Minor hull damage, shop recommendations?

tradisrad

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jun 08, 2014

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Posted: Jul 03, 2017 - 01:13 PM

I did not drop my main sail on my Nacra and pulled the boat out of the water and once on land the wind caught the sail and the boat slid off the front of the trailer. I certainly learned my lesson.

I have a friend that said he can do the repair, but I dont want to wait on him for months on end.

I am looking for a reputable repair shop in the SF Bay Area. Does anyone have any shop recommendations?
MN3

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 09:19 AM

I know Surf City Catamarans Santa Cruz did great repairs a few years ago
tradisrad

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 09:35 AM

Thanks MN3, unfortunately they moved from Santa Cruz out to the Stockton area, about 2 hours away. Also, Mikey passed away earlier this year. I know they are still in business, I'll contact them to see if they have recommendations.
MN3

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 09:44 AM

Oh - I really only knew Jeremy years ago (and only from online)
he used to post lots of repair videos (and the occasional cutting a cat in 1/2)

I am sure they can help direct you to someone local

Since you seem to have scraped through to the foam core and possibly split the beam open (from the picture)- you should let a professional handle this repair (IMHO) as it may require a custom "biscuit" to be created and inserted into the bow

- If "fixed" incorrectly - you may find yourself in a very bad spot and risking a friendship

Edited by MN3 on Jul 05, 2017 - 09:48 AM.
tradisrad

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 03:04 PM

I've got a call into Surf City.
The damage seems minor to me. Maybe 1/8 inch taken off. No split in the hull. Seems to be just beyond the gel coat.
You're right about the "friend" repair. While he has fiberglass experience I want a pro to do the job
Thanks
Rob
MN3

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 03:11 PM

The black marks on the bow tip (not beam as i accidentally wrote) made me think it may be split there-

after zooming in on the pic, appears it may be just black marks from a trailer roller or other.

Edited by MN3 on Jul 05, 2017 - 03:12 PM.
tradisrad

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 03:19 PM

Yeah. The black is from the rollers. I'll probably go sail it in a few hours as the wind picks up.
MN3

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 03:26 PM

"Seems to be just beyond the gel coat."

- i would take a sharp knife, or toothpick, screwdriver and start poking around

If you have any ability to push in, and it is foam and not epoxy/gel-coat
I would NOT sail on it

you are inviting water and moisture into the foam - where it will sit, mold, and migrate
you will greatly decrease the strength of the area, possibly induce the hull to split/separate and possibly increase the difficulty and expense of the repair

you could put some gelcoat over it and wait a day to sail to avoid moisture intrusion
JohnES

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 04:06 PM

If you're willing to come to SoCal there is a guy that use to work at Performance Catamaran that does excellent work... I gave him a beat up NACRA; $700 and two weeks later and he gave me back a brand new looking boat. He is a regular at MBYC during the week working on the boats down there.

If not, I would head over the Svendsen's Boat Works in Alameda and see what they could do for you... if they can't I am certain the could give a few recommendations as to someone who can.

--
John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
--
efinley

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 06:38 PM

The place Mikey (surf city catamarans) would have sent you too is Craig at Elkhorn Composites in Watsonville. He's a great guy and does very good work. He regelcoated my entire SC20, my friends H21SE and several other boats in Fleet 2 and many other hobies in Division 3. He does really good work and it is priced reasonably. Give him a call, he's seen it all. :)

-Eric
SC20
H18
tradisrad

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 06:48 PM

Eric, Thanks. I left a message for Craig.

MN3. I'll take your advice and not sail the boat until I get it repaired.

I'll follow up with the repair results...

thanks guys.
-Rob
MN3

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 07:06 PM

Quotethanks guys.
-Rob

awesome - it could be really beneficial to others if you take lots of pics during the entire process and make a photo album on this site for other sailors to review if/when a similar issue happens to them
Corkmaster_1

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Posted: Jul 05, 2017 - 10:55 PM

Elkhorn does allot of structural repair you can put trust in there work. Most div 3 racers take there boats there for structural repairs as well as gel coat repairs and total re-gel coating.

Hobie 20's love this place!!!
tradisrad

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Posted: Jul 10, 2017 - 11:58 AM

A quick follow up. I spoke to Craig at Elkhorn Composite and he did not think the damage was worth bringing to him until the end of the season and he suggested using some 3M bondo to cover the area. So, I put some bondo over the area and I still need to sand it down, sorry no pictures. Once winter comes I will take the boat to him for a "better" repair than I will do.
thanks for the suggestions....
-Rob
MN3

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Posted: Jul 10, 2017 - 12:08 PM

That is great news!

Plus should be a pretty cheap "fix"