Troubling discovery? Just noticed my hulls are translucent

Greetings to the board, I'm a proud new owner of a mid 80s H18. This evening I had the port covers off and when I peeked inside, I noticed I could see my hand through the bottom of the keel ("Whoa!!"). Overall the boat is in very good shape but I have to admit I am somewhat alarmed by this discovery. The boat has spent its life running up and down the beach but I haven't loacted any soft spots and there isn't any glass showing through. Any thoughts? Thank you.

Not a terribly big deal, although I foresee a bottom job in your future.

Fiber-reinforced polyester resin is naturally translucent. When you drag the boat up and down the beach, you wear off the gel coat, which is the only thing making the boat opaque.

M's got it right... wore off your gel coat. Do be a bit more careful with your new boat and the bottoms will last just fine. The beach is really one big sheet of sandpaper.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

Thank you both for your replies. I'll keep an eye on it for now and when it comes to the point where I need to address further, I'll be prepared to flip the boat over and get my hands dirty. Worst case I will simply need to lay down a bed of fiberglass and re-gel coat, right?(not that I've ever done this before) Take care.

if you're really concerned, there should be a link to the H18 bottom profile template in the tech/repair section of the Hobie Cat website. you can print it to proper size and check the amount of wear. It may only need a new coat of gel, which can be sprayed on.

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Chris
'88 H18SE Arís

I did a complete keel job last winter on an '81. Not too difficult but vey time consuming. Let me know if you have any questions.