Complete Stuff Up - Please Help

[2iar]

Hi All,

I managed to get enough confidence up to attempt an overnighter on Friday night. Though I've come a fair way since I started boating, it seems my confidence was misplaced...

As you might know, Friday was a new moon, and setting off at 7pm it was also overcast, making it *really* dark. With a reasonable chop in the bay, we decided on a "better safe than sorry" approach and changed plan to anchor SE of Mud rather than head to Bulwer. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, I lost my bearings a liitle, missed an unlit cardinal mark and ended up going from 5m of water to ankle deep reef in the space of about 5m. :-[

It was a brown undies moment, I have to admit, despite the fact (thankfully) that I was going dead slow at the time. I quickly raised the motor and leapt out the front to try to push the boat back off the reef. I hope I never have to do this again, but if I do, I'll try to remember to put some footwear on first - I never felt a thing at the time, but the lacerations in the soles of my feet are farly stinging now. :(

It's not fun listening to your pride and joy crunching and grinding against a solid sharp bottom, let me tell you. I was lucky enough to manage to turn her as I couldn't push her stern-first straight back off against the wind and current (cue more scraping noises) and got her into deeper water after a few minutes, though it seemed much, much longer.

After establishing that we weren't taking on any water, I felt obliged to stay out for the night as I'd promised my mate and his son a night out fishing, but I have to admit my heart wasn't in it from then on, and I just spent the night worrying about how the extent of the damage and how she'd look underneath.

We headed back to the ramp a bit after first light, and I have to admit, things were not nearly as bad as I'd expected. I'm also counting myself fairly lucky as with a bigger sea, it could have been much, much worse.

I was the skipper, I was solely responsible, and it was a bad stuff-up. I'm very annoyed with myself :( >:( but 'm also glad we managed to correct it, and the boat and crew are safe.

Anyway, it looks like I'll be needing to do some repairs, so if there's anyone that can give me some advice on what I'll have to do please pitch in...

(Photos follow)

Good luck,
Mike

[2iar]

Here's a photo of one of the may srapes and scratches, mainly on the keel, though one or two are on the chines:

[revs57]

Hi Mike...the adrenaline rush is a killer hey...I've been lucky to only just clip a reef with the prop before sunup at a minni water launch on morning...scarey moments though.

Glad you and the crew are safe and sound...will look forward to the photo's to see what we can do

Cheers

Rhys

[2iar]

The photo above is by far the worst damage - it's the only one to have got through the white layer to the darker stuff undearneath (sorry for the non-tecnical terms).

I'd really appreciate advice on:

1. Is this likely to have done any damage internally (ie will it have let water into the hull where it might damage the timbers)? It doesn't look more than a few mm deep, and even though the lighter layers have been breached it doesn't seem porous, and I couldn't find any water inside other than a little in the bilge that I would have expected from the slightly bumpy ride over.

2. How do I repair it and what with?
I don't have any experience in fibreglass repairs, I'm not particularly good with my hands, but I'll give it a go if necessary - or is it better to leave it to the the pro's (which I assume will be expensive as there a LOT of scrapes and scratches other than this as I think the photo shows). Mainly cosmetic, this is the one that worries me. Simple advice on how to make the repair and what products to use would be great.

3. I've got a nasty gouge out of one of the prop blades. From previous experience (I've not had a good year), a new, similar prop will cost $260. Is a repair possible, and is the cost likely to be less than a new one? Anyone recommend a good prop repairer in N or N/W Brisbane?

[2iar]

Here's how the prop came out of the exchange [smiley=cry.gif]

[2iar]

So that's about it. :-[ [smiley=cry.gif] [smiley=cry.gif]

I've taken Friday off to hopefully get the boat back in shape before Easter. I know I'm always here on Ausfish asking something or other, but if you can help by offering advice this time I'd really, really appreciate it.

I'm sure we'll laugh about it in years to come, but at the moment that seems unlikely, or at least very far away - I'm just so narked at myself, I need to put it right as quickly as I can.

Sorry to be such a wet blanket.

Good luck,
Mike

[bigbrian47]

could have been a lot worse mike
give grand marlin a pm thats his line of work
he will give you the advice you need
cheers brian

[Just_One_More_Cast]

Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear about your bad night. I can only assure you that you are not alone and many of the other readers will have their own stories of damage due to momentary lapses of concentration or bad judgement calls made on the spur of the moment. :-/

Don't let it discourage you, just another of life's lessons. Patch the boat up and head out again as soon as you can with this extra bit of knowledge under your belt.

