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When great days turn to less than great
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Author:  abbman [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:36 pm ]
Post subject:  When great days turn to less than great
Hello to all. Some of you may remember my posts about seeking advice on delam repair. Well, after a successful delam repair on one deck(starbord) I now have one on the port hull interior :cry: This was realized after a several fun filled hours of flying hulls across the lake in shifty winds from 10-20mph. I was having a great time after jonsing for a good sail for about a year, after fixing what I thought was the only problem with my boat here arises another. I was flying a hull when suddenly I couldn't recover and capsized. Not a biggie I thought, I had righted the boat several times solo before. Didn't go so well today. Somehow during the capsize I managed to put a small tear in my new wetsuit, first time worn :cry: Then when I scurried onto the hull to right the boat I heard the dreaded crunching. I'm afraid it may be a pretty large soft spot, it felt like I was going to go through the hull. After a breif bit of dissapointment I tried to focus on getting the boat over. Couldn't do it. I don't know exactly what the problem was but after sailing for about 11 hours over the course of two days I think I can blame it on exhaustion. With the water being as cold as it was I was naturally the only boat on the water. So instead of getting the tow of shame I got the blow in of shame. I wasn't too far from shore and the wind was cooporating so I let it blow me in while several onlookers watched me from their docks, with winterized boats on the lifts. :oops: Once I got to water where I could stand I got her over. Needless to say, it turned a great day into a not so great one. Too make matters worse, I lost the two cold beers I had with me during the capsize and had to pack up without refreshment.

So what do you guys/gals think? Should I continue to try and inject epoxy all over my hulls or look for other options? I'm a broke fresh out of college guy with plenty of student loans. I've been scrounging money just to do the repairs. I"m afraid that it may be worse than it seems.

And do any of you know a way that I can fix the rip in my wetsuit, it's only about the size of a dime and it didn't go all the way through, mostly just the outer fabric with a little of the neoprene?
Author:  johnwirth [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Tough going...but at least you got out. The temps were warm yesterday/this AM in NW Indiana, but there's still ice. The H-16 is ready, but the H-18SX has a repair list of about 8 items to go.

For the wet suit, I bought Mini Blobb from a surf shop for $5. I'd give it a try. Good luck.
Author:  Karl Brogger [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:28 pm ]
Post subject: 
Don't complain, our water is still solid. I wish I could go break my boat.
Author:  sunjammers [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 7:40 pm ]
Post subject: 
delam on the inside of the hulls, sounds like a big problem to me. I'm not aware of any good fixes for the inside of the hulls. The area is more than likely very large and larger than you think. I would look hard for a replacment hull....
Author:  abbman [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 8:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
I was afraid that was going to be the answer. Thank ya'll for the replies. I will look into the mini blob product for the wetsuit.

And even though I'm bummed about the hull, I can't deny that, I was thinking to myself today that even if it doesn't work out with my boat I've still had a blast sailing on her. Many people spend what I paid for my boat on lots of things, cruises for example, not that I don't think they're awesome. But, they don't get to drive, fly a hull, or get that awesome acceleration like on a hobie. Not to mention that they are chick magnets. While I'm bummed I still think it was money well spent. At least I now know what hobie sailing is all about. I'm afraid I'm addicted for life. Let's hope they don't find a cure :lol:

But if anyone has heard of any good repair ideas I'm all ears, or eyes in this case I guess.
Author:  NCSUtrey [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 9:30 pm ]
Post subject:  repairs
There really is no good way to repair the inside of the hulls like that. I've seen my fair share of hobies, and the ones with the "crunch" on the sides are on their very last legs.
But, being the generous and contriving chap that I am ( :lol: ), give me a call. I've got a few ideas that may land you with a good, sailable boat...
Trey
(919)-302-0880
Author:  Hammond [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:21 am ]
Post subject: 
All this gloom and doom!

The inside of the hull? Where is the suspected delamination? Is it forward of the crossbar or between the two post? If it is between the two post, I wouldn't give it a second thought. If it is forward of the front pylon, then it is under compression, but the curved hull shape gives the boat some inherent support. The hull is curved and convex. The shape alone gives the hull strength regardless of where the possible delam is. Second, it is the outside of the hull that is under pressure while sailing. The inside of the hull may be slapped by a wave now and then, but unless you see cracked glass, there is no issue. If you capsize in the future, wear booties and walk on the hull to deck seam. This is the strongest part of the hull.

