Almost a bad accident had to jump boat.

[jcurrier]

So unfortunately today i was faced with the decision to either allow a panicked driver tbone me or just to plow through some weeds. Obviously with a boat full of kids thats a no brainer. To the weeds i went and in those weeds was a sandbar that unfortunately due to the speed my boat jumped. Thankfully everyone was ok.

Everything appears good on my brand new boat except for the bottom from front to back looks like it has now been beached. Most of the scratches literally you cannot feel. There is one that is finger nail deep.

Should i worry about these? is there a way to get the ones out that you cant feel or is that just going to be a losing battle. Should i worry about the one that is fingernail deep?

You can see a video of the bottom by clicking this link.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!As7GnXGp1aiNiNVHagYcxd4k_oD9ZA

Worst part is the two people in their boat didnt even stop to make sure we were ok.

 

[Bruce]

Where is the fingernail deep scratch located?

Do any scratches go through the gelcoat?

Are all of the scratches on the keel?

You may want to install a keel guard which may cover all of the scratches. You can read about them in these threads.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/keel-guard.7940/
https://jetboaters.net/threads/megaware-keel-guard-installed.8544/
https://jetboaters.net/faq/how-do-you-install-a-keel-guard-or-keel-shield.79/

You also may want to consider some gelcoat repair but unless the damage goes through the gelcoat I would leave that for the winter.

 

[jcurrier]

Damage goes front to back on the bottom. Only one or two you can actually feel.

 

[Zarrella]

You may want to remember...keep the boat in the water. Just kidding....glad no one got hurt!

 

[Bruce]

Damage goes front to back on the bottom. Only one or two you can actually feel.

Where are the ones that you can feel?

On the really positive side you did not break off a lower unit or destroy a prop!

 

[jcurrier]

All of these scratches are on the bottom of the boat from front to back

 

[Bruce]

All of these scratches are on the bottom of the boat from front to back

So the ones that you can feel are not only on the front half of the hull that would be covered by a keel guard but also on the back half?

If they do not go through the gelcoat then you can leave them if you are comfortable with doing so.

If they expose the fiberglass then the need to be patched. Preferably before putting the boat back in the water. Marine epoxy is a quick and easy way do so. Spectrum gelcoat paste will allow you to repair with color matching. At this time of the year taking her to a shop is likely to mean weeks or more without a boat.

 

[jcurrier]

Is there something I can do for the ones you can't feel ? Think something like that waxes out. And no a keep guard would be above the Scratxhes. On the trailer all of them are between the bunks front to back

 

[Julian]

If none of them go through the gel coat you are fine. If they do, you might want to consider an insurance claim to get them all fixed at once.

 

[Bruce]

You may be able to buff out the lighter ones. Trying a box of magic erasers is a good place to start.

I believe this would be much less noticeable if your hull was white. Our boats often run in shallow water so they often accumulate similar scratches on the keel. Yours look minimal compared to through the gelcoat damage that I have seen others post.

 

[Ilmmct]

Glad you had a choice to sacrifice the boat to keep the friends and family safe. If you are not ready for the Keel Guard install (in the middle of your boating season) then fix the light scratches and gel coat, since this is not a difficult DIY. Scratches on the bottom of the boat take the paint color matching issue out of the equation. I'd DIY fix the deeper areas that are causing you angst and plan the Keel Guard install at the end of the season.

 

[Bennie]

The Keel Guard shouldn't take you longer than an hour or two to install. I highly recommend it.
What would take time is for a good fiberglass shop to work on it.... we're talking a few weeks!

 

[MrMoose]

@jcurrier, I'm glad that nobody got hurt. It's the bottom of the hull, so I wouldn't worry about anything cosmetic because it's out of sight. You'd be double-pissed if you fixed it up all nice and pretty just to scratch it again. Focus on hull-integrity. I you have broken through the gel coat, then you need to seal it up. I'd give any exposed fiberglass a thorough rinsing with isopropyl alcohol, then take a hair dryer to it to make sure that it's clean and dry. From there, as @Bruce has indicated, marine epoxy is readily available as a quick and easy patch, but it's not black, so it will show. If you have time, then color-matching gel coat will make it look pretty. I honestly could not see that you broke through the gel coat in the pics and video, so if this is the case, I'd just plan on installing a 9 foot keel guard at some point (they come in black). It will cover some of the scratches and protect the keel from further damage that may actually break through the gel coat. It took me about 3 hours to install my keel guard alone in 100 degree plus temps. It was not pleasant, but it is not rocket science. As another thought, maybe a longer keel guard will cover all of the damage.
If you decide to use marine epoxy, just know that it is hard as nails and is very difficult to sand down once cured. The Loctite brand that I used was much harder than the gelcoat, so I had to be careful not to remove adjacent jel coat while smoothing out my epoxy repair.
Good luck

 

[Ronnie]

A previous member scratched the bottom of his boat up like you did I think. He ended up covering the lite damage with an extra long keel guard. The recommended length for a 24' boat is 9' to 10', I think he went with one between 15' and 18' long. You may be limited if your boat already has an actual keel.