A Naked Whaler

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
GeorgeUtah
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 10:02 am

A Naked Whaler

Postby GeorgeUtah » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:36 pm

Found a "sweet" deal on a rental 2006 Ventura 18. Several years of fiberglass repairs, and I am sure there were few rocks in Lake Powell that it did not collide with, and I am near finishing the structural repairs. Worse, these repairs directed by the rental company were awful. Lots of filler putty in serious crashes and a little gel coat. Grinding into the hull and cutting through the floor exposed the so-called closed cell foam that Boston Whaler promotes. In every area repaired below the waterline there was water saturated urethane foam, maybe up to an inch thick. It is not closed cell but does absorb water, seriously. I was also disappointed the hull along the bow was not reinforced with anything but chopped glass material and resin. Below the waterline I discovered biaxial cloth and chopper gun glass.

Throughout the repairs I have used a non-water-absorbing vinyl ester resin from Ashland Chemical called Derakane 8084. It has unique properties for adhering to aged and old fiberglass laminates as well as being very flexible compared to boat resin.

The photos attached illustrate the lack of any woven reinforcement in the bow of the boat and maybe you can see a wet layer in the foam below the gas tank.

Hope to get the Whaler on the water this summer!
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