Walker Bay Genesis 10' structural failure

[Heldenberg]

Here is another link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fytrsnk1cy4

[skipgundlach]

Thanks - embedding it solved the view issue.

Meanwhile, you only show starboard - did both sides fail?

(Ours has a not-yet-leaking crack starboard; the leak is on port)

[Heldenberg]

Yes both side has failed and leaking, you can see it in the pictures, I had the phone out of the wind to prevent to much noise, I’ll make another video showing both sides

[MIRELOS]

my outboard is less than 10hp and still it happened
it's either a design flaw or a manufacturing flaw

[Heldenberg]

Here is another picture.

As you can see, when the motor is on, the stress on the transom is higher ( crack is wider/bigger )
I'll take another picture later when lifting the dinghy, but when lifting it, the crack gets smaller. So the stress on the transom is higher when motoring VS lifting it.

So for Walker Bay to blame it on the lifting, sounds like a cover up of a bad design.

[Heldenberg]

Here are 2 different pictures:

Left: When the dinghy is lifted
Right: When the dinghy is floating.

I my case the crack is smaller when lifted, VS floating, indicating that there is less stress at the crack point when lifted compared to be floating.

[ranger58sb]

For you guys having trouble with stress cracks on the transom...

Is the weight of your motor supported separately when your dink is lifted on davits or crane or whatever?

-Chris

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

For you guys having trouble with stress cracks on the transom...

Is the weight of your motor supported separately when your dink is lifted on davits or crane or whatever?

-Chris

I for one do not pull up on davits (not the factory lifting points) with engine attached.

However using the factory points, yes, installed, as the transom takes the engine stress, and the bolts support the transom itself, during the 3-point harness used to lift aside to avoid fouling the bottom (sort of effective but leave it in the water for any time in Vero beach and it will be fouled - just a matter of how badly)...

[Heldenberg]

I don't lift with the motor.

I have had a 15 hp Yamaha 2 stroke on the dinghy from new, it is 87 lb, the dinghy is rated for 130 lb engine, so it is far from the max weight.

See pictures from owners manual showing the lifting spots "J" that is the bottom of the transom and the bow.

Nowhere does it say you have to remove the motor before lifting, it does state that no people can be in the dinghy while lifting.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by Heldenberg

Nowhere does it say you have to remove the motor before lifting,

Yep, got that...

It just occurred to me our outboard skeg is resting on the lifting wheel of our davit system, so the motor doesn't really bounce on the dingy transom when we're underway in the mothership. Just thought to ask whether bouncing might be a factor for others, maybe a cause for transom flexing...

-Chris

[Library70]

I had the same wheel well cracks on a WB Genesis that was 1 1/2 yrs old. When I first talked to Ivan he said it was caused by hanging the dingy from the davits with the outboard attached. I told him that lifting points (factory) where attached to the transom and their was no way that could have been the cause and the manual said nothing about removing the outboard before lifting with davits. After dozens of phone calls to Ivan, he finally shipped a new hull to the dealer who eventually swapped it out. I sold it a week later and purchased a new Highfield - which I love.

[Martkimwat]

I have a WB8 hard dinghy with the tubes and sailing kit, it sails well and is a delight to row and is very stable, even with four people on board and it's only supposed to take three. I have a lot of the members of our local yacht club who comment on how stable it appears and how easy it seems to row it. Cannot comment on warranty issues as have not had to avail of that service.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Library70

I had the same wheel well cracks on a WB Genesis that was 1 1/2 yrs old. When I first talked to Ivan he said it was caused by hanging the dingy from the davits with the outboard attached. I told him that lifting points (factory) where attached to the transom and their was no way that could have been the cause and the manual said nothing about removing the outboard before lifting with davits. After dozens of phone calls to Ivan, he finally shipped a new hull to the dealer who eventually swapped it out. I sold it a week later and purchased a new Highfield - which I love.

Several questions (just of interest):

Did you, in fact, use the transom and bow eye to lift in davits? If so, how did you avoid chafe on the bow tube?

When the dealer got the new hull, was it bare-white-nothing-else, requiring shifting wheel assemblies, keel strip, hardware and the floor system?

Do you know how long all that needed swapping took, and if it wasn't paid by WB, how much it cost?

Did they leave disposal to your dealer, to you, or have you send it back (as I had to do on my original replacement, in the same box and pallet as the new one used, to the dealer who fulfilled the replacement for us)?

Thanks.

[Library70]

Morgan, I used the factory lifting points to hang it from the davits, the two on the transom and if I remember correctly there was one on the inside bow just forward of the bow compartment (DX model).
The new hull was completely naked when the dealer received it, the dealer took care of the disposal of the old hull. WB reimbursed the dealer for doing the work.
It took the dealer 3 weeks to get it done but most of that time it sat idle waiting for them to get to it.
The entire process took about 5 months, I had to keep pushing Ivan to honor the warranty. WB knows that this is a common problem with these hulls but they like to tap dance around it and blame the customer. If they don't want it in the davits with the motor attached, then put it in the owners manual!

[KD8NPB]

The boat was not designed for your aftermarket davit system. That is not the fault of the manufacturer.

///

Suggested repairs:
Grind out the crack in to a v-profile (grind should be 12 x the width of the crack or more)

Clean with MEK solvent
Use a propane torch to flame treat the repair section
Clean with alcohol solvent
Use West System Gflex 650 with silica to thicken to fill.
Gflex 650 with 1708 glass to reinforce

After cured, sand/fair surface, wash with soap and water to remove amine. Solvent wipe, and paint.

Done.