: What direction in the crack running? Assuming the boat is in the water, does
: the crack go up and down (parallel to a rib), or left to right (parallel
: to a strip)? (((Parellel to strip. I have an expert working on this,
as there are more problems. No need to continue Thread))))

: Is just one strip damaged, or does the crack go over more than one strip.? Is
: the crack in the wood itself, or is a seam between two pieces of wood
: opening up?

: Is the crack above the water line or below? (((Below)))

: Is the boat leaking through the crack? (((NO))))

: Is the existing fiberglass over the cracked area also cracked, or is it jsut
: the wood which has the crack? (((Fiberglass under is good. Fiberglass over needs help))))

: If the crack is just in one strip then it can be removed and a new one
: inserted. That is usually an extreme case, but it always works.

: For a simple crack in a single strip, the wood can be bonded by allowing
: epoxy resin to soak in and saturate the damged area. After the resin
: hardens it is stronger than the wood.

: A crack in the seam between two strips means the glue, or the wood adjacent
: to the glue, failed. It can be reglued by letting resin soak in, as well.
: (Just like above)

: To do this you would have to remove the fiberglass cloth and plastic resin
: which cover the crack, so you can apply a warm (and therefore thin and
: runny) coat of resin directly to the damaged wood part. After that has set
: up you can sand or scrape off any excess and recover the area with a
: fiberglass patch.

: If the crack is in several strips you can try the same technique. You just
: have to start by removing a larger area of the fiberglass covering so you
: can open up a larger area.

: An extra layer of fiberglass cloth on each side of the boat, sandwiching and
: overlapping the damaged area should strengthen the area to prevent further
: damage, and seal against leaks.

: Hope this helps.

: PGJ