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Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 3:26 pm
by IslingtonWhaler
I recently acquired a damaged 13-footer that was hit in the starboard stern quarter. This boat was owned by a friend, his niece was driving, and she didn't see a fishing boat coming at her. She's lucky to be alive.

The 13-footer suffered major damage, but I do think it's repairable.

[What are your] thoughts [about the damage?]

[Can a repair be made?]

I want to do [the repair] right. I've read the section on using polyester resin and cloth for repairs on both sides, as the factory recommends. I also looking into expandable foam (2-part pourable) for boats.

Below are three [URLs to images] so [the damage can be seen].

https://i.imgur.com/TouqDIw.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1CIr1Jd.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/xfacIKn.jpg

Re: Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:20 pm
by Phil T
You will need to cut out the broken portion, build a wooden form for the missing bit, grind the the fiberglass back and rebuilt both sides and the gunwale cap. Once done, pour 4lb foam in the cavity. You will need a sprue hole for the excess to escape then cover and spray gelcoat.

It is important to note your friend's niece is okay and it is just a boat.

Re: Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 4:26 pm
by jimh
Turn that boat into a flower planter.

Re: Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 5:22 pm
by flymo
A 13-footer is not hard to find. To find a 13-foot Boston Whaler with a dud motor and a trashed interior and swap your stuff over would be much easier and likely also to produce a better result.

Re: Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2019 5:33 pm
by IslingtonWhaler
I got the boat for free making more motivating to fix it.

Re: Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:43 am
by biggiefl
The rubrail is gonna cost $250. You are probably looking at $1,000 to fix that damage, and the boat will be worth about that when done.

Re: Repairing Badly Damaged 13-footer

Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2019 1:54 pm
by jimh
Ask yourself this: would you buy a badly damaged 13-foot Boston Whaler from some guy who was an amateur fiberglass boat repairer who had never worked on a Boston Whaler Unibond hull and made a repair to it, and then would you let YOUR niece go out in that boat alone in an area of heavy boat traffic?