Major hull repair

I obtained a Macgregor Venture 21 that had been sitting neglected for 5 years. I got it home and began blocking it up in preparation for jacking it up off the trailer so I could sand and paint the trailer. While under the boat I discovered a large v shaped crack in the hull. It is between 1.5-2 foot long and points toward the bow. It is a 1971 year model. Is it worth repairing? Am I likely to be able to restore it to the original strength of the hull or should I just scrap it? I already have a 1974 Venture in good condition and I am wondering if I should just part out this one. If I scrap it, what do I do with the hull?

If it is any boat can be repaired up to a point. The real question is – is it worth repairing and will it be a good solid boat again? If you need to replace the balsa under a deck then the answer is probably dump the boat. If you have a crack or hole in the boat it can be repaired quite easily especially if you can get to both sides of the repair. There is no question that it will take time and a lot of effort but if you have the time and desire then go for it. I assume the boat is fiberglass so just be careful to taper (long taper) both sides of the crack so that you can get a surface that is at least 10 times as long as the fiberglass is thick (this is my specification, others will perhaps use a different number). Make sure the tapered area is roughed-up and then start laying in glass and resin. If you can get to the back side of the patch you can lay in a doubler. To do this, sand down the surface (inside behind the crack) to get it clean and roughed-up. Clean up an area that extends around two inches beyond the crack you are attempting to repair. Make sure the surface is rough to allow the resin to get into the old fiberglass. Lay in a few layers of fiberglass and resin making sure all of the air bubbles are squeezed out. Once all of the resin has time to fully cure, sand the outside patched area using a sanding block and feather it into the existing area around the repair. With all of the sanding done all you need to do is apply a thin layer of jell coat or just paint the entire area depending upon how picky you happen to be. The boat will be just as strong as original if not just a little stronger in the patched area. The appearance will depend on your skills in the final finish of the outside surface. It wouldn’t hurt to put a coat of paint on the inside surface that matches the area around the patch.


Simple, strong and functional. Good luck