Now for the practical problems. I don't claim to knowanything about fibreglassing, so I'll leave that problem for someone else.

The good news is, the prop can definitely be fixed, and for much less than what you paid for it. I damaged a prop on my 30 HP Jonson worse than yours a few years ago (see- told you you're not the only one), and had it fixed for under $80. Can't tell you where to get it done, other than to see your usual chandler as I am not in your area.
I'm sure plenty of the locals will chip in with recommended repairers. Just thought I'd set your mind at rest about the prop tonight anyway.

Good luck with the fibreglass - hope it's not too big a deal to fix, don't think it will be.

Steve

[Fishin_Dan]

Holy Cr@p Mike! Glad to hear you guys are ok!

I know how much you love that boat, and how you look after it (very meticulous!) is a credit to that fact.

Mate - I don't know much about fibreglass (yet), but as mentioned, send Grand_Marlin a PM. He'd be the best one to help you.


Let us now how it goes.

[troy]

2iar as said give Grand Marlin a call also you will find insurance will cover you and it will come up like brand new.
I do not know what your excess is but if you go through with insurance you will end up way better off as the whole hull could get a make over.
Troy

[Hagar]

Bit of bad luck there Mike .

It doesn't look too tragic though . As the boys said go the insurance route for a complete fix if you can . In the meantime she is not going to sink with that scrape . If it can't be fixed before easter and you want to use the boat then sand back the gouge that is thru the gelcoat and fill with gelcoat putty ( from most boating suppliers - try to get the K&H brand not the Septone one ) . The other scrapes that are not thru the white gelcoat are basically cosmetic and not an issue . Prop needs fixing regardless but that sort of ding is easy for the pro's .

Chris

[MulletMan]

Propeller Repairs Australia
6/ 48 Johnston St Southport QLD 4215
ph: (07) 5532 5891

This guy will do a brilliant job on your prop and you will never know it was injured!
Give him a ring first as he has collection points at some of the local marine dealers to save you a trip down the Coast.
Otherwise, take the M1 to the Coast, do a lefty off Smith Street and after you pass King Street on the right, it is the next right past the creek - next intersection I think?

Re the fibreglass, the dark stuff is just the fibreglass proper and so long as there are no hairy bits hanging out you probably have not punctured the main glass material.

Fairly easily fixed with Epicraft Fibreglass Filler that is a two pot mix, easy to use and sticks like s*it to a sheeps tail. Do it in several layers on the deep ones rather than try to bog them up all in one go. If you put too much on it will tend to sag or hang. A metal or plastic spatular is good for forcing the mix into the gouges. If you do have this problem, just stick some masking tape over the mix and that will help keep it in place though you should keep checking it for a couple of hours and press it back with the spatular if it wants to keep sagging. Make sure you put enough in so you can sand off the excess. It usually takes several goes before you get the final finish.

A wet finger is the secret to smoothing it out and it can be easily sanded by hand or by machine.

Putting Flocoat on to get back to the nice Gelcoat looking finish is an option but I would just bog it up, smooth it back and forget about it.

And welcome to the "I've ripped the fibreglass guts out of my hull club" - more common than you think!

I bought a new Haines Hunter 680 many years back and the delivery guy let it drop over the side of the centre rollers and then DROVE it back up over the side roller brackets! That is damage! Snapped his neck on the spot!

There's an old saying in Moreton Bay that if you haven't got a shiny prop then yer not a real boatie!

Let us know how you get on!

[Camo]

Hey Mike, don't feel too bad about it, it happens to everyone at some stage. I've lost count of the times I've gotten lost at night, getting confused and missing a beacon. Since I've invested in a GPS chart plotter I have found it to be a hell of a lot easier to navigate at night.

Don't worry about the boat. The beautiful thing about fibreglass is it can be repaired to the extent that you can't even find where the damage was. I had a bloke go through a stop sign and T'bone my old mustang while I was towing it. Punched a hole in the side. After it was repaired I couldn't even find where the hole was. The damage to your boat doesn't look that serious, you could probably do it yourself if you've got a large insurance excess. Do a search on Ausfish about fibreglass repairs. There have been some good posts on it.

Best of luck,

Camo

[2iar]

Thanks for the support guys.

