CONTINUOUSWAVE

As I recall, on the Boston Whaler OUTRAGE 25 boats there was sometimes a problem with the integrity of the hull on the port side of the boat, at the point where the fuel filler hose and fuel tank vent hose pass through. There was some reporting of the hull cracking at this point, perhaps due to some really strong forces encountered in taking on head seas. I have no first hand experience with this, but I have read of it, and had heard it mentioned by people I consider reliable sources.

This topic has been brought up before (in the old forum). The existence of even the possibility that this could occur was debated, but there were anecdotal reports of seeing this happen. Get a little more background at

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/002574.html

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/016044.html

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/008680.html

Also, I found this interesting comment recently posted on TheHullTruth in a thread seeking advice on buying a used OUTRAGE 25:

...the biggest liability with the 25 foot hulls is the crack that can sometimes develop at the fuel tank vent on the port topsides. It happens most often on Outrages used hard in big water....

Source: Tom Clark at http://www.thehulltruth.com/9622898-post8.html

I came across some images that perhaps show the problem area. I thought this would be an interesting topic for discussion because, as far as I can recall, the area that cracks and what is causing this has not been illustrated before.

The weakening of the hull structure seems to be a thinning of the hull sides in the area where the fuel lines are carried upward. This can be seen in these views (which were recently posted and linked-to in another thread, but here I have reduced the images a bit to make them fit in-line):


See original at http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb434/russellbailey3/Radar%20Arch/2013-05-31145706_zps6ec577f7.jpg


See original at http://i1205.photobucket.com/albums/bb434/russellbailey3/Radar%20Arch/2013-05-30133149_zps65378c60.jpg

I certainly do not mean to suggest there is any problem with the boat shown, I just wanted to use the images to illustrate the hull configuration at the point where the problem has been suggested to occur and to verify if this spot is, indeed, the site and the cause of the problem. Any informed comments or opinions are welcome.

Here is a transcription of the instructions sent out by Boston Whaler for repair of these cracks (which were posted several years ago, and for convenience I repeat here below):

FRACTURED TOPSIDES REPAIR
USE STEPS 1-4 ON INSIDE, OUTSIDE AND TOP OF gunwale:

1. Cut away fractured glass 1/2" on either side of the crack to form a 1" wide opening.

2. Taper grind original skin out 6" from the crack as shown, and dig out foam from about 1" behind glass.

3. Stuff areas behind glass and cut-out area with resin and chopped fiber mash until full.

4. Mat over area with multiple layers of 2 oz. mat until back to original thickness. After mat is cured, grind it flat and flush with original skin. Use a straightedge to check.

USE STEPS 5-7 ON EXTERIOR TOPSIDES:

5. Rough up topsides to 60" of either side of already repaired area.

6. Cover entire topsides from under gunwale to chine, with 4 layers of COFAB 10 oz. uni-axial material 96" long. Each layer should be staggered 6", and the first layer should start 57" aft of crack. Fair each end by sanding and filling with resin paste to blend with side and show no bump (See drawing next page).

NOTE: It may be necessary to put screws in hull to hang the COFAB to prevent sagging and sliding.

7. Cover entire area with one layer of 2 oz. mat 9' long; fair each end to blend with the side.

8. Finish both inside and outside repairs with gelcoat.

[Dated] 0598-6

jimh, photo Outrage25HullSideStarboard.jpg is of the bilge pump through hulls, and is not quite as thin as the fuel vents. For the fuel vents on the port side, Whaler cut away the inner fiberglass and the foam and has them simply attached to the thin outer fiberglass.

I've wondered about the cracks, but have no signs of them on my boat so far, and it is a 1984 (and the one shown in the photos) and hope that continues. I have tiny gelcoat cracks around the fuel vent from flexing in that thin outer fiberglass-only area, but that is it.

I'll be curious to see about the experience of others.

RUSSELL--thanks for the information on how the port side is cut even thinner. Any chance you can take a picture of that to show the detail more clearly? Thanks.

Jim thankyou for posting.
My Whaler 25 does have a crack but on the starboard side.
I'll take some pictures and post them later tonight.

If i recall correctly, there is material added in lamination, to prevent this, once they found out about it happening. I can not recall what year they started to do this.

Attached is a close up of the fuel fill holes on my boat. The fuel tank vents attach only to the single outer layer of fiberglass, and the foam is exposed internally. It is clearly a weak spot.

The forward hole had some radiating stress cracks in the gelcoat around it from the flexing of the fiberglass skin - the fiberglass showed no cracks but the gelcoat did. They have been there for some time.

I reinforced the area with two pieces of thin luan plywood as backing. I cleaned up the inside of the hole and used West 6-10 epoxy to both coat and bond the two pieces of wood from the inside over the entire interior part of the fiberglass. After that set, I then added fiberglass cloth around the exposed foam area. Once it all hardened, I re-drilled the holes from the outside and re-mounted the vents. It is now quite solid.

It was a poor design for sure, as the the small diameter fuel vents can put a good twisting motion on the thin fiberglass. But, it has lasted 33 years without being touched, so that is not bad.