Irma damaged my boat, how serious is this?

[sailingunity]

I think I get the picture here, hire a good surveyor, don't trust the insurance company.

Anyone got a recommendation for one in Jacksonville area?

[illanrob]

Once you file an insurance claim you go on the bad boy/girl list. This makes insuring the boat harder to get from other companies. As a rule if the damage is not above the deductible do not file, since you will not get any money and it is known to all that you do not know how to secure the boat.

I have seen similar fiberglass damage and rework on a Pearson30 last year from hurricane Matthew in the Halifax River Daytona Beach area. There was an 18 inch rip between hull and deck, did have to cut some internal fiberglass panels to get access.

My Morgan36 was taken 10 miles up the Halifax River from Ponce Inlet, FL lighthouse during the October 2016 hurricane Matthew and sustained some damage when a dock cleat broke. Nothing as bad as your boat, but the same location. I have a named hurricane $4000 deductible.

With hurricane Irma I tried to take the boat to the same marina, but they didn't have any room. So I stayed put for Irma and learned from last year on how tie the boat better between docks. It worked. Not a scratch on the boat docked at the mouth of the Ponce Inlet to Halifax River.

[sailingunity]

So I visited over the weekend. Damage is much the same as the pics, I think the most difficult part here will be matching the gelcoat. My question is, here is a pic from inside the gunwale, besides the small hole that is there, the white areas of fiberglass appear to be damage from where the fibers have seperated.

I'm no professional but I did watch some youtube videos (and I stayed at a holiday inn express). According to what I've seen you need to grind away all of the damaged fiberglass, does that mean I'll have to basically grind a hole through the gunwale and rebuild it?

[PFiji]

Fiberglass is very repairable, what makes this damage a little harder is the location. Still this is nothing that a qualified professional can't handle (or a DIY type that is pretty handy). You're looking at some grind and patch, then some some fill and sand. Then gel work.

You've probably already googled and figured this out, but if you haven't, make sure you've got a good filtration mask/proper safety gear.

Have you found out what exactly your deductible is?

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by sailingunity

So I visited over the weekend. Damage is much the same as the pics, I think the most difficult part here will be matching the gelcoat. My question is, here is a pic from inside the gunwale, besides the small hole that is there, the white areas of fiberglass appear to be damage from where the fibers have seperated.

I'm no professional but I did watch some youtube videos (and I stayed at a holiday inn express). According to what I've seen you need to grind away all of the damaged fiberglass, does that mean I'll have to basically grind a hole through the gunwale and rebuild it?

It's hard to tell exactly what is going on from that photo. The white patches may be delamination or they may be where the interior surface was sanded/ground during the build. Some manufacturers did this to quickly smooth to out rough spots. If this is the only area where you see this then it is likely damage. If it's all throughout the boat it's smoothing. Running your fingers over it should also let you know what it is.

And if it's is damage, yes, it needs to be ground out and repaired. If it goes through the whole laminate, it all has to go and be reconstructed if you're doing it right. And the repair area will extend well out from the actually damaged area to assure an adequate bond with the good glass.