Repair or Scrap

I have a '78 with the original sails. I purchased it back in 1987 and have had great and memorable times with it. I have raced but mostly for fun and the challenge and experience of getting the boat to go exactly where I need to go. It has been stored outside most of its life. It has soft spots probably 5 of them. The largest is probably about 50" square. I've read about repairing the hulls but I'm wondering what the success rate is and satisfaction afterward. Your thoughts? How unsafe is it with soft spots? To scrap or repair? I also have an '84, but I have a large family and we enjoy sailing. I have also read about the problems with Coleman made boats.

It depends where the soft spots are, but usually boats get soft in areas that are heavily cycled/loaded. The soft spots will grow if they aren't repaired, and the hull will most likely fail eventually.

I don't really see any downside to trying to repair it, other than possibly wasting some epoxy. Most likely, if you do the repair right, the boat will be totally hard and good to sail. I'd say go for it.

sm

Top caps repair really well, hull sides do not. I have tried several times without success, seems to always continue to zipper apart. When your finished on the sides it will seem solid but after a good sail it will get soft around the repair.

just wondering if gravity is working with or against you
have you tryed demounting the hull and doing the side repair
with the side up, so the epox will flow evenly and not fall
as it will on a mounted hull and pool at the bottom of the delam

see sometime high school physics helps

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QUESTION WONDER AND BE WEIRD

I've done it several ways. Most effective was filling the void with resin and using air pressure in the hull to squeeze it back out. I was never satisfied with any hull side repairs I've done. Better to buy a used hull or boat IMO.