Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

I tried to use the search function but could not come up with a
satisfactory answer. Let me preface my questions with the fact that I
have never owned more than a 12' row boat with a 9 hp motor and my
knowledge about boats reflect that haha. I am thinking about buying a
1994 bass boat that is all fiberglass. There is a little bubbling and
chipping on the top where you step in to the boat. This does not
really worry me as it seems it will not effect overall strength or
allow water in.

There is a second crack that is under the boat on the left side under
the water line. It looks like it may have hit something. There is a C
shaped crack about 10" to 12" long with small much lighter stress
cracks around it. I pushed on it and it seems strong but I can catch
my finger nail on the main C shapped crack as I drag my nails lighty
accross the bottom surface of the boat. Is this something to be
concerned about? What is the best and worst case senarios? How much
would it cost to have it repaired?

Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

It is difficult to evaluate it over the net but you should know that
fiberglass is a lot more flexible than gelcoat. So it is not unusual to
have cracks in the gelcoat that do not extend into the fiberglass. No doubt
it hit something. If it is not going to live in the water then it is
probably just a cosmetic problem. It can be fixed by grinding a V into the
crack and then putting some new gelcoat in it. The hardest part is matching
the color.

"Bluetobb" wrote in message
m...
I tried to use the search function but could not come up with a
satisfactory answer. Let me preface my questions with the fact that I
have never owned more than a 12' row boat with a 9 hp motor and my
knowledge about boats reflect that haha. I am thinking about buying a
1994 bass boat that is all fiberglass. There is a little bubbling and
chipping on the top where you step in to the boat. This does not
really worry me as it seems it will not effect overall strength or
allow water in.

There is a second crack that is under the boat on the left side under
the water line. It looks like it may have hit something. There is a C
shaped crack about 10" to 12" long with small much lighter stress
cracks around it. I pushed on it and it seems strong but I can catch
my finger nail on the main C shapped crack as I drag my nails lighty
accross the bottom surface of the boat. Is this something to be
concerned about? What is the best and worst case senarios? How much
would it cost to have it repaired?

Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

So if it was actually effecting the fiberglass how much would it cost
to repair it?

It sounds like if it is just the gel coat I can fix that myself for
$20. The gelcoat is white so making the color should not be hard.

Thanks
Dan


"Lawrence James" wrote in message link.net...
It is difficult to evaluate it over the net but you should know that
fiberglass is a lot more flexible than gelcoat. So it is not unusual to
have cracks in the gelcoat that do not extend into the fiberglass. No doubt
it hit something. If it is not going to live in the water then it is
probably just a cosmetic problem. It can be fixed by grinding a V into the
crack and then putting some new gelcoat in it. The hardest part is matching
the color.

"Bluetobb" wrote in message
m...
I tried to use the search function but could not come up with a
satisfactory answer. Let me preface my questions with the fact that I
have never owned more than a 12' row boat with a 9 hp motor and my
knowledge about boats reflect that haha. I am thinking about buying a
1994 bass boat that is all fiberglass. There is a little bubbling and
chipping on the top where you step in to the boat. This does not
really worry me as it seems it will not effect overall strength or
allow water in.

There is a second crack that is under the boat on the left side under
the water line. It looks like it may have hit something. There is a C
shaped crack about 10" to 12" long with small much lighter stress
cracks around it. I pushed on it and it seems strong but I can catch
my finger nail on the main C shapped crack as I drag my nails lighty
accross the bottom surface of the boat. Is this something to be
concerned about? What is the best and worst case senarios? How much
would it cost to have it repaired?

Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

Bluetobb wrote:
..... There is a C
shaped crack about 10" to 12" long with small much lighter stress
cracks around it. I pushed on it and it seems strong but I can catch
my finger nail on the main C shapped crack as I drag my nails lighty
accross the bottom surface of the boat. Is this something to be
concerned about?

Yes, of course.


... What is the best and worst case senarios?

It may not indicate any structural issue at all, or there may be a
slight amount of water entering which will rot any enclosed wood (if
any), or it may be the start of a big gaping ragged hole.

The last is rather unlikely. In any event, it's easy to fix.

... How much
would it cost to have it repaired?

At least a couple hundred bucks. You'd be better off fixing it yourself,
and also learning to do minor fiberglass work is one of the key skills
of boat ownership. Unless you're rich, of course ;)

DSK

Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

"Bluetobb" wrote in message
m...
There is a little bubbling and
chipping on the top where you step in to the boat. This does not
really worry me as it seems it will not effect overall strength or
allow water in.

