Unfortunate hull damage

[brk-lnt]

Originally Posted by lakevet

Went out for an afternoon cruise today from raouls cove. Just as I was getting to the channel MP came blasting thru with sirens going. Full speed. Whatever it was..it was serious.
I veered away from channel and ran hull along some rock. Ugghhh.
Prop fine but decent amount of gel coat scraped along keel with a couple of small areas of exposed fiberglass.
Question: how soon does that need to be repaired. Can it wait 2 weeks (or more)?
Thanks

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Post some pics. Also what is the boat/value involved?

Fix could range from a $300 DIY job, up to several thousands of dollars, depending on how severe the damage is, and how much it is worthwhile to try and maintain resale value.

The urgency of a fix would also depend on if the fiberglass was laid up using a vinyl ester resin or a poly ester resin (poly is cheaper and more likely to allow water intrusion). Better brands or boats built for harder use would tend to be vinyl ester.

[Cal Coon]

Marine Tex is good stuff, I have used it before, however, I just went through the decision process of what to get for a "large" repair. The only difference between what you described for damage, and mine is that my boat was taking on water...fast!! I had a good 6" long gash in the hull right in the middle of the boat. It is an older boat, but has high sentimental value, and I was really bummed out that the boat was junk because it just wasn't worth putting the money into with a professional repair. I went on line to look at different options for fiberglass repairs, and my research narrowed it down to Marine Tex, or 3m Marine high strength repair filler. The only reason I went with the 3m filler is because it has fiberglass in it as well, and I just thought it would "bond" better, fiberglass to fiberglass. It has been about a month now, and I have been out on the boat 3 or 4 times, and I can't speak highly enough about this stuff!! It's hard as steel, I mean rock solid, and haven't had a drop of water come in, and seems to be good as new!! The patch is right on a chime that goes over one of the roller's of the trailer when the boat is launched, and retrieved, and it is holding up just fine. It dries a greenish color and really stuck out on a white hull, so I got a can of white flex seal and sprayed about 5 coats of it on the patch and it matched great!! I feel very good about it being a permanent repair, but will be keeping a close eye on it... I would definitely recommend for a temporary fix for a 3 year old boat, but I would consider getting your's fixed professionally for a boat only 3yrs old, that's up to you... BTW, this 3m stuff cures in about an hour!!