CONTINUOUSWAVE

I have a 1988 Outrage 18 that needs hull repair. I took it out for a ride. [Later with the boat out of the water] about two gallons of water came out of a crack in the back of the hull and water was dripping from the keel.

I thought I would patch the keel and the hull with fiberglass and get some use out of it. Or, if a repair yard can patch and paint it for under $1000 I'd let them repair it.

The boat ran fine; it wasn't back heavy and ran about 36-MPH with the 120-HP engine. I got the boat cheap and will be happy to get a year out of it while I save up for one in better condition.

Could that crack in the hull be a lot worse than it looks?

Offer advice on this situation.

Is the crack on the chine through to the foam or just in the fiberglass?

Is the keel rash through to foam or just worn the fiberglass?

You need to let it dry out as much as possible before you repair it.

Is it still dripping?

The keel has fiberglass worn down thin. I don't see exposed foam, but it is surely close.

The crack on the chine is just a crack not open enough to see foam.

Been raining all day.

Keep the boat out of the water for a week or two and protected from rain. Raise the trailer so any water will drain toward the stern. This should allow the hull to dry thoroughly. When the hull is dry, repair all cracks in the hull as described in the Boston Whaler repair guide, and as demonstrated in this illustrated article

Repairing Hull Damage the Whaler Way
by Taylor Clark
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/whalerRepair.html.

or described in this narrative article

The Epoxy Cure
http://continuouswave.com/maintenance-logs/epoxy/

Working with resin and making minor repairs is not particularly difficult, particularly on the surfaces of the hull that no one will ever see when the boat is in the water. You do not need to obsess about cosmetics on underwater surfaces of the hull. Just repair the cracks to keep water out.

Don't worry too much about water having entered the double-bottom hull and saturated the foam. If it has happened, a repair is not really feasible. Just stop using the boat until you get the hull cracks fixed so no more water can be forced into the interior of the double-bottom hull and its foam-filled volume.

The defect you refer to as a "crack in the hull" looks more like a gouge in the hull caused by abrasion of the hull against some exposed and sharply pointed metal object, probably something on the trailer. The length of the gouge suggests that the boat was dragged across the sharp object as it was loaded onto the trailer.

It is extraordinarily unusual for the hull of a Boston Whaler OUTRAGE 18 to develop a structural failure and manifest that as a crack in the hull. More often one sees defects in the hull outer laminate layer of Boston Whaler boat hulls caused by impacts with other objects more rigidly fixed in place and having a surface hardness that can better resist deformation.

Since you are new to the website, I recommend you read the FAQ and browse the REFERENCE section, which contains many well-researched and carefully written articles on repairs and other projects.