Leaking crack in hull, '99 Speedster SK

[Rocket7919]

I've got a 99 Speedster SK, new to me. As you can see in the picture, the gel coat is worn off in some areas. I asked the previous owner about it when I bought it and he said it was like that when HE bought it. Today, I was underneath it, checking out some things on the trailer and I found two small cracks/holes. One is just in front of the intakes and looks like it was hit on something. The other is in the left of the picture, pretty much in the middle of the hull. The fiberglass IS worn thinner there, but only seems to be in that one spot where the water is coming from. I've checked the rest of the hull where the gel coat is worn off and there doesn't seem to be any dangerously thin parts. These two look like they've been leaking for a bit, but who knows. The hole to the left goes up into the middle of the engine compartment, inside the hump in the middle. The other one doesn't go anywhere, it just hits something solid past the sheet of fiberglass. I'm curious if I just patch and/or build up the fiberglass and I'll be good to go, or is there wood underneath there that's going to, or already is, rotting out. I'd say it's metal because of the rust stain, but I'm not sure. Anyhow, any and all thoughts are appreciated!!

 

[mejim707]

I'm also curious what the stringers are made from.

But if you can, shine a light through the hole and check if you can see it in the engine bay. I know the engine pans rust on these which may be the origin of your rust stain here.

But those two holes look pretty concerning. And judging by the wear, the previous owner must have had a bad habit of beaching the boat wearing the fiber glass down. The fiber glass isn't thick in the first place. And the previous owner must have had zero concern about the damage they were doing.

I will never beach the boat let alone at such a speed to cause wear like this.

Your best bet would be get a fiber glass professional to take a look at it. I wouldn't use the boat in this condition.

 

[Rocket7919]

Yeah, it's kind of crazy to think that someone beached this thing enough to cause that much wear. It's weird though where it's worn. I'd expect the bottom, but the ones on the side are odd...how the hell did it happen in one spot and not along the length? No matter, I've checked out the hull and can't see light. The worn spots are pretty solid, even around the one leak. There aren't any cracks anywhere, inside or out. In saying that, I'm not at all concerned about using it, although we're done for the summer up here.

I'd be the closest thing to a fiberglass expert, hah! I live in the middle of nowhere and we don't have much of anything up this way, let alone experts in fiberglass. The closest place would be about a 6 hour drive away. I've done fiberglass work in years past so I think my best bet is to glass over the bald spots, layer it up and gel coat it.

 

[mejim707]

Yeah, it's kind of crazy to think that someone beached this thing enough to cause that much wear. It's weird though where it's worn. I'd expect the bottom, but the ones on the side are odd...how the hell did it happen in one spot and not along the length? No matter, I've checked out the hull and can't see light. The worn spots are pretty solid, even around the one leak. There aren't any cracks anywhere, inside or out. In saying that, I'm not at all concerned about using it, although we're done for the summer up here.

I'd be the closest thing to a fiberglass expert, hah! I live in the middle of nowhere and we don't have much of anything up this way, let alone experts in fiberglass. The closest place would be about a 6 hour drive away. I've done fiberglass work in years past so I think my best bet is to glass over the bald spots, layer it up and gel coat it.

Nice, well at least you sound like you know what you’re doing. I’ve never done glass so this would be it for me lol

If you restore it can you post pictures and such? It would be cool to see the progress!