Structural Repair of Fiberglass Hull

[Randytea]

I recently came across a 1999 48' Ocean Super Sport that had been struck in the transom by another boat. Apparently the force of collision was substantial: the transom is cracked and completely delaminated from the bottom of the transom door to the trailing edge of the hull. Also the transom has sheared from the starboard side down to the cockpit sole. Finally, the flybridge and everything else above the hardtop was sheared completely off. A few pictures are attached.

My question is can this boat be repaired or is it being sold to salvage the engines, etc? I have seen boats cut near the transom and extended a few feet, so I guess it is possible. However the way the core material is splintered it strikes me that any repair in this area would be prone to stress cracks and eventual failure.

In the aerospace industry we could repair a substantial delamination using custom windings of carbon fibre, but the component would not be airworthy. Is it possible for this boat to be repaired and made seaworthy?

The boat was recently sold for ~$170k which is approximately 1/3 the value of its value prior to the incident. More details can be found here: http://www.usauctions.com/BoatPictures.aspx?BoatID=5146

[Corpus Skipper]

Any fiberglass boat, cored or not, is repairable. The question is often whether it is economically worth while to make the repairs. From the sound of it, I think this Ocean was definitely repairable, so long as the engines, other systems are in good order. Cores are usually easily repairable by cutting the skin open, cutting out and replacing the damaged core, then rebuilding the skin. The repair is as strong or stronger than the original laminate if done properly.

[PAR]

This boat was sold at 1/3 of her value BEFORE she was hit by a shrimp boat.

Everything appears fine, but the stern damage, flybridge equipment, rails and other assorted gear.

You have to ask yourself, why hasn't a salvage company picked her up, removed the good pieces and dragged the hulk to the land fill?

Who's selling the boat? The owner, bank, insurance company or marina? Find out who and why.

Place a bid that is clearly very low for the boat and see how lucky you get.

It's very hard to sell a boat like this one, so you'll be bidding against other hopeful would be owners and restorers. They want a deal, you want a deal.

Everybody knows it's hard to sell a yacht in this size range, let alone one that doesn't float without tens of thousands of dollars in additional effort.

If you have a good bit of experience repairing or restoring large power craft then this is the boat for you. Get the survey done and make a bid.

If you experience is less then suggested, maybe you should think about another boat.

Things to think about.

[Randytea]

I am not really looking to buy a boat of this size. The storage and fuel expense is too high relative to the number of times I would use it.

The boat did sell for $180k. The interior is in almost new condition. However with the fly bridge went all of the electronics, engine management system and controls. I looked up similar boats in the 98-02 model years of the same size, engine and operating hours and they averaged $320-375k asking price. So it seems to me that the boat went at an unusually high price. I am not in the business, however, and I do lack the knowledge listed above. I ask out of curiosity:

How is the fiberglass repair done? What is the price range of a professional repair?

Will this boat be forever labeled a salvage, making it even more difficult to sell?

Is a boat of this size really that difficult to sell? I see huge number of these boats advertised with price tags of $300k on up. One would think that at these price levels a buyer would have a very stringent set of requirements. Are these asking prices realistic or just a starting point for negotiation? what is a realistic price?

[PAR]

The label "Salvage" wasn't seen on the sellers info and must be available if it was. It's likely it wasn't declared as such and was a damaged boat for sale.

There are many companies, mine included, that routinely look for these "deals" in an effort to make a buck. I have to admit, living here in Florida, I get kind of excited when hurricane season springs into gear. I know that's a terrible thing to hope for, but you can't imagine the deals a marina, owner, bank or insurance company will make to get a broken 40' yacht out of someone's backyard.

I once bought a sweet big Grady, but had to have it moved from in from of the shopping center's front door, before they were done putting in windows and roofing. I poured several thousand into her and sold well below her market value.

I turned down a very good deal on a 98' schooner (wish I hadn't now) that was lifted over her docking piles, then dropped down (storm surge), holing her in the four locations the yacht was tied to. It was free to the person(s) who could float her and lift her off the piles. The company that got it, cut and replaced the piles, tacked plywood over the damaged areas and floated her away. It currently is working the upper Caribbean for a living.

How it's done? There are many books available on the subject, but basically, the damage is cut away and replaced with a layup of new material. A new and costly boat, may have repair pieces available (whole aft decks, fly bridges, etc.)

Pricing? Well it's like you car, some places charge $60 per man hour, some much higher, the selection is based on faith, just like the guy you trust to fix your car and the experiences you have with him provide you with the faith to bring it back for additional work if the need (doesn't it always) arises.

[Randytea]

PAR,
Thanks for the response, it was very helpful. My curiosity has been peaked.

I work in the aerospace industry on composites. We are currently working on a carbon fibre-Al-CuNi sandwich technology that would yield an extremely strong lightweight panel that can be twisted like a pretzle and is corrosion resistant without any coatings. If this type of technology was used on a boat the hull would be 1/8" thick with the strength of 1/2" steel plate. Weight is less than 1/8"Al plate. If struck the lamination will stretch and then rebound (kind of like the plastic panels found on certain cars). Of course price is the issue, except for the govt.

In my line of work any structural crack like the ones on that boat means the entire part must be scrapped. It is simply impossible to recreate the structural strength. Individual fibres are wound around a mold and laced in a very specific order to focus stresses on specific bearing members. I guess the use of pre woven fiberglass eliminates that issue in marine construction.

Do you recommend any books on repairing boats?

[PAR]

In high end yachts this isn't far from what you've described. Money isn't an object, just a hurtle that must be cleared . . .

[Tall Timber]

The fiberglass repair is the easy part. Getting the topside, brite work and wiring renewed will be more involved. I am curious if the flybridge was sheared off or taken off to use elsewhere.

[Tall Timber]

Oh and http://boatdesign.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-4616