New rib owner with some hull ????

boatster · 28 July 2004, 20:05

Hi everyone,

nice to find a community dedicated to this odd boat we call ribs. Anyways I just purchased an Avon s400 with center jockey console and 30 hp Sukiaki 2 stroke (suzuki, can you guess from where I get the pseudnym from?). Let me tell you these things are hard to find in the US. Anyways I have a few questions about this boat if you don't mind.

#1 is it ok to have water in the hull? I opened that floor "bung"/"plug" and drained out maybe 2 quarts worth of very yellow smelly/rancid water

. Does this drained water represent most of whats in the hull or just behind some bulkhead (thus more water in other compartments possibly)?
(NOTE: previous owner used this boat 1/2 the time in fresh and the other 1/2 in saltwater)

#2 how is the interior of this particular hull laid up? (wood, fibreglass, wood covered fibreglass, other)

#3 what are ways I can make access to draining all water from said hull?

#4 Any other hull maintainance advice I could use?

#5 There also seems to be what appears as sap leaking from an exterior crack on the outside of the hull. It seems the previous owner might have rammed the carpeted guides too hard and compromised the hull there. Anyways I assume this "sap" is more of that congealed yellow water leaking out. I suppose I'm going to have to grind all that fibreglass out and fix it yes?

Thanks. I am going to check for all leaks possible in this boat and give a good run through. I will try to post pics of my boat as I get more time.

Adam

ADS · 28 July 2004, 20:33

Hi I have an Avon S4.00 Supersport. With water in the hull the main thing is is yours a supersport or a Searider. If its a searider you are OK (they are meant to flood). Judging by your description of the crack I think it could possible be a Supersport the same as mine.
I too was suffering with a water leak into the hull and i have just found a crack possibly the same as you. On mine at the back of the boat the underside of the flange where the tubes connect the hull has cracked and the boat takes on water there. As you say it is where the carpeted skid on the trailer has been siting. I am currently in the ealy stages of having mine repaired. I have had to have the tubes taken off from the back of the boat to half way forward and somebody else is going to do the grp work and then the tubes will have to be stuck back on again. I think theis is quite common with 4m supersports. Can you post some pictures of the suspect crack?

Alex

boatster · 28 July 2004, 21:34

Hi Alex,

I do believe we have the same boat. Mine is a 1988 s4.00 rib 13' 2" or something like that. I will take and try posting pics if I have time. I've been very busy lately. But essentially on the bottom of the hull it looks like a long crazing of about 1 foot with the exception that this sap like material has oozed out. I haven't yet taken the boat on the water and I don't remember when the previous owner did either but its apparent it is leaking through the hull there. Supposedly the boat hasn't been used much so hopefully things aren't bad.

I need to get a book to read how difficult it is to fix the fibreglass hull myself.

Do you happen to know of how the internal structure of the boat is designed. Will all the water in the hull flow to the back at that floor plug/bung if you tilt the boat back? How much water did you get after a run or two?

Thanks,

Adam

boatster · 29 July 2004, 03:06

Well I just got back from the West Marine dealer and spoke to one of the sales people. He said that the rib hull has no wood inside. Is this true? I feel relieved but am a little skeptical that this is indeed true. If theres no wood, what do they use for bulkheads in there?

Come on guys someones got to know. I have a 1988 Avon S4.0. Anyone?

ADS · 29 July 2004, 13:38

Boatster,
when I go out my hull fills up completely and when I take out that bung I get a little water fountain. To get the water out I tip the boat up as far as it will go and most of it drains out. I have also filled the hull up with a hose and the water definatly comes out the crack but only whern you lift the tubes up.
I will let you know what happens, it is going to the grp specialist early tommorow. I am not going to do it myself because it is a high stress point and a pig to get to.
I am not sure whether there are any bulk heads but I assume there is some wood supporting the deck.
Alex

boatster · 29 July 2004, 21:21

Alex,

it sounds to me like your crack is pretty bad. Mine doesn't fill the hull. Its also just under the chines and another on the keel. I'm going to do the work myself. Well, in any case. I'll just have to dig around some more to find for sure what the internals of my rib are.

Tim M · 29 July 2004, 22:51

Why don't you try contacting Avon to find out.....

boatster · 04 August 2004, 20:52

Ok, here are some photos of the cracks. I did a little research and I think they started out as crazes and eventually let water in past the gelcoat thus water has penetrated into the fibreglass. I guess now it is called osmosis something or other. I don't suspect this is where the water got into the hull. I guess THAT could be just from inside the boat bolt holes and such. Either way I'm gonna repair these cracks. Does anybody know whats the best way to repair these crazes/cracks? Do I just grove them out to the fibreglass, let whatever moisture out, and then re-gelcoat?

NOTE: these photos are on the port side bottom under one of the chines where the trailer bunk first hits the hull when loading the boat back on the trailer.

Rogue Wave · 05 August 2004, 03:25

do a search on the forum for grp repairs and I think you will find some reasonable answers. the easy thing is that fibreglass is a very easy material to repair. you can buy many good books on the subject at chandlers or you could contact a resin manufacturer for info. Scott bader in this county don't know about the States.

There is wood inside an Avon hull but i's in the transom .

I lived and worked in LA for a couple of years back in the 80's where do you do your boating?

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....&highlight=GRP

http://www.rib.net/forum/showthread....ght=laminating

http://www.brockworks.freeserve.co.uk/repairs.htm
cheers Stuart

boatster · 05 August 2004, 07:07

Hi Stuart,
thanks for the links. I've been messing around in the LA harbor and also been making jaunts up to Hollister Ranch in Santa Barbara for surf (in my SIB). Are you familiar? Anyways I hope to be making plenty of runs out to the channel islands this summer when the winds are calm in my new RIB. The channel crossing is 26 miles to Catalina from San Pedro and 12 out to the Channel Islands from Ventura. My purpose is to facilitate surfing remote locations on the Islands and the Ranch. In any case I haven't even taken my new RIB out yet as I'm redoing the carbs, impeller, and fuel injector in the Suzuki as well as fixing what small hull breaches there are in the RIB. I believe I'm being very thorough as everything must be ship shape for channel crossings even here in our mild Pacific Ocean. I will post photos of my trips on this bb to share once things are underway.

So you say there is wood in the transom. But what about the rest of the hull? Are there bulkheads made of wood? Should I be concerned if there is water collecting in the hull? Thanks again.

Adam