Hole in the hull

[DrewVanRunkle]

Welp, I got the phone call that no boat owner wants to get that a storm blew her off the cradle. There is a good-sized(about 12" across) puncture in the hull. What should I expect as far as repair costs are concerned or is it a total loss? We only got to take her out 4 times after we bought he last year and we were supposed to launch 2 days after the storm came through

 

[Tin Kicker]

Hard to tell scale from those photos and don't know what is on the other side, but the repair is fairly straight-forward and ought to be well under $1,000. Looks like you are on about the scale of this in mine. This still looks ugly as it is mid-repair with peel-ply on.

This sounds like something the yard insurance should cover.
Did the rudder hit the ground?
Definitely have a surveyor look closely at ALL of the tabbing inside for the TAFG and cabinetry, engine mounts, hull-deck joint, slack standing rigging, etc.

 

[Christian Williams]

+1

Everything Tin Kicker said, plus a salute in general to fiberglass hulls. This is a job that, if we had to, we could do ourselves.

 

[nquigley]

Looks like the triangular top of the poppet punched through the hull - wasn't there a big wooden pad between the support and hull, to spread the load?
There should be relatively little weight on each poppet - >90% of the actual weight should be on the keel, with the poppets just there to keep her erect. Even with a stiff breeze from one side, I'd expect well-placed and padded supports shouldn't be each supporting enough weight to push a poppet through the hull ... but once it did, then the hull will definitely tip over.
I hope a thorough structural survey will reveal only minimal damage to the main structural elements. Good Luck!

 

[DrewVanRunkle]

Hard to tell scale from those photos and don't know what is on the other side, but the repair is fairly straight-forward and ought to be well under $1,000. Looks like you are on about the scale of this in mine. This still looks ugly as it is mid-repair with peel-ply on.

This sounds like something the yard insurance should cover.
Did the rudder hit the ground?
Definitely have a surveyor look closely at ALL of the tabbing inside for the TAFG and cabinetry, engine mounts, hull-deck joint, slack standing rigging, etc.

Thanks! I'd say the hole is similar in size to yours. The rudder did hit the ground, but there was minimal damage to it. The marina is claiming it is an act of God, but we'll let them fight it out with my insurance company.

 

[DrewVanRunkle]

Looks like the triangular top of the poppet punched through the hull - wasn't there a big wooden pad between the support and hull, to spread the load?
There should be relatively little weight on each poppet - >90% of the actual weight should be on the keel, with the poppets just there to keep her erect. Even with a stiff breeze from one side, I'd expect well-placed and padded supports shouldn't be each supporting enough weight to push a poppet through the hull ... but once it did, then the hull will definitely tip over.
I hope a thorough structural survey will reveal only minimal damage to the main structural elements. Good Luck!

There were 70+ MPH straight line winds that day. The storm even knocked in the roof of a 100+ year old building. Here are some pictures of how they found her. I guess she fell into the cradle next to her.

 

[DrewVanRunkle]

I'm sure that I could try patching it myself, but I'm not confident in putting my family's life at risk with my lacking handyman skills.

 

[tenders]

Sorry to see this - but if the skin puncture is the extent of the damage (a big IF), I agree it isn't a difficult fix. With a good 12:1 bevel into the remaining solid glass, and several layers of nice biaxial cloth, you can't go too far wrong structurally. But it does seem like a straightforward insurance claim. That cradle looks very narrow, BTW, especially to have been propped up on those small wooden blocks.

 

[Christian Williams]

Let us know eventually what the marina feels is owner responsibility vs. their responsibility. I'm sure it varies.

Our family Pilot sloop fell over while being winched up the marine railway at Raritan Yacht Club. It took a crane to set matters right. It looked (and sounded) awful, but there was no damage to the wooden hull.

The only damage, in fact, was to my wife. I gave her a black eye pushing her out of the way as the boat toppled toward us. Jeeez.....

 

[Tin Kicker]

I see you are in Ohio and having grown up east of Cleveland (Lyndhurst) & worked in Willoughby I think the marina would have a hard time arguing that they could not force winds too strong for those stands. Further, having the stands on the wood blocks without tie downs was asking for trouble. Your insurance adjuster should have no problem making the case that the stands were too narrow and too poorly supported.

I'd let a pro do the fiberglass repair at least for the big hole.

Definitely have the rudder pulled to check for support damage, for shaft straightness, and to repair the bottom corner.

I'd be very surprised if there is not some tabbing inside the rear which needs repair. They boat was rocking on the stands before it came off so also check the interior areas around where the pads supported the boat. Not too hard and not expensive, especially if you remove things to make access for the repair person.

 

[Tin Kicker]

...
The only damage, in fact, was to my wife. I gave her a black eye pushing her out of the way as the boat toppled toward us. Jeeez.....

It'd be entertaining to hear you tell it and then to hear it from your wife.

 

[nquigley]

70 mph winds - yikes!
I thought she might have toppled over and landed on her side on the pavement - that could have done a lot of damage. The photos suggest your skin puncture might be the only real damage, and should be pretty easy to fix - including just by yourself if the Insurer and the boat yard both claim Act of God. Insurer will argue the boat yard should have had her tied down against excess winds, and boatyard will likely say they can't protect against all possible environmental risks and that's what personal insurance is for. Perhaps they'll split the cost of repairs.

 

[Mark F]

Hi DrewVanRunkle,
I would definitely follow Tin Kicker's advice to remove the rudder and check for rudder post damage.

On a different note, I see you have an E27 (it helps to update your signature with a least the model Ericson you have). The added port light on the port side is interesting, I have occasionally looked at that spot on my E27 and thought that could be a nice addition. Nothing on the starboard side right? Do you have a photo of that area from the inside?

 

[Kenneth K]

Insurers have their own set of wickets they will make you jump through. A few years ago I looked at flood insurance. My insurer defines a "flood" as a widespread event, I.e., it affects many houses in the local area. If it's just your own house that floods, they call it a "water backup". You can insure against either event, but insurance for one event won't cover the other event.

My point is, if this had been an act of God, like a flood, it's reasonable that it would have covered a wide area, I.e., affected many boats in the marina or many boats at other marinas nearby. If your boat is the only one that got knocked over, it makes a strong case for faulty blocking.

I'd maybe snap some pictures of the rest of the marina, especially if your boat is the only thing that got damaged.

 

[DrewVanRunkle]

I'll be back up at the lake this weekend and will provide updates on repair quotes.