My insurance excess is $750. I guess before I go down that route (assuming my stupidity is covered), I need to establish if the repair costs are greater than that. Any thoughts?

The picture of the hull I attached is definitely the worst, but there are heaps of other scrapes similar to the ones around the worst one. That being the case, and including the prop damage (and motor paintwork), is this likely to exceed $750 for repair?

Thanks again,
Mike

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Mike,

It isnt as bad as it looks.... I can fix it for you no problem.
We could even do a photo shoot on how to fix gelcoat properly.

It does want fixing sooner rather than later, due to water impregnating the fibreglass / travelling between fibreglass and gelcoat layers and causing long term damage (more a problem if the boat spends a lot of time in the water)

I use gelcoat / flowcoat to do the repairs ... comes up like new. The bogs mentioned in this post, you can always see afterwards ... even the white ones.

Cost? Hard to say without seeing it, but most things like this can be fixed in a day. Being an Ausfisher, we would look after you.

I work mobile as well, so I can come to you.

If you need a hand, call me - 0419 263 264

Cheers

Pete

[harry_h01]

When I purchased my glass boat recently I noticed some similar scraps on the keel area of the hull.

I got one of the local fibre glass guys to come and have a look.

His advice - they are minor scraps / gashes. He recommended a dab of Sikoflex over the top until I am ready to get it repaired. The Sikoflex will keep any excess water from being injected when you are on the water planeing.

Harry

[2iar]

Hi All,

I've calmed down a little bit, and things don't seem so bad today.

Pete (Grand Marlin) has been in touch, and is going to drop by my place in the next few days to assess the damage, but comfortingly doesn't seem fazed at all. He obviously knows what he's doing and I'm sure he'll do a good job.

He also put me on to "Performance Propellors" at Bulimba who have quoted me $60-$80 for a machined prop repair, though they haven't seen it yet. Thanks for the other option Pink Panther, but these guys are a bit closer, come recommended too, and I can drop it in at lunchtime tomorrow from work.

I'll let you know how I go, and I'm happy to post up pics (if I'm around when GM does the repairs).

At the end of the day, nobody got hurt (apart from my extensively band-aided feet). It should cost less to repair than my insurance excess, and hey, it's only money. Ironically, it's put back the purchase of a new chartplotter that could have avoided Friday's mishap. You live, you learn. ::)

Thanks for the support.

Good luck,
Mike

[Dignity]

Mike, just getting back on line as old PC not working too well had to get a new one - as to your scrape, been there done that,yours isn't all that bad and will not be as expensive as you think although your insurance excess seems to be a tad high and I know your are not under 25. Hope you are back on the water before Easter and your feet heal. How about a commiserating drink this friday, PM me at work.

Sam

[Angla]

Thats what I bought my first boat for...........to find all the things to hit in the bay and learn where they are so I can miss most of them in the new boat. It has worked so far

Jabsco make a nice search light (model 60020-series 135 SL) 100,000 candle power. Remote controlled and awesome in dark conditions. 50 watts and about the $300 mark. I fitted mine under the bow sprit so that I get no glare from white surfaces and bow rails.

Angla

[robersl]

was that cardinal mark on the se corner of mud if so it has been out for quite a while and should be fixed as well i have not been there at night for a year or so but it was out the last time i was there . glad to here there was not to much damage to you and your boat

shane

[mark221263]

Hi there, sorry about the mishap. Unfortunatly we all learn by mistakes at times. At the end of the day it could of been much worse, all are ok and the damage should be easily repaired.

I can vouch for Australian propeller repairs at southport on 5532 5891. I spoke to Ian and Steve and they tidied up my spare SS prop for about $70 and did a fantastic job, Springwood marine send props down and back each week and they were happy to transprot with their weekly pick up which was nice of them and saved me the trip down the coast.

For glass repairs I have heard that Arnold's fiberglass do a great job and have seen their completed work on a few boats in the club that were modified or rebuit. Fantastic work that was almost impossible to pick from the original product, ph 3890 1768 at Hemmant.

Cheers mark

[2iar]

Mike, just getting back on line as old PC not working too well had to get a new one - as to your scrape, been there done that,yours isn't all that bad and will not be as expensive as you think although your insurance excess seems to be a tad high and I know your are not under 25. Hope you are back on the water before Easter and your feet heal. How about a commiserating drink this friday, PM me at work.

