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Hull Repair Help Needed!


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Last summer I struck a rock. It ruined my 4 blade stainless prop and put a scrape on the tip of the rudder. I replaced the prop with a spare and it ran smootly as it did prior to the accident. The boat seemed to take on some water when it was moving but not so much when it was sitting, so I wasn't overly concerned. I recently put the boat in the garage, so that I could install my underwater lights. I examined the area around the rudder and discovered cracks in the gelcoat in the hull where the rudder bolts through it. I removed the rudder and mount to get a better look. It has caused the area where the mounts to separate from the hull enough that I can get a putty knife in on 3 sides and the fourth side is cracked but not separated. From the inside of the hull, there doesn't seem to be any crack. There are 2 cracks in the gelcoat as well, one on the bottom and one on the transom. I have attached some photos of the damage. Any suggestions on the best way to repair it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

Gary

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post-8764-0-48878000-1331509948_thumb.jp

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That is some serious delamination. Do you know how far forward it goes? You can use a tap test to find out, a quarter tapped against the hull will tell you if there is delamination or not. You will need to map out the delaminated area before considering any repair. My aviation training says any and all damaged composit structure must be removed prior to starting any repair. With that much damage it puts quite a damper on things. On the plus side it is repairable but you may want to consider talking to your dealer or finding a fiberglass repair shop that can do the job.

You may need to call the insurance company for this one.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

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That is some serious delamination. Do you know how far forward it goes? You can use a tap test to find out, a quarter tapped against the hull will tell you if there is delamination or not. You will need to map out the delaminated area before considering any repair. My aviation training says any and all damaged composit structure must be removed prior to starting any repair. With that much damage it puts quite a damper on things. On the plus side it is repairable but you may want to consider talking to your dealer or finding a fiberglass repair shop that can do the job.

You may need to call the insurance company for this one.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Tap test hmmm......thanks REW I learned something tonight!

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Tap test hmmm......thanks REW I learned something tonight!

Boeing uses a water jet and high tech sensors and computers to do the same thing on aircraft parts.

The delaminated areas will sound real dead. Alwas start on a known good area.

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considered touching base w your insurance?

many marine insurance policies can help w grounding.

not sure delamination would be considered a result of grounding.

edited for grammar

Edited by tvano
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considered touching base w your insurance?

many marine insurance policies can help w grounding.

not sure delamination would be considered a result of grounding.

edited for grammar

It appears that his delamination was caused by the flexing of the structure around the rudder penetration due to applied torque at the penetration point. :crazy:

At least that is how I see it. :cry:

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Wouldn't striking a rock with the rudder force the rudder up? I would tend to believe that a sudden/sharp impact like that would tend to delaminate fiberglass... or is it just me?

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I was only going about 10mph with 2 people in the back seat, so the back of the boat was way down and it just got the very tip of the rudder and forced it upwards. I do have insurance on the boat with a $500. deductible. I have already replaced my prop and the mark in the rudder can be filed out. If I can fix it reasonably without putting it through my insurance taht is probably what I'll do. Keep suggestions and opinions coming.

Thanks

Gary

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considered touching base w your insurance?

many marine insurance policies can help w grounding.

not sure delamination would be considered a result of grounding.

allow me to rephrase: be prepared for the insurance company to insist that delamination was not the result of grounding.

i didn't mean to imply that delam could not result from grounding. my bad.

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This picture shows the inside of the hull and there does't appear to be any damage looking at it from this angle. Does the boat have an inner liner with a space between the 2 layers? If so, how much space between them? Let me know.

Thanks

Gary

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Check the inside of the bore. The edges should be somewhat smooth (not really) and appear as if they are all pressed together tightly. Also do your tap test inside the boat as well, map and mark any places that sound dead when you tap on them. You need to know the extent of the damage before going further. The beauty of fiberglass is that it is flexable, Do the tap tests both inside and out and make the areas that sound dead on both sides. Lets see what the damage looks like. You may still get lucky and just have to do a gel repair.

To answer your direct question no there is not a double hull on these boats.

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The hole is very clean where the rudder goes up through. I will get a chance to do a tap test on the bottom over the weekend and I'll post what I find.

