Hull damage assessment help?

In trying to car top my shearwater sport, the hull fell and hit the ground (concrete) from a height of probably 18 inches (off of a kayak cart). There are some scratches on the hull now, where it made contact. I'd like some help determining or helping me know how to determine if this is just scratches in varnish, scratches into the epoxy or (ugg) fiberglass damage.
The worst part about this is that the boat took a bad tumble last year when I tried to car top it for its maiden voyage, and the damage was clearly into the fiberglass so I had spent the remainder of the summer going through the process of sanding, patching, epoxy curing, varnish curing, until the season was over. I don't have a temperature controlled space to work in, so I'm at the whims of weather. I really can't bear the thought missing another whole season because of temperatures and cure times, but I also don't want to end up risking futher damage to the boat by ignoring a critical issue.


I can't figure out how to insert a picture into the forum, so here is a link to view 1 and view 2


Any advice would be welcome.

 


4 replies:

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RE: Hull damage assessment help?

Looking at your pictures, that's nothing but normal "wear and tear."  Doesn't look like you've got possibility of water entering into glass fibers, and almost certainly not getting to wood. I try to treat my boats well and have literally dozens of similar cosmetic "use marks" on each. Every year or two, I take a day and do a bit of touch up of all the scratches and dings I have that look like yours. But if you're not wetting the wood, you can use the boat with no need to immediately address things like this.

Certainly OK to address the area now, however, and be on the water within the next day or so.  Sand VERY lightly, and no larger area than very close to the damage - don't creat a new big area needing touch up. Wipe with alcohol. Now you have options: varnish with an artists brush, only needing a coat or two; or, prior to varnish: dab with super glue, 5 minute epoxy, or your regular-build epoxy. If careful, the glue might not even need sanding. When whatever glue you use is cured, again sand the area if necessary and then dab on just a coat or two of varnish.

Bottom line though: good to take care of any damage you have that might allow things to get worse if neglected - but otherwise use the boat.  It is just a "thing" and fretting over every scratch will only detract from your enjoyment. Of course the first boat in the first year is like a first new baby - but after more boats and years come along, they get treated more like additional siblings in the family - diapers not changed quite so often, and cuts and scrapes on the second child? - let them cry it out. Or, as they saying goes when a baseball player get hurt: rub a little dirt on it.

RE: Hull damage assessment help?

   I forgot to add: The area where your boat was damaged (the "turn" of the bow and stern keel line) take more abouse than any other.  I used a product called Easy Keel (or something like that) on my first kayak builds. A tough fiber-backed vinyl strip. Worked pretty well, but now 7 years later it hardened up and shrunk and was coming loose. I had to use a heat gun, goo-gone and elbow grease to remove it. I now think it is easier to just put some x-tra tough duct tape or some of that miracle "as seen on TV, make a screen door into a boat" tape on the area to provide protection. Not beatiful, but if applied neatly, not ugly, either, and protects from the damage you had. You can cut the tape in from the edge in areas where the bend radius causes wrinkles. If you drop or scrape the boat and it goes through the tape, just peel it off and add a new piece.

RE: Hull damage assessment help?

   

Quick fix - sand and paint with unthickened epoxy, skip varnish because you'll be fixing it for real at the end of the season.

End of season fix - sand several inches back, removing varnish and just getting into the epoxy (#400 wet sand is good for this). Cut some of your leftover glass on the bias and apply it over the edge and sanded areas to reinforce the area as bubblehead suggests. Now just fill the weave and varnish like you did when building it.

Laszlo

RE: Hull damage assessment help?

 Lazlo and Bubblehead- Thank you both for these suggestions! I appreciate having both the 'now' and end of season perspectives.

 

 

 

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