areas of the hull. The time required for this job will obviously vary quite a bit depending on the number of cracks and how widespread they are, but should take no more than three hours per square foot of repair area. They may indicate whether something inside the boat has broken loose and. The glass work can be done from the outside if the boat is moved so that the crack is a foot or so away from the bunk and no oil can is visible. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull. Montana boat center in helena, mt get driving directions to 2531 n montana ave helena, mt 59601. Apr 12, 20 depending on how deep the crack is you could gt away with just a gel coat repair worst case scenario you might need to grind the gel around the crack about 4 all the way around and apply a layer off glass to stiffen the structure because you will have a weak spot where the crack is and then sand it down then gel coat over it, this is depending if it has cracked the glassfibre aswell. Pic of the boat and the word crack is over and parallel to the actual crack this is a picture of the bottom of the boat. After some time, even the once durable fiberglass boat floors begin to encounter problems. Can you give me some tips on how to make this repair. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear.

Easy ways to repair cracked fiberglass with pictures wikihow. How to patch a fiberglass hull patching a hole in a fiberglass hull is fairly easy. Youll need to cut fiberglass cloth to fit the repair. Stress cracks, spider cracks, and hairline cracks in the decks of older boats are, of course, not rare. Stress cracks can help us understand what caused the damage.

If your damage is more serious than this, you will need to take steps to temporarily restore the correct while you make the fiberglass repairs. Apr 06, 2020 one of the best qualities of a fiberglass boat is how easy it is to repair. Jun 22, 2019 as a 2cycle standup jet skier, i am embarrassed to say that before i met my wife, a jet skier ran into the stern of her ski boat. Apr 26, 2018 repairing a fibreglass crack doesnt have to be daunting. If you cant find a repair kit buy 1 quart of polyester resin and hardener, and 2 square feet each of 10ounce roving and 7 12ounce fiberglass cloth. If you answered yes to these questions, you may want to save this project until you have a lot more experience with fiberglass repair.

Weve put together an easy to follow guide specifically aimed at those new to fibreglass. In fiberglass boat repair the repair area may have hardness very similar to the original laminate and you can accidentally change the shape of the surrounding area. Not so with this fixhull repairs are all about labor. As a 2cycle standup jet skier, i am embarrassed to say that before i met my wife, a jet skier ran into the stern of her ski boat. Give yourself a 16th of an inch of unmasked margin around the scratch, gouge or hole.

Plan on using a variety of sanding tools if you are dealing with a repair that bridges both a flat area and a detailed area such as a chine or gunwale. Feb 16, 2017 i purchased the boat with the scrape on the bottom. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. Listening to that advice would have been a big mistake because your typical fiberglass repair kit wont work on smc. The second said they could order one for use, but added if we didnt want to wait, just about any fiberglass repair kit would work. This show covers how to repair fiberglass stress cracks on your boat using polyester resin. Additionally many times if it is a stress crack in the fiberglass itself, sometimes this happens over the core materials of certain areas of the boat. By knowing how to repair fiberglass boat floors, people can solve these problems easily.

Core materials wood structure, right under the deck, floorboards and walkways are right under that fiberglass. How to repair a fiberglass boat hull from the outside. I also wipe the cracked surfaces with a clean rag with acetone on it. Fiberglass boat repair theres a hole in my boat part 1 youtube. I purchased the boat with the scrape on the bottom. Weve put together an easy to follow guide specifically aimed at those new to. You can even use stainless screws but coat every one with 5200 before you screw them in. It can be difficult to diagnose spider cracks, especially when youre not aware of them. It sounds like only cracks in the gel from poorly drilled out holes for the rubrail. Working with a fiberglass, or even a wooden hull, you will need to start by cleaning out the crack and affected area. Jun 25, 2018 step 4 as soon as the crack has been channeled out, wipe it clean with a solvent like acetone and, using a plastic putty knife, flushfill it with gelcoat matched to the color of the surrounding area if the channel isnt too deep. Use this particular knowledge to maintain the good quality as well as the superior performance of your boats. I am waiting till i pick up another boat to put the engine and od in.

Feb 09, 2012 how to repair deep cracks in fiberglass boats with the new west system fiberglass boat repair kit. The hole was caused by the trailer tire rubbing the hull. Aug 15, 2018 and almost every fiberglass boat, even the most mollycoddled, eventually suffers the heartbreak of spiderweb andor stress cracks. Home boat design forums construction boatbuilding fiberglass and composite boat building cracked hull repair, rib with 2 ft crack. Its an older boat and i am not greatly concerned with cosmetics, i just want a solid hull.

How to repair deep cracks in fiberglass boats youtube. I am planning to repair this damage to the hull of a newtome boat during this offseason. How to repair fiberglass on a boat the family handyman. These scars of a life welllived are unsightly, but usually are just cosmetic. Fiberglass boat repair theres a hole in my boat part. The actual hole is a 6 inch crack with fibers hanging out. The boat is complete but it has a couple cracks in the hull. First, the hull may have been overloaded, or caused to bear a load in an unintended area.

Fix those simple cracks when you need to do another repair on the same colored hull. How to repair deep cracks in fiberglass boats with the new west system fiberglass boat repair kit. In my line of work any structural crack like the ones on that boat means the entire part must be scrapped. Generally, repair of minor damage is within the mechanical aptitude of most skippers. The boat now looks every bit as good as it did in the showroom after some fiberglass repair. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating magazine. While a damaged wood boat requires expensive and intricate work, a fiberglass one can usually be repaired with just a few materials, even by people with only basic knowledge and skills.

