Crack Repair Help

[timshwak]

Here is a picture of some damage that was sustained during a storm from what I am told hitting a pier. I am looking to buy this boat and I am just wondering if it is a relatively "easy" fix. It is not structural nor does the side of the boat show any indication of damage. I think it looks as though the top of the gunwhale also got under the pier as there are scratches going aft on top.

My thought is to stop drill at either end and clean it up then fill it in with epoxy.

Any help will be appreciated...Not sure it matters but - the boat is a 23' walk around.

[the1much]

did it hit the pier from under the pier or from side?, it doesnt look like your rub rail is damaged, if it looks as easy in real as the pic, that should be an easy job to fix, should cost ya less then 1 thousand to get a shop to do it, so means you should be able to do it under 400 heh

[timshwak]

Thanks for the post. I am not sure, it looks like it got under the pier. The other side got hit in a similar way but no crack in the glass. It just has some spiderweb cracks in the gel coat. I think I can fix the crack, I am more concerned about matching the color in the gel coat. They said they got caught in a storm and were rushing to get the boat on the trailer and it hit the pier. Who knows, I just want to get it fixed and get the booger off of the side of the boat.

[alan white]

Access to the inside will make the difference. If you have no easy access, it has to be fixed from outside. My first inclination (I'm a cheater) if it were my boat, would be to ask myself what nice nautical item would fit over the crack.
I would even consider (after epoxying the crack) a custom sea serpent in 16 gauge stainless. Might take some work with a high speed cutter and some grinding bits, but ooh the girls will love it. And nobody will ever know. You should see the solid silver dolphin on one customers dash where I drilled too deep from behind. He is ecstatic. I shrug... hey, i wanted to do something special for you. I love you, man.
Once I told a customer my table saw had thrown a cabinet door at me and scarred the back of the panel--- hence the lovely key rack inside. she couldn't sleep for days, and finally called me and moaned that she really felt like her cabinets were abnormal. The whole fiasco cost me hundreds in the end.
Word to the wise: Never tell.
Alan

[the1much]

well that should be an easy easy fix, and if you call the manufacturer with your vin # they should be able to give you the paint code, or for an extra 100 bucks most places boat shops can have the gel matched, but if for some reason ya cant theres alot of gel-coat repair kits that have dye in them so you can do it yourself. the trick is mix a little, then put a little drop of it,(without mekp in it) on the boat, is easier seeing how close you are to a match. and one more thing, you should check the other side, just cause you cant see cracks dont mean the glass isnt damaged, push down hard all around the area and listen for weakness, id even go under and check real close.

[timshwak]

Thanks guys, I had thought about figuring out how to do a name / logo in that spot as a back up plan. I am going to get a quote or two and see what I can come up with for a price. If it is too much, I haven't done any fiberglass work before, but I know some folks who have. For the price of a 12 pack, I could probably muddle my way thru it. Besides, character is good for a boat to have isn't it?

[alan white]

Character? Long as the boat doesn't turn into Yosemite Sam. You can also get colored 3M tape in any width for some striping scheme. It's really not that hard to fix, except if you have to pay for the work. I'm somewhat of a damage control person. Half of all profit is damage control. I bet the AMC Gremlin looked like it did because a lot of things went wrong with the body panel presses and so they just kept modifying and adding stripes. If Yosemite Sam was a car, he would be an AMC Gremlin.

[the1much]

alan will probably tell ya the same,,98% made in maine have "character" hehe
its also a waY to tell your boat in a picture versus one made on sum crappy production line,,you'll be able to call yours "custom" now heh