Repair or Replacement Hull - NY

[springsDS2]

Hi,

I have a DSII and it was clipped by a falling tree a few months ago while parked in my driveway. A branch hit it on the port bow; the hull has an 8" long vertical crack, and the deck as an 8" or so lateral crack. Also the hull and deck joint opened up for about 2' on either side of the crack, fore and aft.

I didn't pay a lot for the boat and so it doesn't make any sense to have someone else repair it, and I don't really want to spend my next sailing season fixing it myself.

I am wondering if I can get my hands on another hull. If so, I could swap all the rigging.

Also wondering if anyone who has the time and desire to repair it, would like to have this hull. Boat is in East Hampton, NY.

Regards,
Gregg

[jeadstx]

I know that Swashbuckley did major hull repairs on his DS II last spring, although his damage were major crack/openings on each end of the centerboard trunk caused by too narrow of a trailer. Personally, I'm not good at fiberglass repair.

Pictures would help to get an idea from those that have done extensive hull repair.

Seems to me I remember seeing a hull for sale not too long ago, will try to remember where. There have been some boats parted out on this site, maybe someone has a hull. Have you checked with Cape Cod Shipbuilding to find out what a new hull would cost or if they can do the repair.

John

[GreenLake]

Fiberglass is eminently repairable, and because the DS boats are overdimensioned, repairs are generally easier than on boats where the hulls are thin as eggshells.

The biggest effort is in restoring not the strength and function, but in achieving an attractive surface. That's something you can put off so you can go sailing first.

All of this is assuming the damage is localized as you describe. Shouldn't take "all season" for a repair and you can get remote advice galore here on the forum.

[DS3151]

+1 Greenlake! Please post pictures. This sounds like a simple repair that can be completed in a weekend with no more than $100 in supplies by you. You can PM me for my phone number and I could talk you through this. You should not buy a new hull any more than you would buy a new car if you got a flat tire.

[talbot]

Please don't take this discussion offline.

I had a near-miss from a branch during a windstorm this fall, and have been wondering how I could handle major damage.

I have done some structural repair on the full before, but each new area presents different problems for reinforcing, positioning, applying pressure, etc. So seeing pictures of the damage and the repair strategy would be great.

I agree that getting the external gel-coat surface to match is almost impossible. After the boat is seaworthy, you might consider sanding, sealing, and painting the entire hull. Or paint a big racing stripe across just the repaired area.

[springsDS2]

Sorry I am tardy in following up with this thread. I have been away over the holidays. I have attached a photo to this message and will send another after this one. If it's just a weekends worth of work, I'm willing. The boat is at a vacation home and I am not there very often, and then usually only for weekends. I have enough to do just taking care of the house, so I'm not thrilled with another repair job; if you know what I mean.

G

[springsDS2]

Here's the other photo:

[GreenLake]

Definitely looks repairable.

First thing would be to remove any damaged (torn) laminate (grinder, hacksaw).

Second thing would be to grind (coarse sand) all the edges to a nice 1 in 8 or better 1 in 12 slope. (I would stay away from the hull stripe, even if it means that corner of the crack may have little weak laminate remaining. The pain of trying to deal with the stripe is probably not worth it, rather, use a patch on the inside)

Third, sand the inside if you want to use a patch (see below)

Fourth would be to first reattach the hull to the deck next to the repair (3M 5200). I would use a compound like 5200 (there are others that also work for hull-deck joints) instead of an epoxy glue, because I think you'll get a better seal that way. However, at the spot where you are making the repair, I would not sweat it, and simply repair the crack in a continuous manner from deck to hull, even if that means that there's one spot that's bonded by epoxy and laminate, rather than some compound. (The PO of my DS1 "sealed" the inside of the hull-deck joint by applying a single layer of laminate at one point. Looks very solid and is watertight, but overkill - using a compound should make this phase of the repair go more smoothly - but, that's really up to you. Perhaps you rather "keep it simple" and limit the number of methods - in that case, thickened epoxy and sealing the crack with a strip of laminate from the inside would work.)

