damage to my keel - ugh...

[Keith Budurka]

So I'm fishing new water today and the wind kicks up... it's pushing me down the shoreline probably about as fast as someone would walk, maybe a tad slower...



All of the sudden, I see a large rock, and there is nothing I can do, bang. I thought it might clear it, but alas, it caught....



I have a 892, and I don't have a keel guard (bet you I will in the near future), but anyway, the rock caught my keel on the lowest point of the hull. Right where it curves up...

It took the gelcoat and fiberglass out. There is a gash roughly 2 inches long, a little less then an inch wide and it's probably an 1/8" deep. The white is gone, and under it is what seems like some sorta filler...



BUT, IT DIDN'T LEAK.



Is this area of the boat thick? Is it something you think I can get away with until the end of the season, or is it something that I should have fixed right away? I hate the thought of losing a couple weeks of prime fishing, especially after a long winter....



Looking for advise from some people who know about the designs of these hulls...

 

[Pierre Voisine]

not sure how thick it is at that point. You might be able to save time by purchasing your own filler and fixing it yourself. You could then add a keel guard to hide....



Good luck,



Pierre

 

[John Foster]

If you it ain't all the way to throught the glass you can try Marine Tex.



John
http://redirect-west.inktomi.com/cl...d=2723&i=41&c=2475&q=024R~mvqz?4Kzg&r=3&d=&n=

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Keith,

If you're handy, that's an easy one. Go to Wal-Mart and they have fiberglass kits. Use the filler, NOT bondo, bondo is not waterproof, and fill in the crack. You may have to let the first application dry and then do a second. Sand it and then wet sand it to match the lines and planes of the surrounding glass. Then coat it, and paint it, or put some 2 ton epoxy over it, and sand that for peace of mind. I would then put a keel guard on it. Plan on putting one on myself this season. Not that I've hit anything! Ya know, I've heard! LOL

 

[Adam Murray]

Don't feel bad, Keith, I had the same problem this weekend. Been on the road for two weeks, finally had a chance to fish and what looked like a beautiful spring day. Out of nowhere came the worst storm I've seen since moving to Texas. 200+ boats all raced back to the same ramp and had space was at a premium. I was lucky enough to find a small spot away from the rocks to beach my boat (already had the Keel Guard for the front!) and wait for my turn to take out. I've been around boats my whole life and consider myself a pretty decent operator, but when I finally backed my boat off the shore there was NOTHING I could do to keep it off the rocks. 60mph gusts and waves taller than me flipped her around and firmly planted the bottom of my transom on a rock.



Too bad they don't make an *ss Guard for boats!!

 

[Keith Budurka]

So, if the chip goes thru the glass, I can not use Marine tex, instead I need to buy filler, which I can get from Walmart?



I have a white a hull, and the white color is gone - what is there is like a gray material (not smooth). Seems like a filler or some type.



Can I use the Marine Tex on this, or should I use the filler.



The boat isn't leaking, so the hole isn't all the way through.