sunk and ground up from stem to stern

[cal]

i was working on a little searayder jetboat all summer that just wouldn't go. i did the carbs, stator, electrics...and, finally it worked. it screamed. yippee.

on the first run, i wanted to go show it to a friend. but as i stepped off the dock at his house, i slipped and almost ripped my big toe off! i tied up the boat and went to get treatment. by the time i got back the wind had shifted, broke the boat loose, sunk it in shallow water, banging it against the rocks, and badly damaged the hull.

i really really wanted to get a bottle of scotch and watch it dissappear, but i put a bag on my foot, got in the water and started bailing as the wind still howled. finally my friend came home and we towed it (a perilous story) to a ramp where i hand cranked the water out of the motor, oiled it, and ran it for a while thereby saving the motor.

it has a rip in the keel 1" wide from the bow all the way down to where the jet pump is, and there it is split into a "v" shape.

should i ?
1)pay more than what the boat is worth to have it fixed,
2)read up on it and try to fix the fiberglass myself,
3)shop for a similar boat that needs a good motor, or
4) go back to the bottle of scotch

thank you for reading.

[marshmat]

Wow, quite the story, Cal.
I don't recall the Searayder being renowned for build quality.... does this rip go right through the hull, ie. is it completely torn apart, or is it just through the outer few layers of fibreglass? (If there is any glass in that hull, of course...)
Some photos would help us assess the damage, you can post them right in this thread.

[cal]

that is good advice and the first thing to do. i will go get some pictures and post them here. it will take a couple of days because i am not at the boat now. thank you for your help.

[safewalrus]

Note 4 sounds good! Somebody up there is trying to tell you something mate. There are times mate when despite all that work you have to cut and run!

Go get that whiskey buddy!:rolleyes:

[Martin B]

I repaired a Raider last year. The guy ran over a shore station at full speed and ripped a large section off of the back corner. The glass is very thin because they use foam for strength. It makes the repairs a little harder but it's not that big a deal. This job was 20 hours if that helps you any. I guess you can't see it that well in the picutre but there was a section about 6" x 16" missing on the bottom. The stuff up front was just impact damage.

You can see picutres here http://www.bowkersfiberglass.com/class_cos.htm

[Richard Hillsid]

OMEN, was this on a friday?
Preking your tow probably saved your life, imagine what could have hapened you charging of with the boat and it spliting apart full speed under way.

[Tim B]

Why not remove the useful bits (engine, eletrics etc. and re-build the hull from scratch?

If the boat wasn't well-built for starters then I'm not sure if repairing it would get you very far.

Tim B.

[cal]

here are some pictures of the damage. i welcome your comments. thank you.

[longliner45]

how much money you got in this thing? and is it worth putting your time and effort into ..now I could see if it was a classic sailboat ,,,,,,but I think its just not worth the money,,,,,,but remember opinions are like *******s,,,everyones got one,,,longliner

[Tim B]

That would be a lot of work. Possible, but very expensive/time consuming.

I think you'd be best stripping it and getting rid of the hull. Perhaps then build a new hull.

Tim B.

[longliner45]

marine plywood?

[Martin B]

What is the motor and hardware going to cost that you would be removing? I would probably be interested in purchasing this boat for that cost and save you the time involved in removing stripping all of the hardware.


www.bowkersfiberglass.com

[longliner45]

the more I think about it ,,why not replace with plywood? it will look good and be twice as strong ,,longliner,,,,at a fraction of cost

[cal]

thank you members for your input. martin, you do really nice work, i enjoyed your link. i am in the lake erie islands, how would i get the boat to you? longliner, please do go on. do you mean cut the damage out and build up stuctural support, then a few coats of fiberglass? i have never performed such an operation, but what would be involved?

[Martin B]

Oh I just saw your location was in Ohio. I do offer boat transportation in the winter for winter work.

[longliner45]

I was thinking more along the lines of removeing all the glass hull and using marine ply but you may have to put ribs in or some form of support ,,and then again you may alreaddy have some structure in place,,I will remind you I am not a designer,,,just taking forever to build my own boat ,,,good luck,longliner

[Tim B]

You could use plywood to re-inforce the GRP repairs, but you'd end up with hard-spots and all sorts of nasty things. Generally thick cardboard is all that's needed to back up the layup while you build it up. Finishing it would be difficult, though and there is very extensive damage. I wouldn't like to try to repair it.

When I suggested stripping and re-building it, I was thinking you could do it all from plywood, and completely re-build the hull, then re-install the bits. This also gives you the oppertunity to change the hull, interior, or helm if there is anything you don't like about it.

Cheers,

Tim B.

[cal]

thanks tim and longliner. i guess this is a beginners question,,,are hard spots to be avoided because you need the hull to give and take and hard means it will be brittle and crack?

[Tim B]

yes, that's exactly right

Tim B.

[longliner45]

it will sure take alott to crack plywood...longliner

[Tim B]

The cracks start in the GRP at the end of the plywood. If the ply is thin enough, you can use filler and a few layers of thin GRP over the ply.It's far better to use cardboard to lay up against, as that adds very little strength, and therefore does not produce any particular stress concentrations. The card you get on the back of pads of paper is great for that. For a repair this size, though, you might find you need more strength than a secondary bonded laminate of the same thickness will give you. a bit of ply behind the repair might be well worth the expense.

Cheers,

Tim B.

[cal]

i don't have the wherewithal or the experience to build another hull so i will search for a similar model with hopefully everything wrong with it except the mechanics and buy it then switch it out.

since i have nothing to lose on this boat boat's hull, do you think my chances would be fair to start the repair myself? what would I do, cut out the bad parts and then build a cardboard mold and start building up the fiberglass in a wide feather? if you could guide a novice such as me with advice I would be vary appreciative. I just want to make it float again. it might not rent again, but it could free up another boat if i can get it going even if it looks like frankentstein when i'm done.

[Martin B]

Because these hulls are so thin they are very difficult to repair when they are badly damaged. If you want to try to fix it yourself your going to have to gain access from the inside so you can put on plenty of fiberglass to strenthen the area. I think you would need experience to make these repairs outside and have them hold up long term.


www.bowkersfiberglass.com

[cal]

ok thank you martin. i looked at the boat and access from the inside is pretty tough. would it be ok to cut some of the flooring out (it goes back under carpet when i'm done) or maybe underneath the control console? i just need enough room to sand the inside bottom and be able to lay some fiberglass, roght? thanks.

[Martin B]

Yes I have cut the floor out of inner liners lots of times. It's a lot easier if you can cut it out in one piece so take some time to make certain you are cutting the right area. Sometimes you can actually add a ski locker in the area that you cut out depending on how the boat was built. Good luck and make sure to glass at least 6" all the way around the damage.



www.bowkersfiberglass.com

[Tim B]

A wire brush on a drill is invaluable for fibreglass. It stops the GRP taking the grit off your sandpaper every 30 seconds. When you do it, make sure that all the GRP you're going to lay up on is all really clean.

Good Luck,

Tim B.

[cal]

thanks you guys. it's on the list of repairs right after a jet pump and a motor switch. not impossible but i do see roughly how much work it will be and it gives me hope that thing will float again. thank you for the help and i will dig this thread out when i get that thing in the shop. thank you again.

[Dan W]

Just learned the engine in my 93 searayder sportjet 90 needs a new crank. Very expensive rebuild - more than the boat is worth it would appear. Seems a shame to throw away such a nice hull. Maybe we should talk.

[cal]

i just bought one in florida for 400. i will switch it out soon. thank you though. i am so glad i didnt have to try and repair that hull.