Fiberglass Repair Opinion

[Fore and Aft]

Here's a definition of Woody Duck. Reading your website I can't help but smile when you mention being "family".
Cheers
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.urb...bduck&amp=true

[DaveC111]

Thanks Fore and Aft for the definition . Now I can add that one to the other names that I have been called . I guess no one else on any of the forums have been rushed and made a bad decision on a boat ( that was ''next to new '' from a dealer ..... not a private sale on a street corner ) .

[DaveC111]

[DaveC111]

UPDATE DEC. 2020 . did a hull core sample last week . 2 '' hole saw cut out on the edge of the big crack that is closest to the center point of the keel . Very thin , I will see if i can load the pictures and video of the core being cut . If I can't load them on this site , go to www.rangertugtruth.com

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by DaveC111

UPDATE DEC. 2020 . did a hull core sample last week . 2 '' hole saw cut out on the edge of the big crack that is closest to the center point of the keel . Very thin , I will see if i can load the pictures and video of the core being cut . If I can't load them on this site , go to www.rangertugtruth.com

The picture with the micrometer was a bit fuzzy... is that 0.24 inches? Seems thin for that type and size of boat.

The cracking looks even uglier through that hole. No surprise that it leaked.

Now that you've made the hole, do you have any further thoughts about the extent of the damage and what could have caused it? You could probably use a boroscope ("snake" camera) to view more of the inside and the crack.

[DaveC111]

Yes , 1/4 inch '' thick . That is with the gelcoat and rough glass texture on inside of core sample . I tried an automotive boroscope , but has a very small focus area . Was confusing watching the screen ( fiberglass areas the size of by thumb ) . Strange thing was , when i stuck my index finger in the hole to starboard , and pinched the hull between my thumb and index finger , the hull feels much thicker ( almost twice as thick on Starboard side ) .

There is a fiberglass liner about 2 '' above the cut out . I think it is support for one of the tanks above . To get at the cracks from the inside you have to disassemble boat completely or cut out parts of the fiberglass floor etc . No access to the tanks .

All the fiberglass people i talk to are shocked how thin the hull is . They say that as a rule the fiberglass is always double thickness in the V area of the keel .

The Factory has been no help at all , still have not supplied me with the Factory repair procedure they promised me . Ranger Tug owners should be aware of this .

[pcmm]

After reading through this thread it looks to me like a case of buyer not doing their due diligence. Check your purchase agreement, 100% there will be language in there to the effect of "as-is" or "seller presents no warranties". Having said that if you didn't get a pre-purchase survey, you take on 100% of the risk. Best case you would have known if the damage happened before or after the survey and would have had some information to either accept the damage or go back to the broker to address before acceptance of the vessel.

Sorry, you're on the hook for this repair, just get on with it and move forward. its not the simplest repair as it has to cross over the keel line to the other side. you'll really only know the extent of the damage once you grind off the gelcoat to see how far the cracking extends.

[DaveC111]

Yes , i am well aware it is not an easy fix . I have had many boats , and yes , had them surveyed . This was a very different situation . If you read my website under ''sources '' there is an article about ''as-is '' yacht purchases . The ''as-is'' clause does not let a company '' knowingly '' sell an boat that has problems before the owner takes delivery . On my website there is 2 eye witnesses and email/text copies from the Salesman that '' it's just an air conditioning leak , and to have it fixed at my home port and they would pay for it '' . It is all on my website . www.rangertugtruth.com

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by DaveC111

Yes , i am well aware it is not an easy fix . I have had many boats , and yes , had them surveyed . This was a very different situation . If you read my website under ''sources '' there is an article about ''as-is '' yacht purchases . The ''as-is'' clause does not let a company '' knowingly '' sell an boat that has problems before the owner takes delivery . On my website there is 2 eye witnesses and email/text copies from the Salesman that '' it's just an air conditioning leak , and to have it fixed at my home port and they would pay for it '' . It is all on my website . www.rangertugtruth.com

You're using a "Salesman" as your technical reference? Most sales people know very little technically about what they are selling (there are some good ones out there but they are rare!). He may have honestly thought it was just an A/C leak, but marine AC dumps their water overboard not into the bilge. Your issue is no one is going to willingly take respsonsibility for a major repair, and you seem to be casting around looking to someone to foot the bill for you when you really missed the fundamentals of a boat purchase.

