Hit by small motor boat.

[Training Wheels]

This is why you paint your boat when you are done cruising, not before you go cruising.

[SouthernPride]

These days thieves, robbers, damage doers all have more rights than those that want to be left alone with no interaction. I carry weapons for those intended on more than a dent, and have used them when necessary. When a problem on the spot I have cut lines, released tenders, and more. Cops are useless. It's an eye for an eye world... rrrrr, matey

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Unbelievable. Sounds like the consensus is you should feel sorry for the idiot that ran into your boat. What a load of crap.

From what I read this seems to be just a little bit of an exaggeration. Feel sorry? No. But realize that the OP is on a boat that probably cost more than the business owner makes in several years. And, on a practical basis would that person have the desire and wherewithal to effect a decent repair or if not could the OP even get local authorities to force one?

Bottom line, as Dockhead suggested, do a gelcoat repair. You can get various kits that include tubes of pigment, gelcoat and hardener. Takes a little tinkering with the color matching but my first try at that I got a repair that is undetectable from 5' away. With a little practice I'll bet I could get a 2-3' job, maybe better.

[atlroofman]

To heron237- WHAT A COMMUNIST THOUGHT, Pilgrims tried that the first year and almost starved. Indians fed them and tought them there way. If you do not hunt, gather, or grow you don't eat. And everyone is responsible for there actions.

[taxwizz]

How does that old prayer go...?
"Dear Lord,
Give me the strength to change the things I can,
The serenety to accept the things I can't...
And the brains to know the difference."

This will likely end with no money changing hands.
So...Chill out and have that rum.

[taxwizz]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

This is why you paint your boat when you are done cruising, not before you go cruising.

I agree. Save up all the scrapes and fix them all at once when you go to sell the boat, unless it is structural damage. Meanwhile, the fish don't care what the boat looks like.

[hasse_A]

Originally Posted by Training Wheels

This is why you paint your boat when you are done cruising, not before you go cruising.

My boat is built 1981 and it has never been painted. It has a perfect shiny hull surface. In those days they built boats that last.

/Hans

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by OS2Dude

How fast was she going? Are you absolutely positive there is no damage deeper than the scratch? Getting hit 'bow on' would lead me to be concerned about damage to the underlaying fiberglass.

Its a scratch, and the owner doubts its gone through the gel coat so doubt its damaged much else.. and speed would have resulted in worse damage.. sounds more like a glancing blow as she left her turn to late.
Be suggesting a lift out for the repair, polish n wax job next..

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by hasse_A

No, I am not even talking to the poor young lady. I am confronting the business owner who engaged her to handle the companies boat and as "shipowner" is responsible of who he appoints as "commander".
The "shipowner" is at this stage not being dismissive so we may very well come to an agreement.
And, I am not of the opinion that by just being poor you are allowed to damage other peoples properties without consequences.

/Hans

That's fine if you want to spend your time like that.

I don't take money for scratches, personally, whether the culprit is rich or poor and not even if he offers. Not worth messing with. My annual budget includes topsides polish, wax, and scratch elimination.

And every cheerful "don't worry about it" is a deposit in the sailor karma bank.

Scratches happen. Gel coat repairs are really cheap and easy, not at all like fixing scratched cars. Being philosophical about scratches really enhances the pleasure of cruising.

[JC Reefer]

If there are no surprises you should be able to get away spending about $100 - 200 in labor. (I would charge $200 to repair 1 scratch but offer a big discount for bundled work)

The materials are not a big deal. The tricky part is color matching. It won’t be perfect but you can get close. It should pass the 5 foot rule.

Most of the time is spent sanding down and slowly getting it right.

For me, I would aim to do it in about 4 hours. 1 hour for prep and application. 3 hours in sanding, more sanding, buffing and waxing. It would be a 2 day project.

That being said, I was running my own show with low overhead. If you go through a boat yard they would pump up the price.

Doing the work is really easy and if prepared carefully can be done without much concern of screwing it to bad. The important thing is that you can typically sand off and redo anything that is not up to spec.