If you do all of this, then your hull should basically almost be strong again, but you now have a gap across which you will need to re-build the laminate.

Fifth, if you can get in from behind, consider applying either a wet or a dry patch to both hull and underside of deck. Generously sized in area, but doesn't need to be very thick (2-3 layers of cloth). A dry patch is just a thin sheet of laminate that you make yourself on a workbench on a plastic sheet. Let it (barely) cure, it will be a bit flexible and conform to the hull, glue in place with epoxy glue (thickened, so it's not runny). A wet patch is a bit messier, again, a few layers of laminate on a plastic sheet, but lifted (with the plastic) and applied to the hull while still wet. No need for glue, but more need for support and even with plastic sheet as backing, prone to a bit of mess.

Sixth, with backing cured to where it's hard (or a dry patch firmly wedged) build up laminate across the gap, using wider and wider patches of cloth (to get a staircase effect that matches your 1 in 12 slope). Dont' build up beyond the level of deck and hull, leave more hollows than bumps.

Seventh. When cured, sand the bumps flat, fill the hollows with an epoxy based fairing compound, slightly proud, then sand flat when cured.

Eigth. Cover up the repair (epoxy doesn't like UV). This is the part that can be infinitely time consuming, or really quick. The quicky solution is to use a good spray paint, designed for "plastic". (You can always sand off the interim cover).

Ninth. go sailing

Tenth. Cut down all trees

OK - this is just the outline. You'll have more questions. There's an older thread on crack repair where I describe a similar repair I did after I got "gored" by an El Toro (a very small boat). Using a patch adds a bit of weight and you'll be able to see where the repair is from the inside, but it has two advantages: no worries about sufficient strength on your repair. And, an easier time working on the repair, because nothing will fall into the gap. Finally, in my case, once I cut away the broken laminate, the remaining tension in the hull deformed it a bit. With a dry patch and a bit of pressure, I was able to get everything back into alignment.

If you are new to working with epoxy, I would suggest some that is ready mixed for the various purposes (glue, laminating epoxy, fairing compound). My goto brand for these is System Three, but I'm biased because they are well-available locally.

I'm sure you'll be back with many questions, and others may have their own experience / suggestions to contribute.

[K.C. Walker]

Yes this is a repairable hull. Though, some of us cannot help tinkering with our boats and would willingly learn to use epoxy and repair this damage. If your time is not available to do the repair, and especially learn to do the repair, you could take this to a fiberglass shop for repair and I don't believe that it would be as expensive as replacing the hull, not to mention the hassle of finding another boat to match up with your rigging. If you can find a readily available boat, especially one that's in better condition or has more goodies, this might be the perfect opportunity to upgrade. I'm sure that you could sell your boat for parts, if you were so inclined.

[springsDS2]

Thank you for the extensive explanation of this work. I don't mind seeing the repair on the inside, but would be nice to have it at least smooth on the outside. I'm not heavily invested in the stripe, so I might just remove it all together. I will ponder this and read over what you suggest. I have done some work with fiberglass, resin and epoxy--not so fun, for me anyway; messy for sure. The idea of a dry or damp patch is interesting.

[GreenLake]

Preparation is half the battle. Especially for work done away from home.

The repair I did is no longer visible - (except on the inside where one can of course see the patch).

Key to that is a good fairing compound and then a long sanding board. Any rotating tools have a tendency to "dig". Your specific challenge will be to match the "hump" over the hull-deck joint, because it has some part that is a concave shape and those are a bit harder to fair.

Once your lines are fair, even if you don't use the final paint, it will look a lot better than the reverse, which would be an unfair shape covered with new perfect deck paint. Eyes like to fasten on "bumps".

For reading up (and as a refresher) both West System and SystemThree publish "How to" documents that go into more detail on the epoxy techniques - while I recommend them, I've learned some tricks on the forum and by doing my repairs, the same is true for many here, so don't be afraid to ask more specific questions.

[carl10579]

Have you started your repair or are you ditching your boat?