Bass boat bottom needs some help

[AndellR93VS]

Hi guys, first post here and first time boat owner. I have been reading alot of posts on here to try and keep from asking the same questions but I am still not sure what to do... I have a Ranger boat with some really big scuffs on the bottom. When I bought the boat I got so wrapped up in all the other items I wanted to make sure were good with the boat that I forgot to look at the bottom of the boat. Excited rookie... the first time I crawled under there it was rather surprising. Looks to me like someone smeared lots of epoxy around to cover up some bad driving by a previous owner... The boat still handles good on the water and does not leak, but I want to smooth this out and cover it, basically because it looks like garbage.. My question is, is the finish on the bottom a gelcoat? If I sand it down and cover with gel coat is that the right thing to do? Thanks for all the other tips and information on this forum!

[KYRANGERMAN]

I'll let the refinish/restoration pros handle the rest of your questions but, yes, the bottom of the boat is gelcoat.

[AndellR93VS]

Thanks KYRANGERMAN, I assumed it was but did not want to mess it up. It has been fun getting it cleaned up and shiny again. I figured I could tackle this part over the winter while its in the garage.

[willwork4fish]

It's gelcoat but I've repaired thin gouges up to probably a foot long and one that was probably 6" by 1/2" wide with Marine Tex before. He may have used some resin and done a crappy job of finishing it. You're probably best off to wet sand it smooth and leave it be, it's on the bottom. If you don't know what was used than gel might not adhere to it and you'd have to grind all of that out and re-do it. my $0.02

[AndellR93VS]

Good point. Thanks for the .02!

[redxdu]

Post some pictures of the damage if you're able.

[crank68]

Gotta have pics in order to get good usable info...

[dvl2700]

Photos would help. Sand semi smooth and then wet sand. Remember most epoxies are semi porous. Thus the need for gel coat or some other water barrier (paint). Probably will not get an exact match, but is is a used boat and on the bottom.
dvl2700

[AndellR93VS]

starboard 1 bottom.jpgstarboard 2 bottom.jpg

Sorry guys been away from the computer for a few days! Here are a couple of pics. Its pretty rough all the way down the starboard side. Not sure if you can tell what was used from these pics though. Thanks for all the messages!

[AndellR93VS]

starboard 3 bottom.jpg

One more larger over view. Now that I have had more time to look at it and think about the damage, it almost looks like it just got in some shallow water for a bit and got beat up in the rocks.

[redxdu]

I'll be interested to see what the pros say on this one

[bassin365]

You have some serious issues under there, I would suggest a professional as it looks like some delaminating going on in multiple spots.

[rojoguio]

Too much hardener in the gel when the boat was manufactured. The brittleness of the gelcoat can not be fixed properly with a patch. It got too hot in the mold. Now there is glass behind the cracking but if you just try to skim the cracks with anything that sets it's just going to continue to open cracks. the gelcoat was allowed to pool in the mold when it was sprayed in allowing too much heat to build up when curing. Not a problem to fix but the distressed areas have to be ground out first, glass used to build up, then re-gelcoated. If attempting to patch epoxy is the only material that will stick to that substrate reliably. Epoxy is 3000psi adhesion, Poly or Vinylester resin is 300 psi adhesion. If you got the boat for a reasonable price and this is the only rub, fix it. I have fixed much worse to save a customers favorite boat.

[AndellR93VS]

Well that's not really good news at all Rojo! LOL! That one pic is the only spot where you can actually see the fiberglass peaking out. The rest is just big scratches and marrings. I don't see any cracks or de-lamination happening though so I am not sure what you mean. Could it be the shadows from the heavy coating of patch material that was stuck on there?? Maybe that looks like cracks in the pictures?

[rojoguio]

I see now that you pointed it out, the shadow looked like a crack to me. You still have gelcoat cracking from too hot a cure. Where you see the glass, perpendicular cracking, nothing is stuck to it on the underside. Hull blistering is the same fix. When curing the heat makes the gelcoat expand, when it cools you don't have adhesion there. So let's approach this from a different perspective so I can better help you. If you see "cracks" in and through the gelcoat not associated with where gelcoat was "scrapped off" that has to be ground back to good glass and repaired. A Feather edge while grinding will reveal where you do have adhesion. The glass has to be ground so a "tooth" is available for your repair material, whatever you decide to use, Sticks. I think a previous owner or Ranger themselves during quality control did a repair that is failing. You can't start a "new" "permanent" repair on old, cracking work. It will not stay. Whatever PITA you go through to fix will be worse if your repair doesn't stick permanently the first time. I hope this helps.

[AndellR93VS]

Got it! Thanks Rojo. I will have to do some destructive, or "investigative" demo here to see how bad this really is. It is probably in my best interest to get all that crud off there so I can see what is going on. Thanks everyone for all the advice. I will let you know what I uncover.

[rojoguio]

Bud be patient while grinding. Don't use anything over a 2in disc. 24 grit is my go grit for this. A 90deg 1/4in air grinder is what I use. I will turn the pressure down so the disc bogs so I don't make more work for myself. You can make a 6-8in mold off a close shape to where your repair needs to happen. Use the mold to reform the filler/glass to minimize the repair time. Milled fibers, 404 High Density Filler from West Systems can be used to reinforce & thicken polyester resin enough to mold sections of your repair for speed. Kitty Hair also works good for this when filling is needed. Keep your disc moving with light pressure while grinding, kinda wiping the disc along the areas that need to be removed. As soon as you see the gelcoat cut cleanly to glass, stop. Only remove what has to be removed, then post some pictures for us to double check your progress.

[RGK456]

You have some serious issues under there, I would suggest a professional as it looks like some delaminating going on in multiple spots.

What he said.............

You also need to get the boat off the trailer to look under the bunk boards.

[84rickygreen]

If you were near Many Louisiana (Toledo Bend) I would recommend a Gorilla hull by Toledo Fiberglass. Those guy's are awesome. They did my 1984 Cajun and it looks brand new! Oh and a lifetime warranty!!


http://toledofiberglass.com/

[mikesxpress]

Based on the uncertainty of what damages actually took place that had boat shop Bubba under there slinging snot to cover it up, it's worth going back to the seller and asking what happened, what was used, and why.

Regardless, a trip to the glass shop is in order as you need to know exactly it is your dealing with before doing anything to the hull. No one on here can remotely diagnose your situation with pictures.