Hull Scratches and gouges

[TSmith]

Need a little help, perhaps just talking off the ledge. I bought our second ski today and I did a dumb thing. I did everything right in checking out the ski mechanically, but failed to get down on my back and check the underside of the hull. The ski was in such immaculate shape I just assumed the hull was too. Big Judgement Error! Got the ski home and even though it was getting dark and starting to rain, decided to do a little more investigation. Found some scratching on the hull near the intake grate and ride plate, so decided to inspect the rest of the hull. Along the keel and down the middle of the hull I found several long scratches in the gel-coat. One in a gouge about 2 feet long and 1/16-1/8" wide. Several, including the longest one are through the gel-coat and I can see fiberglass. They don't appear too deep, just looks more like its been beached alot and over time have worn through. I couldn't take any pics, as quite honestly I was too upset at the discovery, and then the rain picked up. I'll try to get some and post in the morning.

Question is, have I messed up royally, or is this something that can be fixed fairly easily. I've done gel-coat repair before on my boat, but I've never had fiberglass exposed below the water line. Trying to decide if I need to fight this out with the seller, or just learn my lesson and move on. I tend to overreact too, so for my wife's sake I thought I'd seek the advice of those more wise than I.

Any help would once again be greatly appreciated.

 

[Onemorecast]

You may want to check this out, did quick search and seems a few guys have repaired hulls w this. Hopefully somebody can speak from experience also. http://m.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=West-System-Fiberglass-Boat-Repair-Kit&i=95044&r=view&aID=601L4C&cvsfa=2587&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=3935303434&s_kwcid=goobasecontent_goobasecontent_filler&cID=SHOPPING_95044

 

[TSmith]

Here are some pics. I cant get the one of the long scratch to take cause all I have is my phone, but these are the worst anyway. The longer one is not as wide. I noticed this morning some little holes along the edges of the gouges that look like they might have been blisters that go worn away over time.

 

[deepdiver]

Here's a good link: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/gelcoat-scratch-repair.asp.
I've got similar problems.

 

[soccerdad]

It is all repairable. The glass is showing, but even then, it really is not absorbant. It truely is glass, not some spongy fiber. You have a bunch of options. For now, you can use a gelcote repair kit. Then over the winter, you can do a full repair if you care too. Just sand out the gouges, fill, and resand. There are several gelcote repair kits out there. Some even come with colors you can mix in. To get the exact color, you may have to order it from the Canadian company that makes the gelcote for Seadoo. If you got a decent deal on the ski, you are still OK.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

i doubt the ski will take on water as is....

you should have seen the bottom of my XP when I sold it....made your's look mint ! And my hull was bone dry at the end of every ride.

the guy never looked when he bought it, and quite honestly I only looked at the bottom maybe twice in 3 years.

you could go through a lot of repair work...

or... you could just go out and ride... (thats what I did)

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Buy a couple tubes of epoxy repair at a boat shop....they come in several colors. I bought a green for my GTX & white for my boat. Let it dry then sand it down a bit and then go ride & have fun.

 

[jammin777]

not too hard to fix, i bought a seadoo last year and was much much worse. while my engine was out for rebuilding, i had the ski on it's side and re shot the keel with gel coat. here's where i got by gel coat.
http://www.gelcoat.ca/index.php?p=catalog&parent=2&pg=1
they also have gel coat patch repair kits that is thicker like a paist, build it up, sand it flush, sort of like bondo repair then buff.

my thread on the repair.
http://www.seadooforum.com/showthread.php?67577-99-seadoo-gsx-rfi-semi-restro/page2

 

[TSmith]

Thanks so much everyone for the replies. I spoke with the seller, not to complain, but just to see if he knew anything about the history so I could judge whether the glass had been exposed to water for any significant length of time. He was genuinely surprised to learn of the damage, and admitted that he had never bothered to look at the bottom on the ski. He actually offered to either reduce the cost or buy back the ski for what I paid. Not many folks would do that, and he certainly did not have to do either. I think based on our conversations he was on the fence about selling to begin with. In the end I decided to let him take it back. I feel a bit guilty about that, especially since I was the bobblehead who failed to check the ski out thoroughly, but I just was not looking for any projects, big or small.

Thanks again for the help and encouragement. I guess its back to looking, and enjoying the one I still have, for me. Next time, I'll have a more complete list to check off before pulling the trigger.