What should I do about these bow cracks?

[Jerry S.]

In the process of refinishing the hull, I uncovered these cracks in the bow. Are there any suggestions about what, if anything, should be done? Has anyone seen this before?

Jerry.

[DanaVin]

Hi,
Is that your hull or are you down to the barrier coat? It looks like the hull's fiberglass is cracked pretty good to me..
If that is the case, you are probably in for some fiberglass repair.
I'm not an expert by any means but it is do-able. Done right, it will be as good, if not better, than new.
We had an old fiberglass 18' power boat one time. It was old. So old the hull was so flexible it wouldn't even plane. We just used it for fishing and getting to campsites. We constantly patched up large cracks and even a good size hole when my oldest ran her into the rocks one night. Takes some time but it's not all that bad. Getting the right mixture of epoxy and hardner is the tricky part.
I would first suggest getting "This Old Boat" and reading it along with one specifically on Fiberglass repairs. Believe International Marine has it or Amazon. WM also has free booklets on repairs like this.
If it's a CD, and like mine, the hull is pretty thick with a ply board form. Thank goodness they didn't know about how thin they could build them in those days!
I'd do some more research for you but everything is boxed up right now. I'm positive other members will respond more intelligently than what I've provided. Main thing... don't give up the ship! Believe me, if I could do it, anyone could do it!
Thanks
Dana

[fenixrises]

Hi Jerry,

From your photos it looks like mostly cosmetic damage.

Some gentle probing with a screw driver should help you discover whether the cracks are in filler or all the way through and in the fiberglass.

If you can, get inside the boat and up into the bow. Have another person outside with a strong light and shine it at the crack(s). See if you can see the light through the cracks from inside. Might be best to do this at night.

Your best friend might be a small 4" high speed grinder with 36 grit disks. One can be bought from Home Depot or online from Harbor Freight for about $30. You'll also need the grinding disk adaptor, about $10 and disks, about $1.75 apiece.

1" and 3" flexible metal putty knives are very handy.

If the damage is only to filler the repair is pretty easy. Grind out the old and fill with epoxy mixed with a filler(talc, milled fibers,cabosil, etc.). It should be about the consistency of warm peanut butter. Build the patch up in layers not more than about 1/8" thick. For extra durability, if the build up is thick, add a layer of glass cloth in the repair below the finshed surface.

Generally epoxies blush when cured. Multiple coats need to be applied in less than 24 hours or you need to wash the amine blush off with soap and water and sand the surface with 80 grit before applying additional coats.

When making the epoxy filler, mix the two part epoxy together first then add the filler. Most epoxys of this type are 3:1 mix. The easiest way to mix small quantities is in a sandwich size baggie.

Put the epoxy in the bag, usually 3 oz of resin and 1 oz of catalyst. Seal the bag and mix thourghly by kneading the epoxy in the bag for a couple of minutes. The add the filler, reseal the bag and mix by kneading, then add more until you get the right consistency. Don't worry about time, you should have at least 30 minutes to work with the epoxy after it is mixed.

When well mixed cut a small corner (1/4") off the bag, now you have an easy applicator. Just squeeze out.

Because that area of the boat is so small and very diffcult to access from the inside, any fiberglass repair will need to be done from the outside.

You will need to grind the f/g back about 3-6 inches from the crack to sound material. DO NOT grind all the way through the hull. What you want to do is create a shallow and wide v-type groove centered from the crack out.

Then build up the repair with bi-axial fiberglass. This is made on the bias(45 degrees) with a thin layer of mat on one side. Do all the layers needed at one time. After it cures grind and sand to re-fair the surface. Final fairing can be done with epoxy and talc.

Mixing the epoxy for this can be done in small quantities in used cans of about 16oz capacity. I find these small metal cans(like Campbell soup cans) easier to use than paper paint cups and more durable. They can be reused after the epoxy in them sets up.

Happy grinding,
Fred B.

[Jerry S.]

Thanks Fred,

I'm getting to it this evening. I have all the materials, your suggestions are helpful and appreciated.

Jerry.

[Oswego John]

Hi Fred,

I want to compliment you on your reply to Jerry S concerning the cracks on the bow. It was very thorough and right on the money. I like that trick of mixing it in a baggie and then snipping the corner to apply.

Different people have different takes concerning flaws on their boats. For a new boatowner, a crack as shown could seem very serious. To others like yourself who have extensive experience with things of this sort, it isn't a big deal, a piece of cake to repair.

If Jerry does the repairs himself (Hannah included), and knowing Jerry, he will do them, looking back he will have a much different attitude concerning a repair of this sort. It is a learning experience. Much of the doubt will have been removed. he will read up on the subject and then roll up his sleeves and do it.

There isn't much that I can add to your instructions. The crack(s) aren't large and therefore not time consuming. FWIW, if anyone should be doing an epoxy type project that will use a large quantity of two part mix, I would suggest to only mix enough that can be used in a reasonable time span. Warm weather and direct sunlight on the project surface and the container will accelerate premature hardening of the mix.

There are ways to extend the working time when using epoxy. In very warm weather, use lesser amounts of catalyst (part 2 hardener). You should probably experiment with the proportions to use. Another way to extend working time is don't keep the epoxy confined to a small container. Rather than use a can, I line my wife's missing brownie pan with wax paper or butcher's paper and pour the mixed epoxy into the less confined container. If you don't want to use a liner, clean the pan with acetone before it sets up.

By the way, I use soup type cans all the time for small jobs. We buy a lot of Creamsicle and Fudgesicle ice cream bars and I use the sticks to mix the epoxy.

Fred, that was very good advice that you shared. I am sure that many of us profitted by it. Thanks.

O J

[Jerry S.]

Hi John,

I wouldn't miss repairing the cracks if someone else offered me money to watch them do it! This has been such an enjoyable project all the way around - a true delight. As I said, I already have all the materials and tools to tackle this part of the project. As you told me, the Typhoon is a great little boat, and my observations of hull #56 as I work steadily away on her have shown me why you made the comment. In my experience it is a great and smooth project when the underlying structure is sound; this Typhoon is solid!

By the way, we are nearly set to paint the hull. A few 4:00 AM mornings and 11:00 PM evenings got us far along over just a few weeks - nothing like sailing season coming right up for motivation.

Time willing I may post pictures of our progress later this evening.

Best regards John,

Jerry.

[fenixrises]

Hi OJ

Thanks for the kudos. I am sure that the knowledge you have shared has helped numerous folks as well.

I agree that Jerry will be better equipted in the future to handle many boat related repairs. Tackleing a project of this magnitude is not for everyone, however.

The baggie trick sure works great in some circumstances.

I am always willing to share the knowledge I have gained from experience, with the caveat that I am very opionated about certain things.

Happy sails to you,
Fred B.