Fiberglass damage, docking mishap

[JOAN ROJAS]

Was pulling in yesterday, big current and sadly put the port side of the stern towards a pole on the dock. Went thru Fiberglass, is probably 2x 2 inches and 1/4 inch deep, below the pee holes right above the water line. I’m so upset at myself, I take of my baby.

any idea how much I’m this cost to fix? Can I even use the boat? Can I fix myself?
I’ve read thru the past posts here and see ppl use spectrum, to get the gel coat matched. And I’ve read thru various write ups on how to apply it. But I really have no clue on how to proceed since there’s fiberglass damage.

I do have insurance, should I open a claim ?

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Was pulling in yesterday, big current and sadly put the port side of the stern towards a pole on the dock. Went thru Fiberglass, is probably 2x 2 inches and 1/4 inch deep, below the pee holes right above the water line. I’m so upset at myself, I take of my baby.

any idea how much I’m this cost to fix? Can I even use the boat? Can I fix myself?
I’ve read thru the past posts here and see ppl use spectrum, to get the gel coat matched. And I’ve read thru various write ups on how to apply it. But I really have no clue on how to proceed since there’s fiberglass damage.

I do have insurance, should I open a claim ?

@JOAN ROJAS .....first, don't be too hard on yourself this can and does happen to almost everyone at some point to some degree. Regarding costs that is often location specific .....in your case (Miami) there should be a LOT of specialty shop which can do this in their sleep so that should keep the price down. Cost? bI would think $2,000.00 Can you fix it yourself? Maybe, but this looks like you would need to know how to do structural fiberglass. If you think you can (or a friend) then that is a possibility. Can it be fixed with a "Spectrum Kit" - no. This will require fiberglass hull specific material like West Coast Epoxy materials. Regarding insurance: if you have no previous claims and you are forgiven the first one you might want to consider insurance. If this was my situation I would get several quotes. If it came in around $2,000.00 I'd pay for it myself and save my first forgivable accident for a big one. I am very, very good with fiberglass so I could do the work but by the time I bought the materials and likely had to buy a quart of gel coat (I think that is the smallest size available) rented a spray gun etc. I might just let a shop do it. Good luck!

 

[JOAN ROJAS]

@JOAN ROJAS .....first, don't be too hard on yourself this can and does happen to almost everyone at some point to some degree. Regarding costs that is often location specific .....in your case (Miami) there should be a LOT of specialty shop which can do this in their sleep so that should keep the price down. Cost? bI would think $2,000.00 Can you fix it yourself? Maybe, but this looks like you would need to know how to do structural fiberglass. If you think you can (or a friend) then that is a possibility. Can it be fixed with a "Spectrum Kit" - no. This will require fiberglass hull specific material like West Coast Epoxy materials. Regarding insurance: if you have no previous claims and you are forgiven the first one you might want to consider insurance. If this was my situation I would get several quotes. If it came in around $2,000.00 I'd pay for it myself and save my first forgivable accident for a big one. I am very, very good with fiberglass so I could do the work but by the time I bought the materials and likely had to buy a quart of gel coat (I think that is the smallest size available) rented a spray gun etc. I might just let a shop do it. Good luck!

Thank you for the reply. Started looking at repair shops today. Do you think I can use the boat meanwhile ? I checked and it didn’t Pearce entirely thru the hull

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Thank you for the reply. Started looking at repair shops today. Do you think I can use the boat meanwhile ? I checked and it didn’t Pearce entirely thru the hull

@JOAN ROJAS ....I would not use the boat because water should not get into the fiberglass lamination as that would make proper repair impossible or if it was done likely to show osmosis blistering later. Damaged fiberglass laminating/coring LOVES to absorb water so IMO an emphatic NO to using your boat until it is repaired.

 

[Dixemon]

If youve never done any composite work before i would def let a pro handle that one. They will have to scarf out the damage and lay up to repair the structural integrity. If it was just a gel coat ding that would be another story.

 

[Ronnie]

Having put a similarly sized hole in my hull (above the waterline) several years ago, I estimate that if you take it to shop and have a pro fix it, the repair will cost around $2,500. It’s not the materials that make up the bulk of the cost, although they are not cheap either, It’s the labor. the shop I went to had to go through multiple sanding sessions with different grades of paper to blend the new and old paint together. I went the insurance route so only paid my deductible. Can you fix it yourself? sure. You can patch it temporarily with flex seal or something similar just to get you through the season and you can repair it yourself during this coming off season. Would i fix it myself? Hell no because I think if i did the repair would be easy to see, couldn’t miss it because it would look like crap.

 

[tdonoughue]

I agree. I am normally a big proponent of fixing it yourself, but in this case you definitely have impacted the glass (rather than just the gelcoat). Time to call a pro if you have not done fiberglass before. I have undertaken glass-impacted repairs, but not as my first try (and not something that deep). It can be done, but that is a big (and scary) job. Basically you will need to grind all the impacted glass out (not just the stuff that is gone--anything that is broken, cracked, etc.) and then re-lay the glass and epoxy back. Then you start the gelcoat. In short, a pro is going to take your 2x2 hole and make it a 6x6 gash before making it all better.

Just finished a claim for a bottom hit. Don't regret it a bit, even after renewal.

 

[FLBulldogger]

@JOAN ROJAS did you do that at BlackPoint? I watch a youtuber that videos there and it looks like a wicked current and those concrete docks are pretty unforgiving. I would agree with the above posters I have done some fiberglass repairs but the wound you have there needs to be addressed by a professional. Good luck!

 

[JOAN ROJAS]

@JOAN ROJAS did you do that at BlackPoint? I watch a youtuber that videos there and it looks like a wicked current and those concrete docks are pretty unforgiving. I would agree with the above posters I have done some fiberglass repairs but the wound you have there needs to be addressed by a professional. Good luck!

Na at pelican harbor, high tide and actually current was pretty bad too. But it was all my fault, hit forward instead of reverse. I follow the same YouTuber lol