CONTINUOUSWAVE

[A Boston Whaler c.1990 OUTRAGE boat of unspecified length] has some really old bottom paint. I have not done anything with [the bottom paint] since the boat has been on a trailer for the last 10 years.

[The boat is now] in my driveway and is parked nose-down for the first time. Yesterday [July 16, 2018] I noticed salt in a couple of spots where the bottom paint is cracked, and I see the gel coat is cracked underneath. This morning [July 17, 2018] after a cool night, I see what looks like very slow seeping is going on.

I have read about getting used to water in Boston Whaler boats and about foam problems.

[Give me] advice on going forward.

Is [the appearance of water seeping from the hull] simply a a channel out of the gel coat cracks?

[Is the proper repair to use a product called] Marinetex and gelcoat the spots?

Or, do I need to take in [the hull] to a professional?

Do I need to start thinking about drilling holes?

The [hull] bottom feels solid with no flex.

[The boat is identified as a] 1990's era OUTRAGE.

Thanks for any advice.

You need to start by grinding that section to see how extensive the the cracking is. Make sure you use protective gear while grinding.

[T]hanks.[G]rinding it down will be the first step. [O]nce [I] have done that, [I] can post more pictures as I likely won't know what [I]'m looking at

Go easy with the grinder.

The fiberglass is thin, maybe 1/8 - 1/4" thick then foam.

[Two months later]

This type of thing happens. Sand off all of the bottom paint in those areas and look for hidden damage.

A previous owner could have just painted over a repair. Your cracks are long and need to be ground out and chamfered all the way around the edges to expose a lot of surface area for adhesion. Repair should be made with West System epoxy and [fiberglass] cloth. Cut out pieces first so you have a bunch to start laying up the pieces into the ground out section. Do a couple of layers and let it cure. Clean up with MEK or Acetone and do it again until you have enough build up to sand flat.

I imagine there has been a lot of water that has made it through those cracks over time.

The OP has not been active on the forum for two months.

I had water in the hull from several crashes from the previous owners. They were severe enough that glassing the outside would not be structurally sound. I went through the deck, removed the foam above the crashes and did the glass work. When complete the 8" hole in the deck was capped with a flush deck plate. The hull is now stronger than when it was new. I used biaxial fiberglass and a premium vinyl ester resin that is more flexible, stronger, and adheres better than the original boat resin.