Hit a Rock cracked my hull - Should have gotten KeelShield!! :mad:

[cheappc]

Hit a Rock cracked my hull - Should have gotten KeelGuard!!

Well took the boat out twice this month.. and yesterday at the lake, I tried to avoid hitting this guy on his PWC who was beaching at the launching unloading area, I came in kinda fast so to completely avoid him i speeded up a little bit just to make sure my boat doesn't go side ways on the beaching side of the launching loading area, and I heard the horrible BANG, I knew right away it was not good, i hit a rock on the bottom of my keel. It ruined a perfect day.

Apparently, some newbie was just beaching at the launching loading area, I hate that. Then the guy, brings his truck, backs it unto the lake, I thought he was going to pull his PWC out.. but he goes riding around the lake again, with his truck backed up on the lake of the retrieving launching pad????

Then he leaves it there for no one else to use the launching area while he is out joy riding his PWC, so I am in astonishment.. so me and my kids, just stay there and wait for his royal highness to finish his royal ride, while 1. i hit a rock so not to avoid his rudeness, then I have to wait for him to finish his ride for me to pull out my boat?

Wrong Proper Boat Edicacy..

The moral of this story is PATIENCE, I should have just kept riding around while this jerk finished his unbelievable 30 minute retrieval..



Im like, is this dude for real.. talk about

Here is the damage

Now I remembered I had some Marine Tex Putty from my previous sportster and it worked like a charm for years, so this is what I did.. the crack wasnt more than 2 inches and it didnt penetrate through the fiberglass... Well you guys tell me, you think this is going to hold up?

Also when I went to tune up my boat, I remember the service adviser recommending the keel guard (keelguard), I should have gotten it, so regret not getting it, because I always beach my boat.

keel guard:

 

[racerxxx]

Bummer, that MarineTex will hold like no one's business. You might want to sand it flush so it's not so unsightly and reminds you every time you see it. Keel Guard would have helped, but they are unsightly on their own, IMO.

Like you said --Patience! I'll just lay back and wait if I have any inkling that they are the slightest bit clueless (runs rampant at boat ramps, LOL)

 

[cheappc]

Thanks for your input, I am going to sand it, I just wanted to put enough on there to get in right, and sand it flush later.. I remember I fixed my old sportster with a crack with this same material marinetex, it held up like a charm - beautifully, but this time around the crack is on the bottom of my hull, im hoping it was the right decision, i dont want to be out in lake havasu and my boat sinking??..

I didnt see any water going in there.. but ?? I dont know...


I went ahead and just bought the keel guard, a guy with a sportster 4-tec (same size as my boat) said in his post 5 foot wasnt enough, so I got the 7 foot keelguard with a free bowguard.

http://seadoosportboats.com/topic/788-keelguard/

I got it on Ebay, its my birthday on Friday thats my birthday gift to myself, because really I have no money to spending right now..

 

[cheappc]

Bummer, that MarineTex will hold like no one's business. You might want to sand it flush so it's not so unsightly and reminds you every time you see it. Keel Guard would have helped, but they are unsightly on their own, IMO.

Like you said --Patience! I'll just lay back and wait if I have any inkling that they are the slightest bit clueless (runs rampant at boat ramps, LOL)

Well here is an update to anybody out there that this has happened to, I sanded the Marine Tex down a little bit, I still probably need to sand it down with Color Sand 1000 grit paper to get it smooth...

I also got the keel guard, but I am not going to put it on until I know that my repair withstands and leaks or any other problems.

I have insurance, so maybe I should have just gotten it taking care of at the stealership which I may still do if my water test doesnt go right.. here is the update pictures:

My keel guard arrived yesterday:

 

[RFoster130]

Im not sure how that epoxy works, but ive used the gel cote repair kits and when it was all done, you couldnt even tell. Sand it with 1000 grit, then 1500, then 2000. All wet...Then buff it out with marine rubbing compound. I wouldnt worry about it....it happens. Definitely wouldnt file an insurance claim.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Im not sure how that epoxy works, but ive used the gel cote repair kits and when it was all done, you couldnt even tell. Sand it with 1000 grit, then 1500, then 2000. All wet...Then buff it out with marine rubbing compound. I wouldnt worry about it....it happens. Definitely wouldnt file an insurance claim.

Do you mean a spray-on gel coat, or a putty mix that's troweled on? I've not seen a successful spray-on gel coat so that would be interesting. In this case, looks like the OP has sanded through gel coat into the glass in some of these photos and would benefit from a spray on coating. I think he might not have had as large an area if he had used a flat plastic trowel to fill the gouges and smooth out the epoxy surface, then laid wax paper in the wet epoxy to give it a smooth texture.

One difference between epoxy and gel coat is the gel coat doesn't adhere to epoxy but epoxy has a tenacious adhesion to about any kind of resin, including gel coat. In his case I would use the marine-tex as filler, just b/c that's what I'm used to using. Epoxy is an structural adhesive. Judging by the pics (which are somewhat confusing, I see yellow boat, black boat, white trailer, black trailer, not sure what's what) I think he needs a spray on coating as well, and a gel-coat spray on (if available would be cool!) won't adhere properly to the epoxy (I think b/c epoxy has a waxy surface content), so I would use an epoxy paint in this case as a finish layer, I've used white epoxy appliance paint many times in similar situations, it's tough stuff and easy to apply, wet sandable to a nice shine.

 

[suke]

Keel guards are awesome. I've put them on everything I've owned from boats to skis.

 

[cheappc]

Thank you all for your input & suggestions, I really appreciate them.. In retrospect I think I should have prepped the area a lot better, the holes were not too big, but I should have sanded it more and thoroughly cleaned the area much more than I did before applying Marine Tex.

