HallOfDreams
Member
- Sep 11, 2019
- 88
- Boat Info
- 2003 (2004 face lift) Searay 340 8.1L Mag. Outdrive.
- Engines
- Mercruiser 8.1L 496 mag
Second survey said stress fatigue no sign at all of impact
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Thanks for info. We used to coat the interior of oil storage tanks with fiberglass. Tanks settle and move; but we never saw the coating crack and leak. Did the surveyor have any idea how the area could have fatigued. Fatigue to me would indicate movement of the hull to fail. Sort of like when you bend a paper clip many times and it breaks. You may want to suggest to the owner he contact SeaRay and report a fatigue failure. It could have been the result of a fabrication error and perhaps SeaRay might be interested. If it is a fabrication error a recall may be in order before a boat sinks.Second survey said stress fatigue no sign at all of impact
Apparently known issue. Due to proximity of the shafts to the tunnel and years of vibration and any period of miss alignment coupled with water pressure within the tunnel can cause this. It’s a weak point where the tunnel which kind of looks like and upside down boot with a tube out the tube joins the hull.Thanks for info. We used to coat the interior of oil storage tanks with fiberglass. Tanks settle and move; but we never saw the coating crack and leak. Did the surveyor have any idea how the area could have fatigued. Fatigue to me would indicate movement of the hull to fail. Sort of like when you bend a paper clip many times and it breaks. You may want to suggest to the owner he contact SeaRay and report a fatigue failure. It could have been the result of a fabrication error and perhaps SeaRay might be interested. If it is a fabrication error a recall may be in order before a boat sinks.
This is generally not a structural repair, however, Sea Ray has repaired a number of them simply because it is a sloppy manufacturing technique on some Merritt Island built 380DA's.
When the boats come out of the mold, the hull has marks on it to identify where the shaft log should be mounted. Some boats had oversized holes sawed for the shaft log. The usual method of mounting the shaft log was to fiberglass it into the hull then mix up resin/gelcoat and glass micro-balloons sometimes called Cabosil into a putty then fair the interior of the hull where the shaft log was positioned. Water can eventually work its way past the Cabosil/fiberglass and form a leak. It isn't a structural defect and the boat is still safe but needs to be repaired to avoid water under pressure from causing a delamitation in the hull lay-up. It is usually a repair that takes a day in the boat yard and is a quick and easy one for a competent fiberglass guy to do because only the Cabosil area has to be ground out and repaired with glass cloth and resin.
It isn't engine vibration because the shaft log is separated from engine vibration by the engine coupler on the fwd end and the cutlass bearing/strut on the aft end and no hull damage has ever been seen when this defect was repaired. It seems more northern boats are affected than southern ones so Sea Ray hypothesized that temperature differential is the primary cause.
Other than the comment that the engines need to be pulled to get to the repair, this one should be an easy fix. I'd bet that once the Cabosil is ground away, that the fiberglass technician finds that the fiberglass shaft tube is solid and firmly affixed and the leak is just at the Cabosil patch.
But what about the cracks in the underside of the hull all around where the fitting? You can flex the bottom around that area. the water meter read 5%That leak is exactly what I was describing.
When the boat is assembled, the fiberglass shaft tube is inserted thru the hole in the bottom of the boat then fiberglassed into place. Next, a putty of gelcoat and ground up fiberglass (micro-balloons) and resin is mixed up and used to fair or smooth the area. This boat had a large area to fill between the hull and the shaft tube. Since the coefficient of expansion of fiberglass and resin and the Cabosil moisture is different, one grew larger than the other during the seasonal temperature change and the crack formed between the solid hull and the Cabosil around the shaft tube.
While it may look like the bot is coming apart, it is not. There is just crack in the Cabosil patch letting seawater leak in.
Exactly this is what makes this forumYou just got a golden nugget of information! Work the price, fix the boat, enjoy life! Or, don’t. A boat is in your future somewhere.
Hardly - there is no "stress" in these locations. Simply a case of poor workmanship as Mr. Webster says. "Pull the engine" - hardly again; if you can touch the area then it can be repaired in place. The shaft and shaft seal probably doesn't even need to be removed.Second survey said stress fatigue no sign at all of impact
Hardly - there is no "stress" in these locations. Simply a case of poor workmanship as Mr. Webster says. "Pull the engine" - hardly again; if you can touch the area then it can be repaired in place. The shaft and shaft seal probably doesn't even need to be removed.
If this is the only issue with the boat it's a gem.....
This is probably a $2000 effort with the boat out of the water. Grind and cut the gelcoat and faring to the FRP and remove any mat that is not correct on the inside and remove the faring from the outside. Layup new glass then fair and re-gelcoat and bottom paint..... It's even conceivable it could be corrected from the bottom side of the boat....
Just a note on post survey negotiations - For repairs like this it's always best (from my experience) to get a reduction in price and have the work done under your watch rather than have the current owner get the work done. The quality is under your control.....
The tube is structurally attached and sealed from water leakage (FRP fabric and resin) to the hull from inside only. The outside and the gap between the hull and the tube is filled with a fairing compound. Execute what Mr. Webster states and all will be good.great info on this thread,
when you saY $2K, is that including pulling the engines? or doing the repair from underneath only?
My only concern is the crack around the pod on the inside. As you say this is where it attaches to the boat and it’s cracked 3/4 way round internally under the engine.The tube is structurally attached and sealed from water leakage (FRP fabric and resin) to the hull from inside only. The outside and the gap between the hull and the tube is filled with a fairing compound. Execute what Mr. Webster states and all will be good.
I know this as the faring on the bottom of the hull on both of my boats was cracking and falling out. I had it cut out and replaced. No further issues.
Pulling engines would be additional cost.
I would suspect that is a crack in the gelcoat only and not structural. From the video definitely not a deal killer.My only concern is the crack around the pod on the inside. As you say this is where it attaches to the boat and it’s cracked 3/4 way round internally under the engine.
Ok so final update. Firstly I wish to thank everyone’s input, it’s these kind of threads that become an invaluable source of information for many people.
we had a well known and respected glass fibre repair specialist take a look today. Everything is as reported in this thread.
The cracks internally are not just superficial gel coat sadly but are cracks Into the structure that bonds the prop tunnel. The engine has to come out and the internal sector reworked including the external on both sides.
The seller is taking on full cost and will be finished in next 14 days.
thanks everyone.