Knowing how this happened would be good. If the bubbling is the result of
something that a pervious owner did, like using a portable barbecue sitting
on the deck, then you can ignore it other than the cosmetic issue. If the
gel coat bubbled for no reason it could indicate that the gel coat was
basically bad. If it was bad on the top, it might be bad in some place
where it really matters.



There is a second crack that is under the boat on the left side under
the water line. It looks like it may have hit something.

Again, if the crack is the result of a collision then it might not be an
issue. On the other hand, if the crack is the result of the hull flexing
under stress then it could be a big issue. Where is the crack, front to
back? It was due to a collision then I would expect it to be fairly far
forward. If it is a stress crack then I would expect it to be at a spot
that impacted the waves as the boat pounded through heavy chop.

Rod

Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

My only concern on fixing the fiberglass is that I can't get to the
inside of the hull. It seems that it is one piece of fiberglass, so to
get to the inner hull I would have to cut a hole somewhere on the deck
fiberglass. This might not be a big deal. It defintly apears as if it
hit something. It sounds like I should buy it. Any suggestions on
where to go to learn about doing fiberglass repair, maybe a webpage or
something?

Thanks for all the help and input on the subject.

Another off topic question... The engine is a Johnson 140 from 1994.
It fires right up and sounds good and looks clean. Is this a good
motor and year?

Thanks a bunch,
Dan

"Rod McInnis" wrote in message ...
"Bluetobb" wrote in message
m...
There is a little bubbling and
chipping on the top where you step in to the boat. This does not
really worry me as it seems it will not effect overall strength or
allow water in.

Knowing how this happened would be good. If the bubbling is the result of
something that a pervious owner did, like using a portable barbecue sitting
on the deck, then you can ignore it other than the cosmetic issue. If the
gel coat bubbled for no reason it could indicate that the gel coat was
basically bad. If it was bad on the top, it might be bad in some place
where it really matters.



There is a second crack that is under the boat on the left side under
the water line. It looks like it may have hit something.

Again, if the crack is the result of a collision then it might not be an
issue. On the other hand, if the crack is the result of the hull flexing
under stress then it could be a big issue. Where is the crack, front to
back? It was due to a collision then I would expect it to be fairly far
forward. If it is a stress crack then I would expect it to be at a spot
that impacted the waves as the boat pounded through heavy chop.

Rod

Noob question about fiberglass/gelcoat
 

"Bluetobb" wrote in message
m...
My only concern on fixing the fiberglass is that I can't get to the
inside of the hull. It seems that it is one piece of fiberglass, so to
get to the inner hull I would have to cut a hole somewhere on the deck
fiberglass. This might not be a big deal. It defintly apears as if it
hit something. It sounds like I should buy it. Any suggestions on
where to go to learn about doing fiberglass repair, maybe a webpage or
something?

Thanks for all the help and input on the subject.

Another off topic question... The engine is a Johnson 140 from 1994.
It fires right up and sounds good and looks clean. Is this a good
motor and year?

Thanks a bunch,
Dan

"Rod McInnis" wrote in message
...
"Bluetobb" wrote in message
m...
There is a little bubbling and
chipping on the top where you step in to the boat. This does not
really worry me as it seems it will not effect overall strength or
allow water in.

Knowing how this happened would be good. If the bubbling is the result
of
something that a pervious owner did, like using a portable barbecue
sitting
on the deck, then you can ignore it other than the cosmetic issue. If
the
gel coat bubbled for no reason it could indicate that the gel coat was
basically bad. If it was bad on the top, it might be bad in some place
where it really matters.



There is a second crack that is under the boat on the left side under
the water line. It looks like it may have hit something.

Again, if the crack is the result of a collision then it might not be an
issue. On the other hand, if the crack is the result of the hull flexing
under stress then it could be a big issue. Where is the crack, front to
back? It was due to a collision then I would expect it to be fairly far
forward. If it is a stress crack then I would expect it to be at a spot
that impacted the waves as the boat pounded through heavy chop.

Rod

West Marine has a good book on firberglass. You maybe should take it to a
fiberglass shop that does boats and get a free estimate as to repairs before
purchase. Give you an idea of the real damage from a pro and also a cost
estimate to use in negotiations.
Bill