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Poling platform cracking


Forgottencoast

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I would take it to a professional gel coat/fiberglass guy to grind that out and see if there are any issues further in. A poling tower rocks while running and rough waters compound the situation. Add those two together and you could end up with more problems down the line by just doing a superficial cosmetic job with gel coat.

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I think I have the same boat, Hewes LT ?  Anyway It appears the damaged  area has pulled the screws out of the bedding and glass.  Go to a good fiberglass guy.  I would guess the platform needs to come off and fiberglass repair to the deck area so you have a solid base to work with.  It does look like something was going on with the area before your accident.  You  should also check the platform fitting on the transom for issues.

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The platform caught the release rope and the door lowered just enough to catch the platform on the way out....I was more than livid.  It was repaired there half *** before I bought the boat.  I got on the back of the boat and tried to move it to see if there was any play, there was none. I even got on top of the platform and moved around and still couldn’t get it to move other than normal flex from the poles.  To me, there seems to be no structural damage at all. The cracking is in the cap, and I felt underneath and it was solid from the bottom telling me the crack should just be superficial.

 

im going to fix up the gel coat the right way tomorrow and ride with it. If it gets any worse I will be looking at taking it somewhere to get it fixed by a professional.  My plan is to take a dremmel tool and channel out the cracks and then fill, dry, and wet sand them. Which would be the correct way to fix a gel coat crack if I am not mistaken?

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Here is the finished work on the boat, both platform and near the transom. Turns out this had been cracked before the garage incident so I am confident it’s nothing structural. It is smooth and solid now! (That’s what she said)

The darker spots on the transom are not holes, I must have sanded through some color when trying to get the new gel coat even.  It is completely sealed and smooth. Wish I would have put some grey coloring in, but I am happy with how it turned out and it should be solid for years to come!

 

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6 hours ago, MuddyBottomBluz said:

Next time try this  https://www.amazon.com/FGCI-Gelcoat-Putty-White-Pint/dp/B01FYC27DG  it works great, easy to mix, spread and sand and is truly gel coat white. Lap, they sell it at El Capitan on US 1.

Can that be colored?  I usually get white gelcoat and mix my color they spray it but the putty would make things easier in some cases. 

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  • 11 months later...

hello all, here is a quick update to this post:

1.  The cracks were previously there prior to hitting the garage door with it, and obviously they cracked again....After talking to many people we have come to the conclusion that this was a design flaw in the mounting of the platforms in these older hewes/maverick boats.  These things were literally held on by 1 1/2" lag bolts and a dab of 5200....

2.  The boat is currently at fiberglass shop in St. Marks getting the cracks fixed correctly as well as filling the holes in the back of the transom where the old platform was mounted. 

3.  I have a new platform that was made by Metal Fab here in Tallahassee that is ready to go as soon as the glass work is done.  I took it up there and we took measurements and came up with a  new design that will take the bulk of the pressure/weight off of the same area of the transom.  New design has back legs mounting close to where the front legs were on the old design, and the front legs moved forward onto the deck and mounting just in front of the splash well behind seat compartments. 

 

I will post pics once everything is done so you can see what we came up with, It should look/function awesome wants its all done.

platform1.jpg

platform2.jpg

platform3.jpg

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well, i am currently sitting at 5 weeks since the boat has been at the fiberglass shop...im a little dissappointed as i was quoted "2 weeks, 3 weeks at the most".   weather sure is getting good up here and i am going stir crazy having been without a boat for over a month.   Anyone know how to fix this in the panhandle area?  I will bring the beer.

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Be patient and do your best to maintain a good relationship with the shop.  Switching camels in the middle of the desert is not always the answer.  Fiberglass repairs are art and skill.  In the end when this is over it will be worth the wait.  You will think a long time before you do it again.

 

Dad Dog...barking mad.

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  • 2 weeks later...

That is a much better design than the original platform.  Mine leaked at the transom brackets because they were lag bolted as well.  Lousy way to do most things with a lot of pressure on them.  Boat almost sank AT THE DOCK!!! LOL.  New deal looks very good, be patient.

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  • 2 weeks later...

OK HERE WE GO!!! 2 months later, the glass work is DONE! I am very pleased with the quality of the work, Mike is a very good glass guy, maybe not the best scheduler, but no one is perfect.  

Platform is scheduled to be installed on Wednesday morning, but here are some pics of what the finished product will look like. I am very happy with how it turned out.

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