Hull Renewal

The Wind

New Member
Have a vintage Laser (eighty-something) with a hull is in dire need of some repair and restoration. Many scratches, a lot of gelcoat crack and two areas that looks like it has been repaired in the past. I have no problem doing the work, but not sure what products to use to fill the scratches and cracks. I gather that the final finish should be a quality marine coat of paint. Your advice is appreciated. The pictures give a pretty good idea of the hull condition. Thanks Ron
 

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I am currently redoing 9 old beater lasers.
What I have been doing is if its a structural thing or a big part that needs rebuild I use West Systems, and if its just deep scratches or something like that, i am using bondo or formula 27.

I will look and se what paint, its a interlux topsides paint, maybe perfection
 
I occasionally redo a laser as well and here is my technique to a very nice bottom. I fair the bottom with long boards in a cross hatch method knocking down the highs and finding the lows and identifying the really deep scratchs (most shallow ones sand out). with a good cleaning getting all dirt and wax off and making sure deep scrathes are abraded I fill with a thickened West System epoxy mix squeegee off excess to lessen sanding. once dry and continue sanding, going to finer and finer paper. the last few grits should be sanded in line with the flow of the boat to produce a very smooth and paint ready surface.

paints of choice are awlgrip or interlux or if your fixing a beach boat why not use auto paint with a couple coats of clear over it (scratches rub out of clear).

best of luck.
 
Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt.

Here's the chronicle of my epic voyage:

http://www.laserforum.org/showthread.php?t=8034


I notice a couple things on yours,

1. It appears your gelcoat is already worn through in a couple major places, and worn thin in a couple others. So the sanding & rubbing out option doesn't appear viable for you.

2. In pic 5, those cracks indicate structural damage -- the glass underneath the gelcoat has been crunched in order to create those spiderweb cracks. So you need to reinforce this area, either from inside (by adding an access port or two) or from the outside. There are threads here on this topic.

With respect to the thinning gelcoat, you'll need to sand and paint if you want a nice finish.

The main thing you need to decide is how much time do you have, and is it worth it to you? For a first time amateur effort, I'm guessing you'll spend 40 to 80 hours to get a "nice" result, but probably not as perfect as you were originally hoping for. Practiced pros with a shop ready to hand can obviously do it in much less time. That's why they're pro's. But they'll charge you more than the boat is worth.

And you haven't even shown us the deck.

My suggestion?

Allocating a whole Saturday to the job, wash thoroughly, get out some rubbing compound and compound the boat. This will make your existing bare spots slightly bigger and expose a couple new ones. Do not worry about this for now. Now, put on a nice coat of wax. Admire your work, consider the sweat soaking through your shirt and the ache in your muscles. Now decide if you're willing to spend 5X (or more) that amount of work for a slightly better result to get rid of those scratches and bare spots.
 
2. In pic 5, those cracks indicate structural damage -- the glass underneath the gelcoat has been crunched in order to create those spiderweb cracks. So you need to reinforce this area, either from inside (by adding an access port or two) or from the outside. There are threads here on this topic.

I must respectfully disagree w/ you regarding #2 above. It is generally accepted that spider cracks are indications of flexing and not necessarily structural damage. It is also true that spider cracks are more prevalent on late 70s and some early 80s vintage boats (and not just Lasers) because thicker layers of gelcoat were utilized. Gelcoat does not hold up well to any kind of flexing. I would make absolutely sure there is no delamination of the deck (this is a deal breaker) and no structural issues related to the mast tube and thru-hull before considering the hull itself.
 
I must respectfully disagree w/ you regarding #2 above. It is generally accepted that spider cracks are indications of flexing and not necessarily structural damage. It is also true that spider cracks are more prevalent on late 70s and some early 80s vintage boats (and not just Lasers) because thicker layers of gelcoat were utilized. Gelcoat does not hold up well to any kind of flexing. I would make absolutely sure there is no delamination of the deck (this is a deal breaker) and no structural issues related to the mast tube and thru-hull before considering the hull itself.

I don't know I would have to agree with Moose it sure looks like structural damage,
being we are looking at a small pic its a hard one to call
 
I must respectfully disagree w/ you regarding #2 above. It is generally accepted that spider cracks are indications of flexing and not necessarily structural damage. It is also true that spider cracks are more prevalent on late 70s and some early 80s vintage boats (and not just Lasers) because thicker layers of gelcoat were utilized. Gelcoat does not hold up well to any kind of flexing. I would make absolutely sure there is no delamination of the deck (this is a deal breaker) and no structural issues related to the mast tube and thru-hull before considering the hull itself.

I think we could probably come to an agreement --

cracks indicate flexing, yes?

So then, the question is -- was it a one time flex that didn't significantly weaken the hull, or has the hull been subject to repeated flexing there indicating fatigue and loss of structural strength?

I was guessing the latter, which I called "structural damage" as a shortcut, and reinforcing with fresh glass would be indicated for a "full" restoration.

But don't forget to read all the way to the bottom for my final point and recommendation. ;-)
 
I think we could probably come to an agreement --

cracks indicate flexing, yes?

So then, the question is -- was it a one time flex that didn't significantly weaken the hull, or has the hull been subject to repeated flexing there indicating fatigue and loss of structural strength?

I was guessing the latter, which I called "structural damage" as a shortcut, and reinforcing with fresh glass would be indicated for a "full" restoration.

But don't forget to read all the way to the bottom for my final point and recommendation. ;-)

The flexing I would surmise looks like someone dropped this poor hull off a truck, spider cracks are everywhere, and not little ones. My older boat takes on water and it has just a few spider crack less than 4 inches long. I would skip the day rubbing and waxing because even with 5X the effort you will not get your money back on this hull. You can get a 80s hull with all the fixin's for less than $1500 (one that never fell off a truck) you could probably sell off pieces parts you have extra and make much of that back. Sweat equity is all well and good but this looks like good money after bad to me...
 
Hey, Thanks for all the great advice. Since our prime interest iat this time is recreational sailing, I will approach the restoration with the same approach Michelangelo did David. When asked how he knew how to create the sculpture, Michelangle replied, I just chipping away the pices of the carrea marble that did not look like David. Here are a few other pics of the spydering area around the mast step section. Thanks again - Ron
 

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