If you feel the possible crack is compromising your safety do the repair. The construction on the inside of the hull is the same as the deck. Step the mast, lay the boat on its side so the inside of the hull you are working on is facing up and repair it as you did the deck. No big deal. All you are trying to do is reconnect the fractured layer of foam and glass. The stiffness is given due the the thickness of the glass/foam/glass construction. Each layer alone is weak, together strong because it is hard to flex any thick material.
Author:  OLD SCHOOL 18 [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:42 am ]
Post subject: 
Sorry to hear about your loss. :(

What kind of beer was it? :wink:
Author:  abbman [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:45 am ]
Post subject: 
Trey,
I'd love to hear your ideas, I'll give you a call this afternoon.

Hammond,
From what I could tell from standing on the hull most of the delam is on the interior of the port hull in between the pylons, mostly because that was where I was standing while trying to right the boat, but after this experience I feel it may be worse than it seems. This boat has seen two owners before myself that I know of and when I bought her I didn't even know what soft spots were or to even look for them. I'd like to think that I have taken pretty good care of her since I have owned her but I can't attest to the previous owners. I had never even been on one before but she looked like she was fast just sitting on the trailer so I had to have her. Plus I grew up hearing stories of my dad's short lived adventures on hobie cats. After I noticed the soft hull during the capsize I did as you suggested and tried to put most of my weight on the seam instead of the hull.

Old school 18,
luckily it was only miller as opposed to some exotic brew. But man I was thirsty.
Author:  cyrano138 [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
sorry to hear about it. i'm in my last year of school so i feel your pain. i say, if all else fails, drill and fill it, then put a layer or two of glass over the whole area, and sail it until it sinks. good luck.
Author:  Karl Brogger [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:35 pm ]
Post subject: 
There was a H16 for sale in my hometown. I stopped and took a look at it and it was so soft, everywere. It was like pushing in on the side of a milk carton. I almost bought it just to put it out of its misery. A friend of a friend payed $600 for it. I wanted to strangle him.
Author:  Hammond [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
Here is the real test, lay on your back with the boat on the trailer. See if you can push the hull hard enough to make it flex. If so, mark the area with pencil (easy to see and polish off). If you can't flex the hull with a push from your hand, it won't flex because of water. If you see gelcoat cracks, you may have an issue that needs adressing. The delamination spot was probably caused by the prior owner, not you. Worst case, you will need to install an access port and fix it from the inside. I can not imagine you having to take this radical step. To ease your mind, fix the delamination (if you can find it), and don't worry about it again.

Use Get Rot or West Marine's version of this penetrating epoxy. It works great. I fixed a spot on the 20 I sail years ago and it has not spread of gotten worse there. I was where the prior owner used the tiller as a lever to get out onto the wire. There has been a soft spot on the forward starboard deck, just in front of the crossbar for several years. I sail a lot, but avoid walking on the deck and I has not caused trouble. I plan to fix it tomorrow because it is time. I plan to sail the nationals in a windy, rough (potiential) spot, so now is the time to take care of an old problem. These boats will take a great deal of use/abuse before it is a true problem. Fix it, sail it, have fun.

By the way, frayed wires are more potential for dramatic failure than a hull failure. Look at the forestay wire just under where it attaches to the mast. It is called a pig tail and is about six inches long. This wire, and the two shroulds (side stays) should be replaced at regular intervals. Old trap wires should also be looked at. Ask a local fleet guy to help you do the once over to look for extended wear on these wires.
Author:  abbman [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:06 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thanks for the advice. I'll look into once I can get back to my boat. It's currently at the lake. I thought I had checked her over pretty good, after learning about soft spots, and this one has kind of caught me off guard. Maybe one day in the future, once I am gainfully employed, I'll be able to invest in a brand new one and alleviate my concerns about the condition of my hulls and get a fresh start. If I can find a good set of used hulls for the right price I may go that route, plus maybe it will lower the weight of my 83' 340 or+ pound boat. I just want the security of knowing that I'm sailing on a sea-worthy boat if you know what I mean.
Author:  14sailorjosh [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 8:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
i had the same thing on my 14. I bought a patch from west marine and covered the thing in fiberglass epoxy and stuck it to the inside of the hull. I was lucky that the spot was close to the port hole though. I stiffened it up pretty well and I haven't had any problems since. It was about a year ago.
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