Just get the work started and accept the really expensive life lesson on purchasing a boat.

BTW to me that damage looks more like the boat was dropped at some point, not just a blocking error.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by pcmm

... to me that damage looks more like the boat was dropped at some point, not just a blocking error.

Maybe, but if it was dropped I'd expect to see a point of impact and damaged or scuffed gelcoat. (...were there such marks?). In the photos there's two longitudinal cracks spaced out a bit over a foot widthwise, and no gelcoat damage other than the cracks... makes me think the boat was on a trailer or stand with soft pads, with too much weight on the hull at that point, and the hull cracked.

I'm no expert, in case that wasn't obvious, and my opinion is worth exactly what was paid for it.

Anyway... I've always kind of liked Ranger tugs as a concept. We've toured them at boat shows but never spent any time afloat in one. I hope the OP can get past this one way or another, get her repaired if possible, and finally get to enjoy the boat.

[boatpoker]

That photo (with the light) shows the inside surface is chopped mat, maybe chopper gun ... the absolute cheapest, weakest and fastest way to lay up a hull in a mold.

It would be interesting to know how much of the laminate is made up of that cheap stuff. A lab could tell you for a few hundred dollars.

Chopper gun could also explain the large port/starboard thickness difference as it doesn't take more than a few seconds of distraction of the gun handler to mess up.

The photo below is a vessel I surveyed that a 1' by 3' section of the hull had no glass whatsoever, just resin and balsa core. Builders do some stupid sh** ... and yes this was a chopper gun boat of a big brand builder

[Celestialsailor]

I just saw this thread and thought I would share a few pictures of a recent hull repair I am doing and the way I "x-ray" the area. The boat hard experienced an impact.

1st, don't be so sure that because there is a crack that there is not more damage than the eye can see. Normally on the outer most lamination's, 2 layers mat glass is usually used so there is no "print through" from other fiberglass types, such as cloth. While this allows a fair finish from the mold, it is not all that strong.

On the photos attached you can see crazing from the impact. To show this effect, I sanded away the paint on the interior and sanded the gelcoat off the exterior in the areas in question. Fiberglass is very translucent and defects show up very well.
My personal method of repair is to grind back the interior and exterior at least 10 times the width of the crack and lay up with your resin of choice. I will not suggest what resin I use as this usually starts a lot of bickering as to what is best. I semi fair that in and then grind back those damaged 1st two layers of mat, then laminate twoo new layers in there place.

[Fore and Aft]

I am with PCMM on this, I clicked on this thread to see if Dave has had the boat repaired and yet here he is still complaining. This is an easy repair so I do not understand why DaveC111 is making a mountain out of a mole hill?
The original post was from October so it has been plenty of time to repair the boat and move on.
Cheers

[DaveC111]

I disagree with Fore and Aft , most don't think it's a easy fix ( if you want it done right , inside and out ) . ----- Boatpoker , could you please email me a rangertugtruth@gmail.com , i would like to give you my phone number and talk to you about boat shops in our area .

[Lake-Effect]

I don't think it's an easy repair, yet. First there's a serious question of whether the hull was adequately built - thick enough, and a bit better layup than a chopgunny mess. Was it ever up to snuff, are there other areas as fragile? Then, determine the extent of the damage, determine whether inside access is necessary, and now you can price it.

I've done a little bit of fiberglass repair, and if I had a heated barn and all winter, I would attempt a repair just from the outside. But that's assuming it was my boat and I'd scooped it for pennies on the dollar, and the repair would just be good enough, but not as-new. If I'd paid six figures for a boat represented as just about new, I wouldn't settle for a barn job either.

I assume that the OP hasn't exhausted all legal channels, though the battle lines seem to be drawn, and a mutually-negotiated solution seems less likely...