stress fractures in skeg

[cpthook]

Hi
I just viewed a boat that I may buy but she has several small stress fractures
in the skeg where it meets the hull. The owner suggested a budget of around £1000
to fix it by removing the rudder and relaying the glass fibre around the skeg.
Do you think this is a reasonable amount or might it cost more?
Who would be the best firm to choose around the Lymington area?

Many thanks

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[Talbot]

would really depend upon how the skeg is attached to the hull, and what materials are in the skeg. If the skeg is a simple fabrication that is separate from the hull, that price should be more than ample. However if not it may be more - get a second opinion

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[oldsaltoz]

G'day Cpthook,

Have a look inside first, if any cracks here, it's a pretty safe bet the whole thing will have to be removed and re-glassed, or worked on from the inside first, then from the outside; this is not a 10 minute job and not cheap.

Just make sure only 'epoxy resins' are used for repair and no standard chopped strand mat (CSM) is used.

If the stress cracks are only outside, the full extent of the failure will not be known til the area has been fully ground out to the point that no more cracks are visible.

I hope this helps...



<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.

 

[PeteMcK]

For info... what type of boat?

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[MainlySteam]

If the problem is not due to a one off event such as a severe grounding or similar, and it occurs were the skeg meets the hull as you say, if it were me I would be inclined to walk away from the boat as the problem will likely reoccur. If reinforced during the repair, unless reinforcement can be taken into the internal hull structure the flexing will also likely only reoccur at the outer parts of the added material.

Despite the religous zeal some have for skegs they can be a real problem if they are not properly built into the structure of the hull (or are not a semi skeg attached to an extension of the keel) or are not otherwise supported so that they do not cyclically flex the hull plating (in your case the fibreglass hull bottom) adjacent to it. Even in steel vessels, which are typically very strong and the material much more ductile than fibreglass, it is a common point of problems and catastrophic failure generally means the loss of the boat.

If you remain keen on the boat, ask to have the rudder dropped out of the boat and see how much you can manually displace the skeg by really heaving on its lower end (or jacking if the boat is not small) and what flexing of the hull plating at the root takes place - under that test some skegs are seen to be mainly supported by the rudder stock itself rather than the other way around.

If it is a production boat, any history of similar problems in others will be available and I would be inclined to seek them out.

John

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[cpthook]

hi

She's a DYNAMIQUE 48ft sloop. Built in France until the early nineties I
believe. I have had a look on here and can't find any info on this type of
yacht. If anyone knows of any problems with any of this range please let
me know

Thanks



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[Heckler]

i looked at a beneteau 31 with a similar prob, it had been grounded hard, there was a smalldepression and cracks at the back and a bulge in the front, dickies of pwllheli estimated 4 grand to remove keel, grind out, rebuild and reinforce inside and out, and that was on a 31 footer !! so beware
stu

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk