Sunk 1 hull yesterday!

Yikes, I don't see a quick fix for that one. It's a transom rebuild and I would do it in the shop or get another hull. Too much force coming from the rudders on that area. you musta hit something hard? Or bought it that way.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

There is no "quick fix" for this - your transom is coming off. If you don't fix it right, or at least close to right, the damage will just continue. Caulk and 5-minute epoxy are not options on this one...

If it were me and I just wanted to fix it to get through the season, I'd pull all the hardware off the transom first. Then get an abrasive disk on a drill and grind back the gelcoat and a good portion of the damaged fiberglass around all the damage. Then I'd cut a port hole in the deck close to the transom to allow inside access. Keep in mind there's a foam floatation block in the back of the hull that takes up most of the space back there, so you need to cut the port hole pretty close to the transom. Then glass the heck out of it inside and out to re-connect the transom to the sides of the hull. If you do the repair at the beach, you're going to have to be real careful to keep as much sand and dirt out of the repair since contamination will effect the quality of the repair's bond.

sm

2 possibilities:

1 - lake is shallow for the first 200 meters, rudders were down. Might be a rock hitting the rudder...

2 - when i capsizzed, it was in the shallow water. Even though rudders were straight up, they might have fall in the water when righting the boat and hit the bottom.

divimon, these are not great news. I really hoped to be able to go back in the water before the end of the summer. Only one month left here in Québec.

Well, lets see what others say, I just know that kind of work and would hate to do that at the beach. Need lots of tools and power! Good Luck.

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H18, H17 & Various motor boats

Thats pretty bad but I fixable. You have the older rudder castings, as I do, and it looks like the castings are not allowing the rudders to kick up easily enough and when the boat was sailed into the beach the rudders hit the bottom and the ensuing torque broke the lower transom. These castings can be made to work better with filing. There a several threads on this site for doing that. I did it and now they work great.

Regarding the repair there is not a quick fix for this damage. Any quick fix will not be strong enough to hold together and you risk tearing out the rest of the transom. The good news is that this can be fixed. As SRM said you will need to install an access port behind the rear crossbar. Like the ones behind the front crossbar - but smaller in the rear - I dont recall the max recommended diameter hole - I think 6"

Nice looking boat. I like the striping that goes under the hulls as it goes to the rear.

Just noticed the "rock hitting the rudder" comment in your post. I would lay $ that is what happened and the rudder did not kick up.

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1984 Hobie 18

I would only trust a professional like Jeremy to do a job like that. That's very close to the transom repair he did on a Miracle 20 and is in a video in youtube. I'll try to post a link to it but it would really do no good just to look at it. Need more than the average Joe skills.
Looking at how old the hulls are, it would probably be more cost effective to look for a used hull in good condition.

I will echo what Al said::::

That is a pretty major repair on that transom. You will need to remove the hull and take it to a boat repair shop or find somebody that is VERY knowledgeable with working with fiberglass. You might be better off just finding you a newer hull.

Sorry for not being more helpful,

Joshua

Wow, whoever did that is lucky they didn't bull the transom off the back of the boat. The rudders need to be greased at the metal clasp so they pop out easier.

You either need to take this to a professional repair shop, or need to take your time and repair it correctly. There unfortunately isn't a quick fix for this. Srm directions are right on the nose. I would follow that and use lots of fiberglass on the inside to make it strong again. You have to remember that the rudders/transom of the boat take a lot of force when you are sailing and beaching.

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

Here is a good thread for repairing your rudder castings. I did the filing discussed and greased the cams and now they work great again. This will prevent you from damaging the transom again.

Good Luck!

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=16807&hilit=rudder+replacement%3F

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1984 Hobie 18

I dunno about a quick fix. I guess patching it up would work but dunno for how long. Depends on how much wind I suppose. Try filling the crack with jbweld after you gouge it out really well. Put some gorilla tape over it to protect the repair area from the water. Use the injection method for repairing soft spots around the repair if it is all soft and delaminated. Keep in mind when injecting that the stuff will definitely run all over the inside of the haul through cracks. Try injecting a little, then wait for it to cure, then some more... No idea how strong or long this will work. I just know I use jbweld to fix everything and it is amazing stuff. I've used it to fix everything from (censored) VW coil packs to a crack in an old 2 stroke motor. Never tested the strength of it in an application like this though. No idea if it would work or for how long/to what extent.

Again, this probably won't work but I try silly stuff like this all the time. The transom is very strong, very hard to repair, and in most cases boats with a trashed transom are considered totaled...

Jeanff,

If you stay forward on the boat and only use the port rudder you'll be fine ......

NOT .....

You have some work to do .... straight forward ... and not to technical ... but you have a serious problem.

Most likely caused by those "Old style H18 Rudder System" .... they just don't release ... especially if there is ANY sand/grit/dirt in them ..... for those of us operating off of sandy beaches we have upgraded to the newer H17/H18 Rudder Casting System .....

Now, there are two methods/procedures you can follow ....

1) Cut a hole in the hull on the In-Board side just in front of the transom ... this is to work through ... push the transom back in place ... reinforce from the inside w/ WEST Epoxy and fiberglass cloth .... re-install piece cut-out from hull ... fair patch and re-skin w/ 2oz fiberglass cloth .... gelcoat/paint. Basically think of carving a pumpkin ....

2) Cut a new porthole in the rear deck .... try and locate approximently between rear crossbar and transom so that you can reach either area. Murrays Marine sells a 4"(?) CURVED Porthole that you can install after the repair is complete. (Tape/Mask deck to prevent "drips" from adhering to deck) Push transome back into place .... install reinforcing on inside of hull using WEST Epoxy and Fiberglass cloth ... remember to sand inside of hull for proper adhesion .... cross-layer cloth weave pattern for stength (45*) ... gorilla/fiberglass matting adds too much wieght IMO, use cloth 4-5 layers .... (maybe 6 layers for a little extra safety). You can do most of the reinforcing if you do a layer , allow to tack ... install next layer, allow to tack .... install the next layer, allow to tack .... etc Just don't allow it to go past tacky because you'll have to then allow it to cure completely before you can do the next layer ... depending on temp: hrs --days ... Ok? .... Install new curved deck hullports (you'll need to seal them in w/ silcon or 5200 .... the curves between the deck and the hullport don't exactly match ... but it's the best solution around that I've found ....) Fair and patch outside of the hull as needed .....

I recomend the second option .... it can be done between weekends in the evenings .... if you start on a Monday Night .... you can be sailing by Saturday ....

Winter Project: Upgrade Rudder System (sell old system on E-bay/Craig's List) .... my quess/bet is that the old gougeon screws will not come out easily .... recommend making/installing new alum backing plates if needed .... rear Hullports very useful first step for this project!!!!

Good Luck .... Contact me if you need help/information .....

Jeremy (California) is a very good source of info/help .....

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

If you are sailing on "Fresh" water and launching from grass .... greasing the old style rudder casting will work .... but in "salt" water and/or launching from sandy beaches .... Not!!!!

Just an expensive lesson I learned (several times) when I first started sailing a H18 .... when the "upgrade" came out in 87-88, I jumped at it ..... quickley!!!!!

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HarryMurphey
H-18 mag/ #9458
Fleet 54 Div 11

After epoxy and sylicon, we went on the water yesterday.

After 1 hour, hull was OK and we could sail.

However, when coming back to the beach we had the same problem and the rudder did not came out (wind was the strongest we had experienced yet). Transom ripped.

Conclusion, all your comments are really appreciated, next time I sail (next fall), we will have a new rudder system and hull will be fixed adequatly according to your advices.

well at least you got one more sail in.

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD