1989 grady 19' tournament stringer rebuild

[jacquesmm]

First picture, with the yellow screw driver.
That can't be the hull. Is it some kind of box inside along the chine?
if the delamination is limited to port side, along the chine, then it is repairable but I can't guarantee that there is no delamination anywhere else.
Your theory about the cause of the damage makes sense and it that case, it may be limited to one side. It's your call.

For that kind of job, I would remove the cap.
Is it not possible to save it? Cut the screws or rivets from outside, and melt the putty with a heat gun?
Or, if fiberglassed, cut the tabbing?
I agree with Topwater that you should remove the cap.
That cost you labor but no material and you will have a much better feel for the condition of the hull.

[crabbydad]

first picture is inside the hull, maybe your seeing the stringer, no box there.
the delamination is near the chine, at the edge of the side of the boat, just before the vertical side
I think all the damage is port side. I have been over the hull with a hammer and don't hear anything starboard.
I removed the cap from a 17' grady white open bow about 15 years ago when I rebuilt the transom. I just moved it forward enough to access the transom. the cap was riveted on and I think only silicone in the seam to seal out water because I know I had to caulk it to keep the water from coming in when I hit large waves.
I started to remove the rub rail back at the transom a few weeks ago, looks like it just may be screws. I'm not sure if there is adhesive between them or not. Since I'm going to pull the cap, will there be a problem with fixing the delamination with the cap off and the sides distorting causing problems getting the cap back on? I will have to remove the rest of the liner also. Hopefully its not too flimsy with most of the floor out. I think the liner may be just attached with adhesive.
I have 12oz biax tape and cloth. Is this what I should use for this repair? Should I cover that with roving like I will grinding out?
What is the proper procedure for this repair?
thanks

[jacquesmm]

Before we decide on the type of glass, number of layers etc., you should grind all the delaminated glass out.
Those chines were heavy, made from overlapping layers from the bottom and the side plus, sometimes tabbing.

Some explanations:
This is an area, where in the middle of the boat, you run in quality problems.
(I worked as engineer and manager in FG boat building).
Measure the bottom across the widest part of the boat and you will see that it is close to 50". The designer specifies an overlap but with 50" wide fabric, this is either tight or not possible.
I have seen laminators drop the glass too far away over the keel, with a good overlap at the keel but not enough of the 50" wide fabric left to reach over the chine or then barely. In that case, they must add a layer of tape but if the supervisor isn't looking, they may skip that step. The chine becomes weak and I have seen warranty problems right there.
That chine must be looked at as framing member like a chine log in old wooden boats. It must be thick with overlapped layers.

If that is the case with your boat, with the boat banging in a piling, it will split at the chine.
All to say that we will have to work on that chine. Over the healthy glass, we will have to rebuild a strong chine.
Once we see the pictures after grinding, we can estimate the thickness to rebuild and from there, I can give you a number of layers.
I already know what to expect, we will look for about 1/2" total thickness.
We will probably switch to 1708 and use the 12 oz. you have later on the stringers and transom.
You will need a lot of resin and glass but you can save the hull.

To repair, the technique is always the same.
Grind with a taper, in this case probably 8" of taper all around the damaged area then fill with fiberglass pieces progressively larger, each piece overlapping the previous one by at least 1".
I may find a picture of that and post.

Don't worry about cosmetics, we can solve that.

Right now, you must be certain that you have detected all the bad areas and grind the bad fiberglass off.

I would want to be absolutely certain that there is no delamination in the bottom, that is very important.
If the bottom is delaminated, the boat is to throw away.
If only the chine broke, you can save her.

[crabbydad]

I'm not sure if I'm explaining where the delamination is correctly. looking up from the bottom, it is at the edge of the bottom, just before the vertical sides. The delamination is at the outermost part of the bottom. I will have to take a good picture to show exactly what I mean. looking at the side of the boat from the outside. the delamination is just below the side on the bottom. I would be tabbing the side to the bottom. Not sure if this makes sense.

[crabbydad]

I drew lines where the delamination is. Is the corner considered a chine? I assume I will tab up the side of the boat and up the side of the stringer. I think it will be easier to grind it all out once the cap and liner are removed. I can't fit my grinder all the way under the remaining portion of the sole. the stringer closest to the delamination is going to be replaced , so I guess that needs to be done first? Or am I removing both on that side to cover all the way to the keel with 1708 before replacing the stringers?

[crabbydad]

I started working on removing the cap. I removed the rub rail and found that up in the bow area where there was damage. looks like the lip to the cap was rebuilt using fairing compound and faired right to the hull. a few pieces broke off with a little persuasion. any idea how heavy this cap is? I was figuring on building a frame out of 2 x 4's and lifting it off with my engine hoist. Once I get it all apart, I can fully evaluate it. looks like it will be a PITA to rebuild the front with fiberglass and make it look right. This hull is getting closer to the dump with every thing I remove.

[gw204]

This hull is getting closer to the dump

I've got an old Grady as well that's headed down the same path and mine isn't nearly as banged up as yours. I just lost the motivation to work on it and would rather sink money into something I can use right away.

Good luck in whatever you decided.

[Cracker Larry]

I would scrap it, if it were mine. Not what you want to hear I know

[jacquesmm]

Thanks for the pictures.
I finally understand where the problem is and it looks more extensive than what I thought.
The damage at bow that you just discovered makes me think that this boat has been seriously damaged and has been repaired by somebody who wanted to hide the problems. You may discover more.
Like you, I wanted to believe that there was some hope but I can't honestly recommend to rebuild that boat.
As you wrote:

This hull is getting closer to the dump with every thing I remove.

Sorry.

[crabbydad]

As much as I want to rebuild this boat, I really think it is a waste of time. If I'm going to rebuild a boat and spend that much time, I want it to look great. I don't think I could rebuild the bow and make it look good. It looks like the fairing is really thick on the hull under the connection the cap. when I first looked at this boat, my gut feeling was to pass, but I'm looking for this exact make and model and tired of looking. If I have the time. I enjoy tearing apart and doing fiberglass work. Its the cosmetic part I don't like as far as fiberglass goes.
I'm gonna take the cap off and remove the liner just for the heck of it and future reference. I'll strip everything usable and save or sell. I bought the boat for$2800. I can probably get $1500 or so for the 150 Johnson and the trailer. I also have $900 in materials I bought before discovering the additional damage. I feel ripped off. I think i'll send the previous owner an email describing the damage with pictures and see if I can get a little bit of money back. Maybe i'll come across another project to use this material or just sell it.
I'll post some pics when I take it apart