Surgery for the Carrot Juice

[Hank49]

I have been noticing some "sloshing" sound when I rock my boat while it's sitting on the trailer. I cut a hole and put a port hole in the deck but only got a little water out.
So, I decided to take it to some glass experts (notice the guys working with fiberglass, no shoes, short sleeves, no masks ). They cut the whole floor out and found water in the stringers, not so much in the foam filled compartments. They're now going to drill holes to connect all the compartments so they drain to the bilge. Only a cool $1750.00 job.
And, it figures....the weather is all time calm...not to mention a full moon right now.....and I have no boat.
The snappers can rest easy for a few days.

 

[Hank49]

She's back. Got about 450 gallons of water out from under the floor. And finally put a seat in so the fat bastards I take out will stop crushing my coolers. I'll be in the water this weekend. I would guess I'll get up to 3 more MPH>

 

[Tom Winters]

This is a good time to put an epoxy or vinylester barrier coat on.

 

[Hank49]

This is a good time to put an epoxy or vinylester barrier coat on.

Hi Tom. Can you elaborate? The put a gelcoat (paint?) over the whole floor and seams.

 

[Tom Winters]

Hank, they probably didn't put gelcoat over the inside since that's usually done when a boat is hulled-out in a factory mold. Your basic fiberglass resins are way more water permeable than a layer of epoxy resin. Vinylester resins are better at water sealing than conventional resins and cheaper than epoxy stuff like the West System. A barrier coat is usually used for boats in the water - regular gelcoated factory boats can develop some nasty blisters on their hulls over time. Of course the problem is that after you put a barrier coat over the gelcoat, you have to paint the hull to cover the epoxy.
When I did boat construction and repairs, I pretty much stuck with the West System. I liked the component pump measures, their various fillers, and I got it all wholesale which made a big difference on Oahu. I'll bet epoxy systems in Belize might be a little tough to get a hold of, although there are couple of West System dealer on Grand Cayman over the horizon.
It may be that the cost of doing all this stuff is not worth it - you have to weigh the hassle and expense.

 

[Hank49]

I'd never heard of the West System but I did just Google it. It makes a lot of sense.
I'm not sure what is used here but looking at the structure of the hull with the floor stripped off, it looks like normal fiberglass resin to me. Same color anyway. Of course, that was never supposed to get wet...which it did. So maybe they didn't think they needed it?
But now there is a 1 inch hole in the forward bilge wall to drain all that out of the now connected "honeycomb" compartments. There will be water inside the rear part of the hull as water splashes over the side, or I wash fish guts down with a 5 gallon bucket. I'll pump it out numerous times during the day but I would guess it's not going to last forever.
A brand new boat like that is about US$8000 or so here in Belize. Including console, seats etc. I've had it for almost 7 years. If I can get another 7 out of it.....Plus, I keep it trailered under my house.
Thanks for the tips though. Maybe if I live long enough to have another boat made here, I'll have them do the West System on the hull before they lay the floor.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

There are several types of "fiberglass resins". I know of epoxy resin and polyester resin. The former is better but more expensive. West System is a quality (and pricey) choice in epoxy. It really is a SYSTEM. And they have a lot of instructional stuff on their website.

 

[vincent54]

coat with epoxy (either WEST or System 3) after cleaning and drying. Polyester won't bond to old fiberglass and will breakdown. Polyurathanes, like Imron, will seal as well but too dangerous too apply without proper safety equipment. If that's too expensive, try POR. The POR Company sells a coating that works on fiberglass, resistant to fuel even the ethanol blends. Once coated, it is impossible to remove. It won't be a structural repair, but it is an inexpensive way to seal an area like you described. I don't know what it is, but have never used anything like it. Works on every surface, has a bit of flexibility and easy to apply. Fiberglass is not water resistant so you should put some type of seal on it. Overtime it will absorb water swell and weaken. Good luck.