All about fiberglass boat stress cracks fiberglass boat. Wipe the crack with a dry rag to make sure its clean and dry. It looks like the repair was insufficient because there is a hairline crack in the bottom of the hull under the port exhaust tube and the stringer to transom joint has a gap and the glasswork over the stringer leaked. Sometimes, theyre merely cosmetic, meaning they dont penetrate the gelcoat.

Sometimes, they go deeper and threaten an underlying laminate, which in many cases is cored. Montana boat center 2531 n montana ave, helena, mt. The cost of a fiberglass repair on your boat will greatly depend on the level of damage, the materials being used with the repair, where you live and the professional you choose. Hull repair is fairly easy for someone who owns a small fiberglass boat of their own. Structural repair of fiberglass hull boat design net. Discussion in fiberglass and composite boat building started by randytea. Discussion in fiberglass and composite boat building started by rop. I would add some ground fiberglass into the resin for added strength and do the fiberglass cloth backing on the inside. The number of boats that develop serious blister problems is extremely small. More then just stress cracks below the water line youtube. Also, mask off any adjacent areas or items to protect them from inadvertently applied gelcoat or errant sanding. Do to incredibly full plate of a big household project i was wondering about doing just an exterior repair to the crack. Fill the crack with a fair amount of fiberglass epoxy resin, using a plastic applicator.

Magicezy hairline fix is a onepart, pretinted available in 10 colors sealant that allows you to complete the repair in seconds without having to grind out the existing damage. Repairing structural cracks involves several steps. Stringer to transom and hairline hull crack repair boat. Next, use a sander and coarse grit sandpaper to expose grind away the crack. Fiberglass boat hull repair sounds complicatedand it can be for firsttime boat owners. Previous episodes go over other types of fiberglass. One quick and easy way to repair gelcoat stress cracks yourself is by using magicezy hairline fix a purpose built diy repair solution for stress cracks in gelcoat and fiberglass. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the gelcoat is suffering from crazing sometimes called alligatoring. One of the best qualities of a fiberglass boat is how easy it is to repair. These hairline fractures also occur in boats of the mid 1970s vintage which often had thicker gelcoat layers than newer boats.

Carefully mask around the edges of the fiberglass boat repair area with twoinchwide 3m scotchblue multisurface painters tape no. Theres really no way to be sure, until you repair the crazing and see if the cracks come back. Check out our new website its pretty flippin awesome. Repairing a fibreglass crack doesnt have to be daunting. How to repair a fibreglass crack for beginners youtube. There are many ways to repair cracks in fiberglass which ones the best. I was able to feel the fiberglass underneath felt very solid. Next, take a saw and cut out the damaged area that youve circled with the. If its not clean and dry the epoxy wont adhere well. If its a hairline crack, use an electric or hand held rotary blade to widen the crack just a bit. Fiberglass repairs fixing old holes in the hull duration. Cracked hull repair, rib with 2 ft crack boat design net.

Heres everything youll need to know to repair these cracks. The first said they didnt work on hulls or offer any repair kits. Below is the recommended repair process for cracks that go deeper than the gelcoat, but dont cause a large, gaping hole or change the overall shape of the surface. Now for the bad news, mt used some poor quality gelcoat during their production run, and i have seen 5 where the entire hull had the cracks. Hairline cracks in fiberglass hull my friend, mine has the 200hp straight six, what a sound when that thing is running. Jb weld works okay on bare lightly sanded aluminum but it can crack from stress.

Many boat owners look for the quick fix solutiona simple putty they can put in their hull, the equivalent of duct tape for boats. All about fiberglass boat stress cracks fiberglass boat repair. Repairing a brokencracked fiberglass hull rc groups. Any crack that goes deeper than the gelcoat definitely needs attention. Use an aluminum patch, rivits and 5200 to seal from outside or use gluit on the repair from the inside. This type of repair is necessary if you run aground, run into a rock, or have some of crack caused by age and use. This will make it possible to fill the crack with epoxy resin. Fiberglass hull repair bass boats, canoes, kayaks and. These fiberglass cracks can be purely cosmetic, or can severely degrade the boat s ability to stay afloat.

How to fix a crack or hole in a fibreglass boat the new. The cracks go all the way through the hull and are about 2 feet long. Before you decide to repair your own boat hull, you may want to do a reality check. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. Oct 31, 2009 main crack is about 10 inches long with approximate 3 inch branch crack. This will stop the crack from extending any further. First, examine the hole and look for cracks and chips extending out from the hole.

Clear the area of any remaining debris, clean it out, allow it to dry, and sand down the affected area for a smoother application later on. Is your boat an ocean vessel that is going to be put under a lot of stress. Since these cracks often form from small impacts or minor flexing, they can appear just about anywhere on your boat. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. The most horrifying hole in a fiberglass hull is quickly healed with a bit of glass fabric, a supply of resin, and equal parts skill and care. In this short video i take a minute to fix up an old bad repair. In most cases this is true, however it is important to seal them correctly otherwise water may penetrate into the fiberglass. It is simply impossible to recreate the structural strength. To patch the hole, buy a quartsize polyester resin fiberglass repair kit at a marine store. Cracks appear in fiberglass boat hulls in areas of abnormally high flexing. I would try to repair it from the inside and try to leave the exterior finish in tact. Hairline cracks, stress cracks or spider cracks star cracks that occur in gelcoat surfaces on fiberglass boats or other water craft are often seen as a cosmetic issue. Most of us know that fiberglass has a very limited ability to bend instead it cracks when overstressed. Get simple directions on making this boat repair, along with a list of the materials youll need.