Question about potential purchase

[Livewire]

Im looking at purchasing a 232 limited. It has damage on the hull from beaching....scratches and gouge about a foot long. Would this deter you guys from purchasing? Been researching the forums and it looks like a fairly easy repair. But I know it is showing fiberglass in some places in that scratch/rub. Is there any wood in the construction of the hull?

Thanks in advance

 

[swatski]

Im looking at purchasing a 232 limited. It has damage on the hull from beaching....scratches and gouge about a foot long. Would this deter you guys from purchasing? Been researching the forums and it looks like a fairly easy repair. But I know it is showing fiberglass in some places in that scratch/rub. Is there any wood in the construction of the hull?

Thanks in advance

No wood in the hull construction, these have no core really, just a layer of gelcoat, then something I don't know what it is (grey stuff), and then a shell of very good (albeit fairly thin) FRP.

You can get the matching (OEM) gelcoat from Spectrum, sold via iBoats. Need the exact boat model number.

If it's below the water line, I would be concerned if there were any cracks radiating from the damage. But if it is just a scratch/gauge/scrape - it should be a relatively easy fix - if you have any experience w/fiberglass/gelcoat.

--

 

[Livewire]

Thanks for replying @swatski. It's below the water line and I don't have any experience with fiberglass. But YouTube makes it look super easy to do.

 

[robert843]

Its hard to tell from that pic is it basically just surface or is there a physical hole there? If its just surface rub I would do a fiberglass repair job my self them apply a gator guard over it and move on.

 

[Livewire]

The owner sent those to me so im not 100% sure, but he said it was smooth. We plan on buying this boat this weekend and just wanted a little piece of mind.

 

[robert843]

The owner sent those to me so im not 100% sure, but he said it was smooth. We plan on buying this boat this weekend and just wanted a little piece of mind.

If it's all surface I wouldn't stress it as long as I was getting the boat at a discounted price. Just look real good and make sure there isn't an actual hole there if there is between the two hull layers it can be repaired but I would expect to be buying the boat at a significant discount of the current used value

 

[swatski]

Thanks for replying @swatski. It's below the water line and I don't have any experience with fiberglass. But YouTube makes it look super easy to do.

From what I can tell by looking at the pictures - this looks really good! (I mean, as in: very fixable, and can be DIY)

This will need to be fixed for sure, I would not want to keep the boat in the water or wet slip, but this kind of damage does not concern me for any serious impact to the hull, or something that would compromise the hull's strength - not at all. Again, just looking at the pics.

What year is the boat? This trailer is not the new Shorland'r. Is this an original trailer?

Personally, I would fix it using gel coat only. Paste, not liquid, importantly. IMO it will be the best and strongest repair for someone who is not an experienced fiberglass worker. If you try to get fancy and layer it with this and that - for which there is not much room as the gauge is not that deep - you will end up worse than what you are starting with.

The Spectrum gel coat is very high quality, just make sure you buy it and use it fresh. Shelf life of polyester resins is terrible. Do a couple of thin layers to fill and over fill, then go to town with wet sanding and polishing.

I would not use epoxy. Yes, it is stronger, but it is very hard to sand, and you will most likely damage the softer polyester gelcoat around the repair - while sanding the epoxy patch. Epoxy binds very well to polyester but not the other way around. So your gelcoat (polyester) on top of epoxy will be an issue - the epoxy will need to be sanded coarsely to provide for some kind of mechanical binding, but no matter what you do it will never be very strong bond - and likely problems down the road. Whereas a simple gelcoat-only fix will look like new and you will never have an issue with that spot again.

Just my 0.02.

--

 

[Livewire]

This is a members boat and its in the classifieds. 2009 limited 232. The boat is as clean as it looks in the pictures. It ran flawlessly on the test ride. Hopefully the owner won't take offense of me asking about this. I looked at this damage briefly the day we tried it out and didn't think much of it. Not until I got back here and started researching gel coat damage/repairs.

Again thanks for your inputs @swatski, @robert843

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2009-232-limited-giveaway-atlanta.15042/

 

[Livewire]

What year is the boat? This trailer is not the new Shorland'r. Is this an original trailer?

--

Im not sure. Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

 

[swatski]

Im not sure. Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Oh yeah, that's a MFI trailer than.
This boat looks awesome, has one of the best soundproofing/deadening mods ever!
Congrats!

--

 

[tim h]

I had similar damage to my boat when the gate at the storage lot closed on the boat after my truck went through.
I let the professionals fix it and it cost me/them about $450.
I know nothing of fiberglass repair.
There are lots of things that I can do, and figure out how to do, that doesn't fall under either category...

Good luck and have fun with your new boat !

 

[PEARCE]

I'd get it professionally fixed and be done with it. I'm with @tim h on this one. Our new to us cruiser is having a similar repair done now along with blister repair and a bottom job. It's par for the course for buying a large boat.

 

[FloJet]

Any good fiberglass guy should repair that. I've seen my fiberglass guy do many miracles on many boats. I would take it to a professional too like others say. Should be under $1k at most places.

 

[swatski]

It's hard to tell from a picture - that's for sure (so one can not be positive)
BUT
what I see - the depth, the damage, and the location - this looks like a classic long gouge from hitting the trailer or ramp ,w/no perforation. This does NOT look like structural damage. No blistering that I can see. These hulls have no core, an important consideration.
This kind of damage happens all the time, most of the time people just cover it up with a keel guard which is not the best idea - without fixing gelcoat first to protect fiberglass/FRP.

Judging from the pictures - this looks like a very simple fix, with some sanding and good gelcoat paste. IMO.
White hull color helps here as well - as it will not show repair imperfections as much as dark/black would.

--

 

[Zonie]

I know it looks bad, but to me it looks superficial. I had several areas like that on my boat when I bought. All of them were repaired using gelcoat kits from Spectrum. This is definitely something you can do yourself.

My latest incident followed our trip around Manhattan with Devildog and a few others. When retrieving the boat, the latch on the winch slipped and the boat slid halfway off the trailer. The stern was sitting on the concrete ramp (underwater) and we had to back it up to get it back on the trailer. It ripped a big chunk of gelcoat off right at the drain plug. Spectrum gelcoat to the rescue! It's good as new again.

 

[swatski]

I know it looks bad, but to me it looks superficial. I had several areas like that on my boat when I bought. All of them were repaired using gelcoat kits from Spectrum. This is definitely something you can do yourself.

My latest incident followed our trip around Manhattan with Devildog and a few others. When retrieving the boat, the latch on the winch slipped and the boat slid halfway off the trailer. The stern was sitting on the concrete ramp (underwater) and we had to back it up to get it back on the trailer. It ripped a big chunk of gelcoat off right at the drain plug. Spectrum gelcoat to the rescue! It's good as new again. View attachment 66722 View attachment 66723

Awesome post, @Zonie!

--

 

[Livewire]

Now that I own this boat I’ve had the chance to go out and get some better pictures. I have to agree with @swatski. This looks like a very easy repair.

On a side note. What length keelshield would be ok and what color? White or off white?

 

[swatski]

Now that I own this boat I’ve had the chance to go out and get some better pictures. I have to agree with @swatski. This looks like a very easy repair.

On a side note. What length keelshield would be ok and what color? White or off white?

I would go with KeelShield, white, 9ft.
But all of it is personal preference really.

—