Repairing a rowing shell?

[Wade Lippman]

I just got a home made double. It is wood with a fiberglass skin. A few square feet of the fiberglass has delaminated. The guy who gave it to me assures me it is sound other that that.

If anyone could direct me to a website or book on how to repair this I would be most grateful.

My previous experience in boat repair is slapping a few layers of fiberglass/epoxy over some cracks in a sailboat hull. I expect that approach won't be useful here.

But speaking of that... I have a half gallon of epoxy left over from the sail boat; maybe 6 years ago. It has turned brown but still seems to harden properly. It is alright to use or should I toss it?

[Nate Carey]

Wade, got a photo or two to show us? Along with a description of the construction...plywood, solid wood, thickness of skin, hard chine or round bilge?

Use fresh epoxy.

[Wade Lippman]

It appears to be plywood. The fiberglass skin seems to be really thin; more to waterproof it than as a structural element.

It was abandoned by a student at a local college. The college didn't want it, so they left it at a rowing club during the night. The rowing club didn't want it, so they gave it to me.
Too bad really, because there is an awful lot of quality work in it; but maybe I can get some use out of it. Or really my wife and sons, as they row and I don't.

[David Lockledge]

Try this link
http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/17.htm

[Nate Carey]

Wade, what you've got is a Graeme King designed "Kookaburra" recreational double. Graeme can be contacted at P O Box 234 Putney, VT 05346 and I'm sure his telephone is listed. If it was my boat I'd call Graeme for the best advice on repairs, and the boat certainly appears to have potential. More information on the design can be found at...

http://www.woodenboat.com/wbstore/in...r19dd128e46i37

...another possibly helpful link putneyrowingclub@gmail.com

[Wade Lippman]

Great fine, thanks.
I will get in touch with him about the fiberglass.

It was left at RIT by a graduating student.
RIT didn't want it, so they gave it to a high school rowing program.
They didn't want it, so they gave it to me.

I have suddenly realized that it was simple abandoned by its last three owners! I was told by the boat master at the HS program that aside from the delaminating fiberglass it was sound; their only explanation for giving it away was that it didn't fit their program. Is it worth fixing? My 16 year old son has rowed sweeps for 3 years and a double several times last year; and the price was right.

[Nate Carey]

From the look of the "stateroom" (rower's term for cockpit) I would say this boat is worth repairing. A new "Kookaburra", professionally built, would have a value of $4500-$5000 (oars not included).

[Wade Lippman]

I looked it over in daylight and found the guy who told me the fiberglass is delaminating is crazy; there is no fiberglass!

It appears to be painted and some of the paint is chipping off. The chips are light on the bottom and black on the top, so I presume it was primed and painted.

Does that make sense?

[Jim Terrill]

I looked it over in daylight and found the guy who told me the fiberglass is delaminating is crazy; there is no fiberglass!

It appears to be painted and some of the paint is chipping off. The chips are light on the bottom and black on the top, so I presume it was primed and painted.

Does that make sense?

I can only speak to how we built similar boats when I was in high school, it was a single layer of lightweight fiberglass on the outside, the epoxy would hide the fiberglass unless you sanded too much. If you don't see any delamination on the boat, I'd just sand, repaint it and enjoy. I have had good luck with sandable high-build marine primer, finished with polyurethane or epoxy paint. They also used to paint some boats with rustoleum paint, it seemed to work pretty well. Incidentally, my first boat build was off of a boat that was left behind by a graduating senior back when I was in hs.

[Bob Smalser]

You'll have to sand a bevel into the finish at the edge of the delammed area to see if you raise the fuzziness of light fiberglass cloth.

On a light racing shell of quarter-inch ply, it could be merely primed and painted, but as Jim mentions it could also have 3-4oz fabric bedded in either polyester or epoxy resin. That it has delammed points toward polyester, which doesn't stick as well, but it doesn't really matter, as epoxy is the repair for both materials.

It's not always easy to tell whether glass fabric is present. This tiller yoke is a mahogany lamination with one layer of 3oz glass and epoxy applied just a base for the varnish. Carefully applied, the light cloth disappears completely.

[Nate Carey]

Wade, no fiberglass is a good thing. Take it down to bare plywood, or as close as you can get without sanding through the top veneer...you probably won't be able to attain a good surface for varnish but a well painted hull will row just fine.

[Jason Davis]

Wade,
On the Epoxy question, If it is West System, or System 3 brand, I would shake it the best you can and still use it. If any crystallization has occurred in the resin on West System, it is a good idea to heat it then mix it.
I am a fiberglass Technician at a Marina, and when I went to the West System school that is what they said to do.

As far as paint chipping, and no glass...... to me, Wood contacting water for any amount of time is not a good idea. I would at the very least epoxy coat the wood after cleaning the bad or degraded coating off. Fiberglass is a stiffener when used properly. Fiberglass is not a neccessity by any means.

As a side note, West System is expensive, but that is the best, and I meant the BEST epoxy you could use. I have used others and I still prefer West System and am using it to build my 11.5 Skiff. I hope this helps!

Edit: I would look to see on the seams that they have glass, especially front edges for beaching the boat, or accidental groundings....... Otherwise construction looks as if it was sheets, not slats.

[Neil Davie]

I have used old West System Epoxy in the past. It works fine as epoxy, but does harden a dark color rather than clear. If you are going to paint over, it should be fine. If you want the wood to look pretty, get some new epoxy.