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Author Topic:   1965 Boston Whaler Currituck Fiberglass

AaronMN posted 04-30-2014 09:36 PM ET (US)
Almost two years ago I picked up an old 1965 Boston Whaler Currituck hull and trailer for $800. I have been stripping the boat and preparing for a restoration on it. The hull did have some gelcoat crazing present. I ended up grinding and sanding off most of the gelcoat on the bottom of the hull. I now plan on re-glassing, fairing, priming, and painting.
The bottom hull fiberglass is in good shape; it feels quite strong and I am very confident in its integrity. However, as I was poking around tonight, I did find something on the sides of the boat that concerned me. There are places where when I press hard with the point of a screwdriver, I can feel a slight deflection in the fiberglass. In my opinion, it feels like the sides of the hull were laid up thin, and the deflection when pressing reflects that. I do have some fears that this isn't normal, and could be signs of de-lamination. I do have to press quite hard, and the deflection is hardly noticeable.
In the opinion and expertise of those on ContinuousWave, what say you? Do other older hulls of this period exhibit the same characteristics? Any thoughts or comments would be much appreciated.
Aaron

jimh posted 05-01-2014 10:46 AM ET (US)
I don't believe I have ever made a survey of my Boston Whaler boat hull by pressing the tip of a screwdriver into the laminate as a indicator of its rigidity, so I can't offer any sort of comparable.
AaronMN posted 05-01-2014 11:52 AM ET (US)
Jim,
Don't make it sound so unreasonable. The information may be beneficial to someone down the line who would like to access the state of their classic hull.
If anyone has any guidance, it would be much appreciated.
contender posted 05-01-2014 09:49 PM ET (US)
Aaron I was told once that fiberglass is good for about 25 years (depending on how its kept) give or take, after that it needs to be re gelcoated. I think what you are having with your whaler is blisters under the gelcoat (separation from the glass) these spots need to be cut out and repaired. The bottom of the hull is in better shape because it was basically kept out of the sun. (Sun the worst for fiberglass). When they shot the hull or laid it up the fiberglass was the same all around, they did not stop at one place and miss a spot or made it to thin in one place, this is why I think you have some blisters, It just comes with the age of the boat, nothing you can do from not let it happening. I redid my 1975 hull last year and had some on the sides, mostly toward the rear of the hull....Take care
AaronMN posted 05-08-2014 11:14 AM ET (US)
Thank you Contender.
It doesn't appear to be delamination. It just seems the fiberglass/foam along the outside hull is weaker than the rest of the boat. Not knowing the history, it is theoretically possible that what I am seeing is the result of 50 years of being docked with the boat being banged and rubbed against pilings, resulting in weakening of the fiberglass and foam substrate.
Along those lines, how important is strength in those areas? Again, the bottom of the hull is rock solid, along with the interior glass and foam. Is it worth trying to repair those areas, or use as is?
Thoughts?
RevengeFamily posted 05-08-2014 07:34 PM ET (US)
My vote is to use it as is...
A fiber glass patch will always be just that, a patch. When a fiberglass hull is laid up, there is a molecular bond taking place as the resin cures. What that means is the entire hull is cured as one. You will never duplicate that bond with a patch. The new resin will only ever have a physical bond or grip on the original glass which is very weak compared to what you have now.
If there was a hole in the boat, then you have no choice but to patch it. But in this instance, be aware of the soft spots and be cautious about using the boat, but leave it as is and enjoy your Whaler!!!
Norm
AaronMN posted 05-12-2014 11:23 AM ET (US)
Thanks Revenge.
I spoke with a knowledgeable fiberglass person this weekend who has over 40 years of experience with Whalers.
In his opinion, the foam used in Whalers can only sustain around 2% compression before the foam starts to degrade. This is what he feels happened to my Whaler along the sides. 50 years of docking has caused some degradation of the foam resulting in the fiberglass to be able to be depressed in certain areas.
This is different than delamination as the skin and foam appear to retain their bond.
His advice: use it as there isn't much risk with its current state.
I thought this information was extremely interesting. I hope others may find it useful as they look to purchase classic Whalers.
I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on the above. If there isn't any interest, I do hope that someone down will find this useful.
Aaron

