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Banged up my hull! Foam exposed
Schmams	#1  Posted on 05/11/16 - 9:10 AM
Member Posts: 2 Comments: 0 Joined: 06/04/13	Bad news. I was at the cottage last weekend and noticed a chunk ( size of a 25 cent piece) of fibreglass chipped out of the hull (where starboard side meets transom at waterline). I can see the blue foam insulation. My question is - do I get the boat out of the water asap to get this fixed and if so, what's the general procedure to fix this properly. Otherwise, the hull on my 1999 Montauk is perfect. Sad day..... Any advice would be greatly appreciate. thank-you JC
WE Whaler	#2  Posted on 05/11/16 - 9:22 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 26 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/24/12	Yes, get the boat out of the water ASAP so the foam does not absorb any more water. What comes next is drying the foam and then once the foam is dry, patching the fiberglass.
Phil T	#3  Posted on 05/11/16 - 1:45 PM
Administrator Personal Page Personal Album Project Albums Posts: 6988 Comments: 6 Joined: 03/26/05	Use some Marine Tex to repair it and once cured get back on the water.
flippa	#4  Posted on 05/11/16 - 7:54 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 147 Comments: 2 Joined: 12/13/05	Phil T wrote: Use some Marine Tex to repair it and once cured get back on the water. I agree!
porthole2	#5  Posted on 05/11/16 - 8:53 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 72 Comments: 1 Joined: 10/28/05	If you can see foam, marine tex is not the answer. That is an epoxy and fiberglass repair Thanks, Duane
Perichbrothers	#6  Posted on 05/11/16 - 9:52 PM
Member Posts: 141 Comments: 0 Joined: 09/10/15	If he's seeing blue I think that's just a gelcoat chip, as the fiberglass behind it has a blue tint not the foam, which is most likely a yellow color. Still should be coated, but may not be as catastrophic... unless it's a ding which has actually broken the fiberglass. TP
jgortva	#7  Posted on 05/12/16 - 5:55 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 227 Comments: 1 Joined: 11/12/09	I have done this type of repair multiple times below and above the waterline with marine tex. What works really well is to take some good blue 2 inch masking tape and mask the area with 3 layers of tape exposing only the, "chip". Mix and spread the marine tex and let dry overnight. Now get a block with some sand paper starting with 80 or 90 grit and sand the area until you start to sand thru the first layer of blue tape. Then switch to 120 grit and sand thru another layer of tape. Finally, use 180, 220, and then wet sanding 330 grit to almost thru the last layer of tape. What you end up with is a nice localized repair without sanding scratches or marine tex on the surrounding gel coat. I am really fastidious so I go one step further wet sanding up to 800 grit and then buffing the area with a Makita high speed buffer and some good 3m compound. If you go this far you will not be able to see the repair from 2 foot or further away. You might notice just a slight color variation in certain lights but no real evidence of the damage. Edited by jgortva on 05/13/16 - 5:48 AM