Sam


Thanks Sam

I've sent you an email at work, but in case you don't get it, as i mentioned earlier I'm off on Friday. Hopefully catch up soon.

Good luck,
Mike

[2iar]

was that cardinal mark on the se corner of mud if so it has been out for quite a while and should be fixed as well i have not been there at night for a year or so but it was out the last time i was there . glad to here there was not to much damage to you and your boat

shane

I'll admit I was a little bit disorientated (it was *really* dark), but I'm fairly sure that was the one. I spotted it after getting the boat off the reef when using the spotlight...

Good luck,
Mike

[2iar]

Thats what I bought my first boat for...........to find all the things to hit in the bay and learn where they are so I can miss most of them in the new boat. It has worked so far

Yeah, I previously had a tinnie to learn the ropes on, but couldn't go far in it. It's a different ball game being in reefy parts of the bay in pitch darkness than in sandy estuaries, that's for sure. :(


Jabsco make a nice search light (model 60020-series 135 SL) 100,000 candle power. Remote controlled and awesome in dark conditions. 50 watts and about the $300 mark. I fitted mine under the bow sprit so that I get no glare from white surfaces and bow rails.

Angla

Sounds good Angla. I've currently got a loan of a 12v hand held one. I might have a look at your model (remote control sounds great) once I save up after shelling out for repairs.

Good luck,
Mike

[2iar]

Hi there, sorry about the mishap. Unfortunatly we all learn by mistakes at times. At the end of the day it could of been much worse, all are ok and the damage should be easily repaired.

I can vouch for Australian propeller repairs at southport on 5532 5891. I spoke to Ian and Steve and they tidied up my spare SS prop for about $70 and did a fantastic job, Springwood marine send props down and back each week and they were happy to transprot with their weekly pick up which was nice of them and saved me the trip down the coast.

For glass repairs I have heard that Arnold's fiberglass do a great job and have seen their completed work on a few boats in the club that were modified or rebuit. Fantastic work that was almost impossible to pick from the original product, ph 3890 1768 at Hemmant.

Cheers mark


Thanks for the sympathy and the info Mark.

Good luck,
Mike

[SeaHunt]

Hi Mike,
I have a little hand held Magellan Meridian Marine GPS , which has fairly basic mapping, but it does have all the shipping markers in there so I am usually fairly confident of where I am.
Having said that I find travelling around at night a bit like driving your car with your eyes closed. There are a lot of things I nearly hit during the daylight hours, at night you know you would not see them. I am talking about sand bars, logs, crab pot floats etc. At night you got all that plus boats out there that dont bother to turn their at anchor lights on. :(
You are a game boy to jump overboard in the middle of the night, I would have to have water around my knees before I did that.
I usually use a hammer throw style launch of the anchor back in the direction I came from and try to pull the boat off with the anchor rope. :)
Usually works, better for the feet also.
You are doing the right thing by not going any faster than you feel comfortable with. Less damage done and easier to get off if you do run aground.
Stick at it. 8-)

[2iar]

Hi Mike,
I have a little hand held Magellan Meridian Marine GPS , which has fairly basic mapping, but it does have all the shipping markers in there so I am usually fairly confident of where I am.
Having said that I find travelling around at night a bit like driving your car with your eyes closed. There are a lot of things I nearly hit during the daylight hours, at night you know you would not see them. I am talking about sand bars, logs, crab pot floats etc. At night you got all that plus boats out there that dont bother to turn their at anchor lights on. :(

Thanks mate. I wish it *had* have been a sand bar. I wouldn't have been panicking nearly as much :-[


You are a game boy to jump overboard in the middle of the night, I would have to have water around my knees before I did that.

"Game" is one way of looking at it I suppose, however it's more of a euphemism for "fairly dumb" I reckon. Not putting shoes on was a bit of an oversight (ouch) ;D, but I did check with the spotlight what was in front. Ankle-deep (literally) reef wasn't a comforting sight :'(



I usually use a hammer throw style launch of the anchor back in the direction I came from and try to pull the boat off with the anchor rope. :) Usually works, better for the feet also.

