Fiberglass Repair Opinion

[DaveC111]

We have a R 27 Ranger Tug that has two 12 '' cracks , port side 1/3 way back from the bow . We believe it was from blocking . The closest crack to the keel , is split open like a can opener . Some think it got water in the crack and froze the first winter in the boat house .

I bought the boat in June , and the dealer thinks the hull can be fixed from the outside only . I have said it would have to be fixed from inside also , and a vacuum bagged . I would like opinions on repairs . If you google ''R- 27 Ranger Tug Lemon Aid '' you can see video of the cracks .

Any advice would be appreciated . Dave

[roverhi]

Assume the cracks are below the water line and not just cracks in the gel coat. Easy fix from the outside, grind to undamaged glass and tapering out away from the original crack, laminate layers of glass and mat with epoxy starting with the largest piece first and working down in size till the divot is filled, grind repair flush, coat and recoat with bottom paint. Assume you are not doing the fix yourself but if you are keep layups to 2 and at most 3 at a time as the epoxy generates a lot of heat as it sets up.

No need for interior work unless the crack goes all the way through. If that's the case would definitely get a surveyor involved as that would indicate something really really serious going on.

Tried googling r-27 lemon ade and got Beyonce and sites on the drink.

[DaveC111]

Yes , had a surveyor look at it . It's bad . You have to spell it Lemon Aid R 27 Ranger Tug for video to come up . Thanks

[Spot]

Dave, are these the links?


https://www.rangertugtruth.com/


https://youtu.be/xXvsBqrzw9M

[DaveC111]

yes , that is the two

[Fore and Aft]

DaveC111 I am not sure what the problem is? The only real issue I see is matching the gelcoat once the repairs are complete. Why would you want to vacuum bag a repair like that on such a low tech boat?
This should not even be your problem if you had the boat surveyed before purchase? Then it's just a matter of identifying who damaged the boat so they pay for the repairs. Any good yard would have that boat repaired and back in the water in a week.
This all sounds like a storm in a tea cup to me.
Cheers

[psk125]

If the problem was caused by water freezing in the bilge, wouldn't the damage be pushing the cracks out, rather than in? It does look like something pushed in on that area. Overland transport would be a likely culprit, with the boat bouncing around on the highway somewhere. What does it look like on the inside?

Why insist on vacuum bagging? This does not appear to be an ultralight carbon/epoxy scavenged type of construction. It's called a tug, not a commuter. Vacuum bagging would be overkill. Opening up the cracks back to good material and perhaps reinforcing the inside layups when repairing as Roverhi suggests sounds like it should be ample. That far under the waterline and you don't have to worry much about matching gelcoat either. Get it fixed and go fishing.

[DaveC111]

Matching up the gel coat color on the bottom of the hull would be the least of my worries . I am more concerned about the cored hull and making 100 % repairs , the possibility of interior structure problems and the total lack of support from the dealer and the manufacturer .

[Knotical]

Any competent hull repair guy should be able to fix this like new except for maybe color matching. For the dealer and those implying that the damage is external only I am a little skeptical due to the fact that he was getting 13-14 gallons of water/day.

[psk125]

Originally Posted by DaveC111

Matching up the gel coat color on the bottom of the hull would be the least of my worries . I am more concerned about the cored hull and making 100 % repairs , the possibility of interior structure problems and the total lack of support from the dealer and the manufacturer .

The hull is cored? Nice to know. No mention of construction method or materials on the Ranger website whatsoever. Boats could be made of steel, aluminum, wood, or recycled milk bottles for all they say there. The thickness of the cracked laminate pieces does not make it look like there's coring. What's it cored with? Foam? Balsa? Still no need for vacuum-bagging. There's a "Tug-nuts" forum on their website. Have you posted there for advice/suggestions/similar situations?

[Lake-Effect]

Wow. what a saga. We're not power-boaters, but we've always thought the Rangers are cute, neat layout, and would be fun for a summer adventure like the Trent-Severn or Rideau canal systems. They're always popular at the boat shows.

Was there not an out-of-water inspection as part of your survey?

Just my non-legal and unschooled opinion:

Don't waste a second lamenting the lack of proactive response from the dealer or the manufacturer, or feelings about being "part of the family". Job #1 is to establish the fact that the boat was damaged before you officially owned her. Be certain about this: get solid confirmation that the boat was handled and blocked carefully and correctly while officially yours.

Once this is established and provable, then go back to the dealer with this proof, and demand either proper repair or 100% refund plus expenses. Period.

I don't believe for two seconds that the original owners got out of that boat, after such a short period, after investing in a marine railway... out of boredom. I'd bet that either the dealership quietly took it back to settle a claim from the original owner... or the original owner, having discovered or caused the damage, has quietly walked away from it.

You have a legal problem right now, not a fiberglass problem. A different specialist is recommended. From a repair perspective, if the damage is isolated to the area right around the visible cracks, I believe that it could be successfully repaired from the outside, but I myself would still expose as much as possible inside as well, in case there's cracks that would admit bilgewater into the core. Interior flooding certainly suggests this. I'm guessing this will possibly be a (Canadian) 5-figure repair cost, if done by a good independent shop.

[Fore and Aft]

DaveC111 the reality is if you had a pre-purchase survey done then this fault would have been identified. If no such survey was done then its going to be hard to prove what condition the boat was in before you purchased her? Also why did you accept delivery of the vessel in this condition? In almost all cases when a boat is transported somewhere the owner or his representative is there to accept delivery. That way before it's even unloaded the damage would be been identified. Even a competent boat yard would have rung you and said there is damage from the transport. I think there is way more to the story.
Cheers

[DaveC111]

There is way more to the story as you said . Lots of unanswered questions , like who did the trucking from the plant ? what type of trailer and support of boat ? The dealership shipped a boat to me , knowing it had some type of water leak . I was not present at shipping . I told them before loading the boat to find the problem . The dealership had already been paid , they told the boat movers that they talked to me , and to load it . The boat is down the road and I thought the dealership had a tech on the boat looking into the problem . On my website i have the statement from my boat movers . ---- the other question - foam core ---- no details on the Factories website about core or about warranty . The story is long , but the whole thing is on the website .

[Fore and Aft]

DaveC111 I think you are just going to have to suck it up and pay for the repairs yourself. You have been a total woody duck buying this boat and have no one but yourself to blame. Most brokers I know have a form releasing them from any liability for people buying boats without a survey. One simple step and a few dollars could have saved you all this drama.
You know the funny thing is I see these sort of defects hidden all the time and then the buyer goes to get insurance and realise they need a survey anyway. By then the boats paid for so the cost of all the faults I find have to come out of the buyers pocket. Just last week I surveyed a boat for another woody duck and he is now having to replace the fuel tanks in his new to him boat. Not cheap considering the boat is 60 feet.
Cheers

[DaveC111]

Woody Duck ?? never heard the term . There was no release to sign that i remember . If you read one of the articles in ''sources'' on my website , you will see a judge overturned the '' AS IS ''clause in a yacht purchase because the dealer had used that clause to sell a product that they knew had issues . Exactly what happened to me - the dealer shipped a boat to me with a known problem .