TOPIC: Advice repairing a hairline crack in boat hull

Hows it going guys im new here so i hope im posting under the right forum for advice. so i recently notice a hairline crack in my friends boat hull which is a 14ft mckee craft. the crack is about 6-7inches. i notice a little water dripping out. i just was looking for advice on the repair of that crack it seemed they did a half a** job with some marine tech prevously. i found a lot of different solutions and conflicting ones online. here is what my plan was to sand down through the gel coat getting down to the crack and drill or grinding the crack open to clean it up. in doing so getting out as much or whatever water is in the hull and drying out the boat. from there i was gonna use resin or a marine filler in the hole i was gonna put in the hull and laying mat and glassing the hull up.

if you have any suggestions or ideas for me any help is appreciated.

bambooman6,

WELCOME ABOARD.

IF it was my boat, I would do essentially as you said, using a un-thinned epoxy resin in the crack followed a few minutes later with epoxy thickened with agricultural (pulverized) lime (from the farm supply store)to "creamy peanut-butter" consistency & then sanded-down & refinished.

Note: IF I believed that the un-thickened epoxy might leak out of the other side of the crack, a piece of duct/masking tape will prevent that problem.

yours, satx

right on for your comment satx. what do you think about me cutting the crack with a grinder to open and clean the crack up? i feel like if the crack was smaller i was gonna just drill the whole. feel free to look at the pics i posted it. it might give a better idea of what im looking at.

bambooman6,

I see NOTHING at all wrong with your plan. = As many here know, I tend to use epoxy/lime for all of these sorts of smaller repairs, as such a repair will usually outlast the hull itself. = Thickened/"kicked-off"/cured epoxy is stronger by weight than steel is.

yours, satx

sounds good satx ill get good some things together and tackle this.

bambooman6,

Should work out FINE. = BEST WISHES.

yours, satx

satx one last thing whats your mix on lime and epoxy. or are you eye balling with it?

bambooman36,

Strictly by stirring the lime in until it looks "just right". ====> SORRY but I don't know any better way to say it.
(IF it's about the consistency of "Creamy JIF", it's hard to go wrong.)

yours, satx

hahaha no worry big man ill play with it. i also looked at an old post that you and a few others commented on. i really appreciate your help. ill try and post so pics

bambooman36,

I foresee you having ZERO problems with filling the crack. - Btw, IF it was mine, I would also "waste the time" in drilling a hole in each end of the crack to ASSURE that it won't/can't spread.
(Lots of knowledgeable folks say you don't need to do that. = My good friend & MASTER boat-builder, Harold C___________ for just one who thinks my "belt & suspenders" approach is NEEDLESS.)

yours, satx