Now that's a good idea, and probably what a level-headed skipper would have done. My head certainly wasn't level at the time :-[ There better not be a next time, but I'll bare it in mind [smiley=thumbsup.gif]


You are doing the right thing by not going any faster than you feel comfortable with. Less damage done and easier to get off if you do run aground.
Stick at it. 8-)

I will mate, and thanks for the support. You've got to make mistakes to learn from them, and I enjoy boating and fishing too much to give up just because of my stupidity. Hell, there's a lot of things I'd have to have given up if that was the case :D

UPDATE:
The prop's in for repair ($80), and Grand Marlin Pete's coming around later to look at the hull. I'm off to Bargara at the weekend (the boat wasn't going to come anyway), so I don't reckon I'll be out of the water for much longer. Things could have been a lot worse.

Good luck,
Mike

[Angla]

Here's a pic of the spotty

Angla

[2iar]

Looks the goods Angla [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

It might be a bit large to get under my bowsprit, but I'll have a look. Are the controls similar to the rocker switches for car side mirrors?

Good luck,
Mike

[Burley_Boy]

Bummer about the damage Mike. But you'll be fine.
It's all a learning experience and you did the right thing hence the small amount of damage. Its a risk just backing out the driveway.

I destroyed my first boat but I got experience allright, my second got me my sealegs and never hit anything but the odd sandbank but I'm in the right area for that!!
My new boat will surely just hit wales and other large critters and I do value the experience I have gained on the way
;D

[Burley_Boy]

Bummer about the damage Mike. But you'll be fine.
It's all a learning experience and you did the right thing hence the small amount of damage. Its a risk just backing out the driveway.

I destroyed my first boat but I got experience allright, my second got me my sealegs and never hit anything but the odd sandbank but I'm in the right area for that!!
My new boat will surely just hit wales and other large critters and I do value the experience I have gained on the way
;D

[impulse492f]

Thought I'd post the data sheet for the spotty, looks great and I might grab one myself.

http://depcopump.com/datasheets/jabsco/60020-Series%202004.PDF

[2iar]

I was in Whitworth's today, they have them in stock for $359 from memory. A bit rich for me until I get the repairs done, a new GPS and I reckon a Dual battery setup would be required before fitting one of these babies.

Good luck,
Mike

[Grand_Marlin]

I am still coming Mike, bear with me....

Cheers

Pete

[2iar]

I am still coming Mike, bear with me....

Cheers

Pete


Thanks Pete,

I'll give you a call in the morning before I set off for Bargara if I haven't heard from you by then.

Good luck,
Mike

[Fishin_Dan]

How'd the boat turn out Mike? We want photos!!!

Is it fixed for the weekend? ;)

[2iar]

How'd the boat turn out Mike? We want photos!!!

Is it fixed for the weekend? ;)


Funny you should mention that, I was just about to give an update...

Big thanks to Pete, who took time out from his busy schedule fixing up his new Cat to do the job on Friday. I was going to post up some pics, but honestly, I'm not sure I could give you an accurate before and after shot as I can't really tell where the worst gouge was. A testament to Pete's skills.

It's not back to showroom condition, as that wouldn't have been worthwhile - I'm sure it'll he given a few more battle scars from normal use, but hopefully never anything so dramatic again. So I've still got a few very small scratches that I can fix up at my leisure if I want, and Pete pointed this out from the beginning. I also got a follow up call from Pete on Saturday morning to make sure I was happy.

Well, I am. Thanks again Grand Marlin. The work has been done to my satisfaction, *when* I wanted it done and at the right price. If any other Ausfishers need any similar work done , I woiuldn't hesitate to recommend Pete. I'm sure he'll look after you as well as he looked after me.

Pete also put me on to Performance Props at Bulimba. This was handy for me as I just dropped it in at lunchtime from work, and picked it up a few days later. I reckon $80 was a fair price when you look at the original damage.

So thanks again Pete, and Dan, I'll see you on Saturday. Seabreeze is looking good. :)

Good luck,
Mike

[Grand_Marlin]

Thanks Mike,
Pleased to help out ;)

The bottom of the boat was a mess... it looked like Mike had towed it around the car park without the trailer ;D ;D ;D
Mike was just lucky that the majority of scratches hadnt gone through the gelcoat and into the glass matting. If it had, he would have definitely had an insurance claim, to the tune of 2 or 3 grand....

As I said to Mike, we could spend a day and fix all the major gouges, and sand out most of the minor ones, which we did....
or
we could spend 3 or 4 days, triple the cost, and fix every minor scratch (which a lot of them were already there from general use and trailer scratches.)

As Mike said, I pointed this out to him first up to save him some money, and not do work on the boat that was essentially, unnecessary.

Again Mike, pleased to help.

Cheers

Pete