But oh we'll, I could always redo it if something fails, the weather has been from 45 degrees to 80 in SoCal, so the Marine Tex has taken sometime to cure.

So what do you guys suggest after I sand the Marine Tex all the way smooth? Do you think I should not sand it so much in case it just breaks off?

Also, if I sand it down smooth, which way should I go? Epoxy? Gel Coat? Or do you guys have a kit you recommend to be able to finish the job properly, to look glossy and professionally to withstand any leaks? And make it look like it never happened.

Most importantly is I needed to be safe, really I don't care about the looks that much, I prefer not to sink . Thanks

 

[RFoster130]

The stuff I'm talking about is the OEM repair kits from gel cote...the company that makes the original stuff BRP uses. It is a liquid/paste. you mix it yourself by adding the hardener. You use a small brush to fill in the area, cover with wax paper then smooth it out. Let it dry and sand...Voila...looks new. They are very easy to use and when it is done you can't even tell it was used. Ive never used the epoxy to fix a repair, so I'm not sure if it sands tooth the way the gel does.

 

[cheappc]

The stuff I'm talking about is the OEM repair kits from gel cote...the company that makes the original stuff BRP uses. It is a liquid/paste. you mix it yourself by adding the hardener. You use a small brush to fill in the area, cover with wax paper then smooth it out. Let it dry and sand...Voila...looks new. They are very easy to use and when it is done you can't even tell it was used. Ive never used the epoxy to fix a repair, so I'm not sure if it sands tooth the way the gel does.

Thanks! Ill look for it

 

[moochy]

Keel shields are the go, one of the first things I did to my challenger, nearly hit a rock on the weekend too. Good insurance right there to invest in one.

 

[cheappc]

What a week!!

I tell you, its been a ride, anyways, here is an update on my repair, I finally was able to take the boat out and "try" my repair with the small holes I put on my boat.

Believe me it sucks that I even did that to my boat. Patience is something I am getting forced to acquire.

I went to Lake Elsinore, it was such a beautiful day yesterday and it was an extremely rewarding experience. Funny how everyone was so nice out there, all the boaters nice to one another, I was having a great time riding other boaters wave, and my fuel beep came on and my boat warned me "low fuel" so I headed out back to the docking area to go get some gas and this nice gentleman came up and told me how he loved my boat, i said thank you and i told him i just ran out of gas and was heading to a gas station. He told me he had gas in his truck and Im welcomed to it!! wow..

I said well thank you, but I insisted in giving him some money it was the least I can do!

My repair held up quite good. I first patched my hole with Marine Tex, then I waited since I wrote this January 22, 2014 - and its March 8th 2014, so that was 6 weeks (because of rain and having to work and the cold weather). So the Marine Tex cured, I sanded it down like everyone mentioned. First with 400 grit, 800 grit, than 1000 grit.

Then I purchased the Marine Gel Coat repair kit, so basically I used Marine Tex like a filler, sanded it down smooth around the work area and the surrounding areas then I applied the Evercoat Marine Match N' Patch Gelcoat Repair Kit 100668 on top of my Marine Tex.

The Gel Coat Repair kit was really good, the white matched perfectly i didnt have to mix any colors. When I first launched the boat I was hesitant to go out and get crazy, wanted to to know how it was going to hold up in water, so I beached it a couple of times, went and felt and looked at the repair, so far so good.

Then I went out and got crazy! I got one someones wave and my boat did a 180 and my girlfriend and I almost flew out of the boat! it was great! loved it.

Then I looked and the repair job held great.. here are some pictures:

I know its not my best work, the black areas is "paint tape" residue I havent removed. All I care right now for is the integrity of the repair, making sure it withstands hard riding and so forth. Im going to have to resand it again, apply the gel coat repair kit again and buff it down.

I did not not want to put on the Keel Guard until I knew deep in my heart that the repair was going to last. Finally im going to buff it out and in all honesty the Keel Guard would probably hide any ugliness of the repair!

 

[briancayko]

What length of keel guard would I need for a 2010 challenger 210 and how high up the bow do you start it at?

 

[JPass]

What length of keel guard would I need for a 2010 challenger 210 and how high up the bow do you start it at?

Our keel guard is 7 ft. Got it through Amazon. You can see where it begins in this pic. Works like a champ. Only mod I did was to add some 4200 along the leading and side edges for a foot or so to prevent water from getting underneath it and removing it from the hull. It's been on for 3 seasons now without any issues.

 

[briancayko]

Thanks JPass, do you know how long you have to wait after install before putting the boat back into the water?

 

[JPass]

Thanks JPass, do you know how long you have to wait after install before putting the boat back into the water?

I did it on a Sunday, so the 4200 could cure. I would think without the 4200, you wouldn't have to wait long. Maybe a day??

 

[rgardner928]

Why isnt the forum showing me the OP's pictures. I go out on lake havasu as well, and I'm debating a keel guard for my speedster. Any help so I can see his pics, would be great.

 

[JPass]

Better pics of the keel guard

 

[briancayko]

Here’s the size chart. I ordered the 8 foot one for Our 210 challenger.

 

[JPass]

That should be plenty. I have zero scrapes past the end of the keel guard. 8' buys you another foot of protection.

 

[mikidymac]

Why isnt the forum showing me the OP's pictures. I go out on lake havasu as well, and I'm debating a keel guard for my speedster. Any help so I can see his pics, would be great.

Because this post is 4 years old and his links are broken because of the PhotoBucket debacle.

 

[briancayko]

Here is mine installed. Pretty easy job & this thing is not coming off. That 3m backing sticks crazy good. I bought the white color & you can tell it’s just a bit off from the hull white color. Not sure if they make a shade closer or not but they do have a lot of options. Also, there is no cure time. The instructions say you can put it in the water immediately after application, I believe it too.