Thanks

Gary

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I did the tap test and didn't find any dead areas on the bottom or inside the hull. Here is what I am thinking about how to repair the cracks in the gel where the rudder bracket bolts up through the hull. I would take a die grinder and clean up the cracked ends all the way around mounting area. Then fill the area around inside with marine 2 part waterproof epoxy. I will then clamp it down untill the epoxy hardens. When I install the rudder mount, I will use 3M 4200 sealant between the hull and mount and around the hole up through the hull. Then bolt it securely in place. Final step will be to put another bead of sealant around the edge of the rudder mount. I think this should work but I welcome your opinions.

Thanks

Gary

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This is difficult without actually seeing and hearing what you are. You have some cracks on the transom (probably just jell coat) that will need to be reapaired. Not real difficult at all but should be done while you are putting your boat back together. You will need to take care of the area where you have the putty knife incerted. Your best bet will be to remove that area of gel and recoat, You dont want to let water get in there. If the area is as small as I am lead to believe the repair will not be that hard and will be better than trying to seal it off. Some one else just did this. http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?/topic/36061-keel-repair-advice/page__p__511007__hl__%2Bhull+%2Brepair__fromsearch__1#entry511007

Take the time to do the gel It will be a better repair, and you will have piece of mind that it is done right.

I like the idea of sealent on the rudder mount outside and covering the through holes.

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Hydrogasm, the only input that I can give is for the gel. Applying the gel is really easy to do, and if you go with the Spectrum gel that matches you boat year and model, color matching is not a problem (maybe only a shade or two off but not noticeable). The post REW referred to was mine, and believe it or not, mine actually turned out pretty good being that I have never done this before! Mine was actually on the keel, so I did not have all the extra stuff to worry about like you do. I did learn a few things though, gel cote is porous, so you will need some kind of sealant in there to stop the water from leaking, being I did not have this problem, I can not give any advice in that area, but I think you are on the right track. The scratches look so small in the pics that they should be no problems to reapply the gel to cover them.

You should be able to get by on the smallest container they sell for the Spectrum, probably the 2 part repair kit if what I am seeing in the pics is all you have to do.

Good luck!

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martinarcher

Totally agree with these guys. Gel the area after taking any loose gel off and "V"ing out the existing cracks to allow the new gel to bond to what's there. I've done gel work on both Bu's I've owned, one that was bumped by a patrol boat when we were pulled over, and on the existing one I filled in the holes where the speedo pitots used to be. Both were with Spectrum color matched gel and both turned out great. It's an easy job and your repair being on the bottom, it's even less critical to get a perfect gel match.

Just remember, if there is damage below the gel be sure to fill it with fiberglass or something that will restore the structural integrity of the damaged area after removing the damaged/delaminated fiberglass.

Here's a two part video series on youtube that gives a very brief, but decent example of a non-structural repair with gel....

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My boat is done with the SkyFly colours, blue in the bow, white in the middle and red in the stern. Where can I get color matched gel-coat? Or can Malibu supply a paint code, so that I can have gel mixed to match? Let me know.

Thanks

Gary

Edited by Hydrogasm
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I ordered mine from West Marine. Color matched is made by Spectrum. Match by Make/year model and look at the listed colors to find the red. If there is more than one red, you may have to contact Malibu to get the exact one OR call Spectrum, give them your Hull ID # and they can tell you.

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Thanks for all the tips so far. I am going to start the repair this weekend and check out getting a gelcoat repair kit from iBoats. I will keep you posted on my progress, Gary.

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This happened to my boat last year. It was the worst/best thing that happened to me. It happened 2 weeks before Labor Day weekend. 8000.00 in damage!!!!!!!! Call your insurance company. Most insurance companies cover under water damage.

The worst thing was that I broke my boat. The best thing was I bought a new one.

This is not a DIY project, bring it to a professional.

Just for the record I cracked the bell housing on the transmission as well as damaged the fiberglass.

Edited by gSm
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  • 2 weeks later...

Is there another source for Malibu Gel-coat repair kits?? I went to the link for iBoats and wanted to order 2 red and 1 white kit and the shipping was $56. and the kits were only $20.53each. The price of the kit was great but that seems high for postage. Any suggestions.

Thanks

Gary

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I haven't found another place to get Spectrum brand kits. Also, you may want to check that kit to see the shelf life. I ordered the quart and it only has a 6 month shelf life. You may only want to order enough to do the repair.

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