Crack? Or an old patch?

[Jimmy J]

Picked up a cheap 1978 Lucraft Bass Finder X-17, just gonna be using the boat to putt around on for fun.

Looks like its in decent shape except one ugly spot underneath front right-side of hull. Its different color then the rest of the boat.

Could it be a crack? Or an old patch?

 

[Mr Efficiency]

Give it a good whack with a rubber mallet around the area, to test the soundness. And yes, rubber !

 

[Jimmy J]

Give it a good whack with a rubber mallet around the area, to test the soundness. And yes, rubber !

what kind of sound or vibration should I be getting back?

Thanks

 

[Mr Efficiency]

I'd be looking for any difference in sound, than say, from the same area on the other side of the boat. And especially if it sounds less solid.

 

[ondarvr]

It looks like a terribly done repair.

Are those cracks running all around the different colored area?

 

[Mr Efficiency]

If you can access the inside of the boat at that area, it might reveal something. A lot of glass boats get damage up under the bow area from incidents when retrieval onto a trailer goes wrong, but is usually more localised.

 

[Jimmy J]

It looks like terribly done repair.

Are those cracks running all around the different colored area?

Here's a better picture

 

[Jimmy J]

If you can access the inside of the boat at that area, it might reveal something. A lot of glass boats get damage up under the bow area from incidents when retrieval onto a trailer goes wrong, but is usually more localised.

I managed to get the live well out above that side of the boat and found this. Looks like somebody may have already went inside, its kind of above that area? Or is that original.?

 

[ondarvr]

If they'd done a good job on the inside the outside wouldn't matter, it would only be cosmetic.

The problem is it looks like the inside was done poorly too.

The glass shouldn't be white.

 

[Jimmy J]

If they'd done a good job on the inside the outside wouldn't matter, it would only be cosmetic.

The problem is it looks like the inside was done poorly too.

The glass shouldn't be white.

That definitely worries me a little, nothing worse that a half *** job. I was hoping to get a season or two out of this boat, I live in ontario Canada and can only use it 5 or 6 months a year.

Do you think it will last a year or 2 without opening a can of worms? Thoughts?

Thanks

 

[ondarvr]

The outside is already cracking a great deal. If all they did was put one layer of roving on the inside, then didn't wet it out with resin correctly, no, it doesn't have a good chance of surviving.

But from just a couple of pics, and a 1000 miles away, it's hard to determine the exact condition of the damage and attempted repair.

 

[Jimmy J]

The outside is already cracking a great deal. If all they did was put one layer of roving on the inside, then didn't wet it out with resin correctly, no, it doesn't have a good chance of surviving.

But from just a couple of pics, and a 1000 miles away, it's hard to determine the exact condition of the damage and attempted repair.

I'm gonna try tapping it with a rubber hammer tonight, ill see what it sounds like.

Let's say its is cracked on boat surface. Should i dig through inside of boat to patch and of course outside as well? I've been watching lots of videos of patch work.

Or should just take my losses and scrap

 

[ondarvr]

It's not a difficult repair, but check all the wood in the stringers and transom before doing anything else.

 

[Jimmy J]

It's not a difficult repair, but check all the wood in the stringers and transom before doing anything else.

Any ideas of the best way to check those?

Thanks

 

[Mr Efficiency]

It appears someone has tried to reinforce the area from the inside (I would say the boat appears to have hit a Dugong, or a Manatee, except they are scarce in Ontario !) but did a rather slip-shod job, and only made doing it properly, more difficult. Properly reinforcing it from the inside seems the way to go, once you have identified the size of the affected area, which needs to be well over-lapped.