If you are really only doing this one scratch I would not bother buying all the supplies as you’ll likely spend over $100 and only need about $20 worth. It doesn’t sound like you were interested in going in that direction though.

Good luck.

[Training Wheels]

Originally Posted by hasse_A

My boat is built 1981 and it has never been painted. It has a perfect shiny hull surface. In those days they built boats that last.



/Hans

And if you want to keep that shiny hull perfect, don’t go cruising![emoji1]

Just recently got a scratch from a water taxi. How many fenders do we put out for panga water taxis?


All of them!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by JC Reefer

If there are no surprises you should be able to get away spending about $100 - 200 in labor. (I would charge $200 to repair 1 scratch but offer a big discount for bundled work)

The materials are not a big deal. The tricky part is color matching. It won’t be perfect but you can get close. It should pass the 5 foot rule.

Most of the time is spent sanding down and slowly getting it right.

For me, I would aim to do it in about 4 hours. 1 hour for prep and application. 3 hours in sanding, more sanding, buffing and waxing. It would be a 2 day project.

That being said, I was running my own show with low overhead. If you go through a boat yard they would pump up the price.

Doing the work is really easy and if prepared carefully can be done without much concern of screwing it to bad. The important thing is that you can typically sand off and redo anything that is not up to spec.

If you are really only doing this one scratch I would not bother buying all the supplies as you’ll likely spend over $100 and only need about $20 worth. It doesn’t sound like you were interested in going in that direction though.

Good luck.

That's exactly why it doesn't make sense to do one at a time. I pay a brilliant guy, a real artist, to spend a couple of days on my topsides, every year. It costs less than a grand and the boat comes out looking terrific for the start of every season. The cost is a drop in the bucket, and single scratch has no measurable effect. It's not worth messing with.

[hellosailor]

Hans-
I would think that only gelcoat is going to really match gelcoat. And even then, matching a 40-year old color may require some expertise, not just some itinerant painter, or even a half day of a talented owner. Color matching is an art, and you may need tints that you don't even suspect when you start.
Then there's a question of sanding it down, and whether the sanded surface gloss will ever really match. Short of repainting that half of the hull...everything will be a matter of compromise and degree. Your best bet being to find a professional yard, or at least a professional worker, and ask them for an estimate. Services and skills like this vary extremely from place to place. And if the nearest yard is a week away? With no immediate opening? You have to decide what you are willing to compromise on, and if the business owner agrees, just live with it.
It would be nice if he had that side of the hull refinished properly, yes, but I think we'd all agree that's a bit extreme, and unlikely.

[Sea Venture]

I honestly can't believe some of these replies. Seriously how old are you? If you can't give a proper reply . Don't add your stupid 2 cents worth.

I would also be upset if someone just hit our boat. In some cases consequences have to happen. It doesn't matter if you have a anchor ball out or not, she knew pretty well you were on anchor.

Good luck with your repairs. We did a total revamp on our boat when we purchased her 3 years ago. So we fully understand what every scratch means .

[Madehn]

oh for goodness sake- just fix it and move on. Young lady not getting paid much trying to make a living- damage doesn't sound major, was not intentional- seriously..... reminds me of the time i was bargaining with a t shirt vendor because i thought that was what i was supposed to do... talked them down 2 bucks apiece to buy a bunch of shirts- happened to remark that they had not come down a lot- the lady selling them looked at me and said "sir to me two dollars is a lot of money" - i was instantly ashamed of myself-- after talking to her i found out that all of the sellers worked on consignment and did not make much at all- anything they came down on in price took away from the small amount they made per shirt. I ended up paying her the original asking price and buying her lunch- made a friend and grew up a little as a person. you are in a different world where people are not shielded from personal liability by insurance- something that to you should be rectified for fairness to them could be a serious setback. Have a rum punch, think about how lucky you are that you get to relax on your boat- i know you worked hard for that boat but this scratch is not going to put your life in turmoil. smile breathe in breathe out move on.