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Author	Topic: 1965 Boston Whaler Currituck Fiberglass
AaronMN	posted 04-30-2014 09:36 PM ET (US) Almost two years ago I picked up an old 1965 Boston Whaler Currituck hull and trailer for $800. I have been stripping the boat and preparing for a restoration on it. The hull did have some gelcoat crazing present. I ended up grinding and sanding off most of the gelcoat on the bottom of the hull. I now plan on re-glassing, fairing, priming, and painting. The bottom hull fiberglass is in good shape; it feels quite strong and I am very confident in its integrity. However, as I was poking around tonight, I did find something on the sides of the boat that concerned me. There are places where when I press hard with the point of a screwdriver, I can feel a slight deflection in the fiberglass. In my opinion, it feels like the sides of the hull were laid up thin, and the deflection when pressing reflects that. I do have some fears that this isn't normal, and could be signs of de-lamination. I do have to press quite hard, and the deflection is hardly noticeable. In the opinion and expertise of those on ContinuousWave, what say you? Do other older hulls of this period exhibit the same characteristics? Any thoughts or comments would be much appreciated. Aaron
jimh	posted 05-01-2014 10:46 AM ET (US) I don't believe I have ever made a survey of my Boston Whaler boat hull by pressing the tip of a screwdriver into the laminate as a indicator of its rigidity, so I can't offer any sort of comparable.
AaronMN	posted 05-01-2014 11:52 AM ET (US) Jim, Don't make it sound so unreasonable. The information may be beneficial to someone down the line who would like to access the state of their classic hull. If anyone has any guidance, it would be much appreciated.
contender	posted 05-01-2014 09:49 PM ET (US) Aaron I was told once that fiberglass is good for about 25 years (depending on how its kept) give or take, after that it needs to be re gelcoated. I think what you are having with your whaler is blisters under the gelcoat (separation from the glass) these spots need to be cut out and repaired. The bottom of the hull is in better shape because it was basically kept out of the sun. (Sun the worst for fiberglass). When they shot the hull or laid it up the fiberglass was the same all around, they did not stop at one place and miss a spot or made it to thin in one place, this is why I think you have some blisters, It just comes with the age of the boat, nothing you can do from not let it happening. I redid my 1975 hull last year and had some on the sides, mostly toward the rear of the hull....Take care
AaronMN	posted 05-08-2014 11:14 AM ET (US) Thank you Contender. It doesn't appear to be delamination. It just seems the fiberglass/foam along the outside hull is weaker than the rest of the boat. Not knowing the history, it is theoretically possible that what I am seeing is the result of 50 years of being docked with the boat being banged and rubbed against pilings, resulting in weakening of the fiberglass and foam substrate. Along those lines, how important is strength in those areas? Again, the bottom of the hull is rock solid, along with the interior glass and foam. Is it worth trying to repair those areas, or use as is? Thoughts?
RevengeFamily	posted 05-08-2014 07:34 PM ET (US) My vote is to use it as is... A fiber glass patch will always be just that, a patch. When a fiberglass hull is laid up, there is a molecular bond taking place as the resin cures. What that means is the entire hull is cured as one. You will never duplicate that bond with a patch. The new resin will only ever have a physical bond or grip on the original glass which is very weak compared to what you have now. If there was a hole in the boat, then you have no choice but to patch it. But in this instance, be aware of the soft spots and be cautious about using the boat, but leave it as is and enjoy your Whaler!!! Norm
AaronMN	posted 05-12-2014 11:23 AM ET (US) Thanks Revenge. I spoke with a knowledgeable fiberglass person this weekend who has over 40 years of experience with Whalers. In his opinion, the foam used in Whalers can only sustain around 2% compression before the foam starts to degrade. This is what he feels happened to my Whaler along the sides. 50 years of docking has caused some degradation of the foam resulting in the fiberglass to be able to be depressed in certain areas. This is different than delamination as the skin and foam appear to retain their bond. His advice: use it as there isn't much risk with its current state. I thought this information was extremely interesting. I hope others may find it useful as they look to purchase classic Whalers. I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on the above. If there isn't any interest, I do hope that someone down will find this useful. Aaron