Jump to content

Hull repair where engine was sit

K. K

By K. K
in Boat Building & Maintenance

 Share

Featured Posts

restlessnomad Proficient

restlessnomad

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, K. K said:

I need some help with my dawncraft 27 or 25 ft centre cockpit Hull have had a really bad fibreglass job and may be letting water in

welcome new member...

people are very helpful here but you need to describe it better than one line sentence, if you are not good with words, a few pics will help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, K. K said:

Sorry I'm new to this 

I have strip the boat back to shell and where the engine was a long time ago is lifted from the floor and I an not put an engine in after I ha e repair to problem 

 

You talk about the floor but the floor on a boat is usually wooden boards several inches above the hull so at present your post makes little sense.

 

Lets assume you are talking about the hull for now.

 

Dawncraft often had Z drives fitted onto the transom (back of the hull) and there may well be a leak on the transom or where the transom meets the hull so we need to know if the leak was in either of these places.

 

If the bottom of the hull was damaged  or suffered very bad osmosis then that would be a different type of repair.

 

The boat might also have a wooden bolt on keel and if so a rotten keel or damaged/missing keel bolt could cause a leak in the bottom of the hull.

 

We also need an idea of what this repair actually consisted of or what was done and what you want to achieve. Will you be refitting the engine and if so is it to be a Z drive or shaft drive installation or maybe you are thinking about an outboard.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

If I understand it correctly it looks as if the transom is coming away from the hull. Because the transom often has an outdrive/Zdrive mounted on it or an outboard motor the are often reinforced with timber. I suspect that at some time the outdrive/outboard hit something at speed and tried to rip the transom off the boat. I would want to see a photo of the underside of the hull in that area and also photo(s) of the repairs/damage you indicate in the diagram.

 

If the engine beds go right back to the transom then it makes repair more difficult.

 

Without assessing the damage this would be my approach and it won't end up very pretty. It is also arguably the most highly stressed part of the hull so your work needs to take this into account.

 

Clean  the whole bilge and transom in that area with degreaser until its grease/oil free and clean.

 

Using a  wide wood chisel or an old plane iron cut the repair GRP away from the inside trying not to damage the original structure to a significant extent.

 

If there are any cracks use something like a disk in an angle grinder to open them up a little about half way though the hull and with a V shape.

 

Rough up the whole area by at least two feet all round, including the engine beds. Maybe a foot up the transom.

 

Get rid of all the dust and clean again with acetone to ensure no oil or grease is in the cracks or on the surface.

 

Search the net for videos on laying up glass mat.

 

Force some  resin soaked glass scrim into the V of the gap to fill it more or less flush and then apply resin to to the whole area and start laying up chopped strand glass mat.. You need to get the mat onto the transom, hull and beds in large pieces so they tie it all together. I would not apply less than four layers and maybe more along the transom to hull joint. Mash the mat down into the resin really well to exclude all the air pockets. I would then lay some acetate sheets over the repair and massage it down so after the repair hardens you can pull it off leaving a reliantly smooth surface.

 

Now turn your attention to the outside.

 

Remove any paint in the area, open up and cracks, again as a V. Rough up and again degrease taking great care in the cracks. Repeat the above procedure but this time when you have sufficient layers of chopped strand mat apply a couple of coats of glass scrim.

 

When its hard rub down and  apply a some coats of coloured gel coat rubbing down after each has hardened so you end up with a repair that more or less matches the hull.  I think you could substitute  epoxide paint for the gel coat.

 

I take no responsibility for the repair and would advise you to  cost the mat and resin plus the likely value of the boat before you go any further. Hopefully a Dawncraft owner/specialist will be able to give better advice. I fear the boat may have an inner and outer moulding and that will make the repair more difficult but with engine beds there I suspect that area will just be the hill.

 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, K. K said:

Vey helpful where the drive shaft was they have filled it with fom all the way down 

 

Drive shaft? Are you saying this used to be a shaft driven boat or do you mean the hole where an outdrive was fitted has been filled with foam. Hard to know what you mean without photos.

 

It is even possible the builders encapsulated foam into the transom to give it enough thickness to clamp an outboard to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, K. K said:

I have not got round to it yet what's the problem 

You asked for help giving hardly any information, your follow up posts seem to be muddled and poorly worded to say the least. You stated that you would post "pics on Sunday" but only sent a sketch that complies with no technical drawing standards so you leave those trying to help you to guess what you are talking about.

 

You were told on Saturday that more information and photos were needed and despite people giving up their time to try to help you your answer is "I have not got round to it yet what's the problem". If you are away from the boat or otherwise prevented from getting the information requested just say so, don't appear to ignore those you ask for help from. Because all boats are a one off, unlike cars, the less easily understood information you give the more work you make for those who try to help you. Easy for you and difficult for them.

 

If people want help they have to try to help themselves and far too often here and elsewhere on the net they seem to think we know everything about their boat, what is in their mind, and their thought processes. The bottom line is we don't and can't unless they give up all the information required.

 

I suspect (without photos and full information) that you have been sold a scrapper and it may be impossible to make an effective long term repair, especially if you intend to hang any form of propulsion unit on that transom.

 

PS, you then split the thread so when one needs to see everything you have said it requires a second browser window so we can look at both threads. Not very helpful is it.

Edited by Tony Brooks
Link to comment
Share on other sites
restlessnomad Proficient

restlessnomad

Posted
Posted (edited)
41 minutes ago, K. K said:

Mate if you're rude about it you no where to go

I told you this earlier, you are not good with words so help people to help you by showing pics and furnishing info that they need. Even then there is always risk of getting conflicting advice from different members. Just like offline advice you need to decide which is best. You are making it hard for others which is why not many replied.

Now its up to you to act entitled or stupid or both.

Edited by restlessnomad
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tony Brooks Veteran II

Tony BrooksDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, K. K said:

Mate if you're rude about it you no where to go

So I take it you don't want any more help form me then. In view of your sentence construction etc. throughout this topic may I respectfully suggest that you might consider taking some classes in basic English when such things resume then your requests for help might be easier for others to understand.

Edited by Tony Brooks
Link to comment
Share on other sites
OldGoat Veteran II

OldGoatDonate to Canal World

Posted
Posted

It's a shame when a forum such as this decends from folks helping each other on a "please and thank you" basis to a free service where questioners get in a strop if there a not unreasonable request for more information from a member who wants to help.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tree monkey Veteran II

tree monkey

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, K. K said:

Mate if you're rude about it you no where to go

I will assume you are new to the forum and don't know how much time and effort Tony will put in to help people with boat problems or his long history and experience of boats.

Take a breath, have a brew and come back with some photos as requested and plenty of help will be offered 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.