Crack in hull below waterline

[2Sheets2Wind]

Subject: 1966 Paceship Mouette 19' length

Purchased a week ago for getting back into sailing after 30 year hiatus. Low investment cost. Second time we took it sailing when landing back on trailer and pulling it on we heard a loud pop.



Main crack is about 10 inches long with approximate 3 inch branch crack.

Do to incredibly full plate of a big household project I was wondering about doing just an exterior repair to the crack. Getting down to the fiberglass; that is through the paint and gelcoat for about 6 or 7 inches all around the crack. Then applying 3 or 4 layers of fiberglass to repair.

Do you think it would make it through one (1) sailing season? Hopefully after the next season we will be finished with this terrible household project and then I can really do a proper repair job. Where I remove some flooring in the cuddy act like a contortionist and repair from the interior.

We will be sailing on Lake Monroe in Indiana which is about an 11,000 acre lake.

Have a Great Day,
Jim

[scottyt]

you might be able to get the season out of a surface repair. but if it hits the trailer on that spot i would not trust it.

it would not take much longer to do a proper repair from the outside, then add more on the inside at a latter date. you could fix that right on the out side in one long day, including grinding, and glassing. vrs 5 or 6 hours to do a temp surface repair. do it right or dont do it and wait till you can. cost to fix it would be under a 100 bucks either way.

go to youtube and search on west systems repair they will show you how to do it

[jrd22]

Short answer- probably.
I'd be more concerned with WHY it cracked? Is it delamination, bulkhead failure, etc. I would get someone knowledgeable in the local area to look at it if you don't know why it cracked where it did (hard to tell much from the picture).

[MedSailor]

I cracked a garboard in my wooden boat in a storm. I applied underwater epoxy and it lasted for 5 years including lesser storms.

I used the marine-tex brand (I think) that comes in a putty stick. There were several that would cure underwater but this was the only one that I could apply upside down with the boat in the water. You may be able to use more products as you can apply the product on the trailer and let it cure before putting it in the water.

I can only speak directly to the epoxy stick though. Felt like I was putting chewing gum in the crack and it worked great. Apply it to the outside. I tried several times repairing it from the inside and water always found a way in.

Good luck!

MedSailor

[merc2dogs]

It looks like it could be done from one side if you're able to get inside to push it straight, or are able to pull it straight from outside.

There are many articles available online about repairing fiberglass. Most recommended 'attack' is to sand/grind a 12:1 bevel in the fiberglass to provide enough surface area for a solid bond.

I normally tackle it from both sides because it results in a smaller patch that is easier to fair, and takes less material

From the pic, it looks as though you can easily reach the area, so I would estimate a couple days would have a patch ready for paint, so no reason to do a makeshift patch.

Sand the paint off around it so you can see exactly where the crack ends. What I've found helps to return everything to alignment is to run a saws-all blade through the crack to get rid of flakes and ragged edges so it each side doesn't hang up on the other.

What caused the problem? did it hit the trailer or bunk wrong?

Ken.

[JimsCAL]

Go to Epoxy by the Leading Epoxy Manufacturer | WEST SYSTEM Epoxy and download the booklet on fiberglass boat repair. Lots of great info.