Hobie 16 Crack

I put a 30-inch crack on the side of my hull starting from the forward pylon going towards the bow. I did a quick soapy water check and it seems like the crack goes all the way through the hull. Is there a simple way to repair this crack or do I need to seek a professional?

https://imgur.com/oIZvY8M
https://imgur.com/PiRx8f9
https://imgur.com/7gj26cJ

That section of the hull is foam core with 0-3 plies of heavier fiberglass on the inside and significantly more glass on the outside. For a proper repair search the forum for detailed fiberglass repair, but the simplified hackjob version goes like this: Sand the repair area down to the gelcoat. Slap some woven glass and resin on it. Sand it a bit, then get bored of sanding and hit it with rattle can. If the inner layer is damaged, cut a hole to add an access hatch to the deck in front of the pylon. Reach in and slop some glass onto the repair area. Install the hatch. Go sailing.

Wear a dust mask or N95, breathing plastic and glass dust is not healthy.

It is a structural area of the hull - the forestay load is essentially trying to pull the bows inward and snap them off. The highest load is right at the forward pylon. I would not recommend a hack job repair in this area and no, there is no simple quick fix. You essentially need to start “peeling back the layers” to determine the full extent of the damage (is the outer glass skin cracked, the foam, the inner glass skin?) and then rebuild the broken parts. Its not necessarily something that a person with average skills can’t do, but if you’re not comfortable attempting this, then yes, seek the help of a professional or someone experienced. I would not shortcut this repair.

sm

So, I opened the crack with a Dremel and the inside layer of fiberglass was not cracked but the foam was damaged. Can I replace the foam with thickened resin and then glass the outside with some woven fiberglass? If not what would be a good replacement for the foam?

srm, I would contest that my hackjobs are structural, just not pretty

A proper repair involves sanding/tapering down the glass around the repair area, and then layering/tapering back in glass to patch the repair. If you have a power sander and patience it is not difficult to do. Done 'right' a hackjob repair omits most of the tapering of the original material. Instead of a mostly flush repair you get a bulgy band aid repair. It saves a bunch of sanding, slightly reduces strength (due to eccentric load path from offset repair material) and doesn't look good. ngompf's crack runs parallel to the principle tensile stress, so the crack won't be as highly stressed, making the hackjob acceptable.