Major Damage!

jr438234606 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Getting a bottom job. When they hauled the boat, we noticed a new crack about 6" long just in front of the keel where the keel meets the hull. I thought perhaps it was delamination, just cosmetic. The yard says it was caused by the keel/hull flexing away from each other and that it is structural. They say I am looking at a $2000 glass repair.

I have a modified full keel. The crack runs about 6" fore-to-aft just in front of the keel where it joins the hull. It's a 44', 27,000Lb vessel with GRP hull.

I'll post photos later.

Comments? Advice?

sailingdog · #2 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Ouch... I'd get a surveyor in to look at the issue. THe yard is going to have a vested interest in saying it needs to be repaired, since they are in the repair business. A good surveyor can also tell you what else may need to be looked at, and possibly what could have caused it, and what can be done to remedy it.

camaraderie · #3 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

JR...the yard could very well be right. Have they ground down through the gelcoat and does the crack extend THROUGH (not TO) the woven roving? Are you seeing any water ingress into the boat or can you see the crack from under your floorboards? I agree with the need for a surveyor to take a look as whatever has caused this may need to be attended to before a fix in the glass is made. On the other hand...this may just be some gel-coat flex cracking in which case it should not be a big deal at all. You need a pro to look at it.

jr438234606 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Thanks for the replies guys. I cannot see the crack from inside. There is no water ingress. My first impression was that it's just, as you said, a surface crack and not one that goes deep. We had a rather rough soft-grounding last year and the boat was repeatedly lifted and dropped onto the keel before we could get out of it.

The yard has not dug into the crack yet, but they seem confident that it's a big deal. This sound odd to me, hence my post. They are a reputable yard. I'll ask them to do this before I hire a surveyor.

sailingdog · #5 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Given that you had a soft grounding and the boat was lifted and dropped on its keel repeatedly, it is very likely that something broke back then. I would still rather have a surveyor look at it, and examine the keel-hull connection structures particularly closely, as that may have been cracked by the repeated groundings, and while it may not be leaking yet, it could mean that you could lose the keel later... that would be bad.

Giulietta · #6 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Guy...altough it may seem big and scary...without opening, seeing and confirming, its all speculation...

Those areas are pretty well reinforced (unless your boat is a Bavaria), so chances are its superficial.

So please...open, see smell...then worry, if you have to.

Send a photo, I like watching stuff.

Sailormon6 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Tell the surveyor that you don't need a full survey. You just need his opinion regarding the repair of a hull crack. He'll probably give you a break on his fee.

cardiacpaul · #8 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

"So please...open, see smell...then worry, if you have to."

Very sage advise.

its a 44 ft boat, and they're telling you 2000.00 to fix it? bubba, that ain't much moollllaaaaa at all, considering.

jr438234606 · #9 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

Agreed, $2K to haul the boat and repair the crack would be expected. The problem I have is that I am already paying $2500 for a bottom job, and the crack was discovered in the course of doing the bottom job. The yard wants an ADDITIONAL $2K just to fix the crack. If it is superficial, I would think that would be a lot of extra dough to grind it, fill it, and fair it. They are already fixing other blemishes in the bottom (blisters and scratches) as part of the price of the bottom job. To me, this just seems like another blemish that needs fixing.

I just scooted over there and inspected it closely and took a ton of pictures. I'll upload them later today. It seems to me that if the keel was flexing and in jeopardy of falling off, there would be other stress cracks around the perimeter of the keel/hull joint. There are not. I'm starting to wonder if the crack is simply the failure/delamination of a previous repair job from where the boat possibly hit something at that spot.

sailingdog · #10 (**permalink**) 04-24-2007

It is better to find out if the hull/keel join is in good shape or not now, while the boat is on the hard, than on the water, the hard way.