Fiberglass Repair, are my expectations too high?

[Paddy]

So the season of '17 has been a bumpy start for me. The Easter oil leak (rusted out steel plug) on my Yanmar took about 1 month to fix. It was not cheap...they did not have to pull the engine to fix, but it did require 28 hours at New York rates.

The day after picking the boat up, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, I noticed that the starboard sternside of the boat got whacked, most likely by an anchor. I had an 8" splintered crack above the rubrail. The marina said if it happened there then they will take care of it. Great, all good.

A week later the fiberglass guy comes to my slip and looks at it, says no problem. The shop manager says "possible problem" as the oyster colored is faded and it will be tough to match. The next day he made his first attempt and fixing it. I now have a much more yellowed section (much larger than the crack and above the pinstripe???). A few days later I see him and he says he still has to sand and blend. Now going on 3 weeks since the initial work. If and when he ever comes back, shouldn't he be able to properly blend the new filler so it is not so obvious? I've had other boats repaired and my neighbors had great results after Hurricane Sandy so I don't believe I am asking for much from a professional.

If the best he can do is just not good enough, can I file a claim with my insurance and have them work it out?

As of now, I can see the filler from a mile away, I hope blending entails more than a final sanding.

Thoughts?

[RobS]

Your standards sound on par, his work product certainly does not.
Insurance companies do not like being brought in late in the game.
Do you have photos from Day 1?
I would get your insurance on notice asap,

[Pitou]

A good repair should not be visible. I'd persist in getting the current glass guy to get it right or find another. That said, some are better and more patient at obtaining a match than others. Best of luck.

[Paddy]

I don't want to "rock the boat" too much and tarnish the relationship I have with the mechanic/ owner, he took care of me and had me back on the water by Memorial Day, but the front office guy / fiberglass guy are not as attentive to my frustrations as they could be. I called again this morning and got the standard response of, "he didn't come last week???" Weather has been off and on, I will give them that. Being as polite as I could be, I told him that I will be filing a claim at the end of the week if the boat is not fixed to my standards. He is now assuring me that the work will be done and blended properly. The fiberglass man is an older transplant from Florida, claims to have 30+ years in the business so this should be a piece of cake for him.

Calling Gieco now to seek advice and put the damage on record.

And Rob, believe it or not, I didn't take a picture. I take 1,000's of pics and forgot to take a pic of the damage. I do have a record of his visit (guard gate) and my neighbor spent time with him as we are all looking for a good local fiberglass guy.

[Paddy]

He came today, not exactly sure what he did beyond the blue tape as the filler is in the same condition as before. A little late in the evening to take pics, but you can hopefully see how yellow the filler is. In pic #2, on the right side, there are a bunch of pinholes. I really hope I'm overreacting and this will be fine, but the obvious pop of yellow filler is getting me nervous. Plus the area he covered is way beyond the actual 8" of damage.

[Jeremyvmd]

You are NOT expecting too much. At all. They should be able to make the repair completely disappear, I've seen my marina do that quite a few times fixing boat damage on other boats. They really need to do a much better job! If they can't fix it, get someone else to do it and send them a bill!

[Paddy]

This just gets better and better. I opened a claim with GIeco "just in case" this week and was fortunate enough to run into the fiberglass guy yesterday. We had a spirited conversion that included topics of me stalking him, the job is a joke and he doesn't need me harassing him, he does yachts, etc.. He complained to my neighbors that I was a PITA. Also said it will never match and I don't know what I'm talking about. My neighbors said he has been back 3 times for the 8" gash, so God knows how long it takes to fix 50' Vikings.

Realizing I was dealing with a nut as I live in a nutty town, I said I simply want the boat right and his office hasn't been good with communication. He said it will take a few more visits but it will be fixed. Shook his hand and walked away.

I just want this behind me. Praying that he puts his money where his mouth is and fixes it properly.

[Jeremyvmd]

Sorry but any glass guy who says that's a good enough match couldn't possibly work on yachts, most of those guys are super anal.

[Pitou]

He complained to my neighbors that I was a PITA. Also said it will never match and I don't know what I'm talking about. My neighbors said he has been back 3 times for the 8" gash, so God knows how long it takes to fix 50' Vikings.

He said it will take a few more visits but it will be fixed. Shook his hand and walked away.

Felling badly for you as the work does look sub par in color and the finish with air pin holes, but 3 to 4 times is the norm.

First trip is to grind and fill with filler / hull and deck, 2nd time fairing compound, 3rd time sand and gelcoat, possibly 4th time to wet sand and blend. After that .. something is not right. If this guy wants to put his name on this and call it his best work, then he's in the minor leagues of fiberglass repair.

[Paddy]

Saw the owner / mechanic at our local bar last night and he was very understanding. Sounds like the fiberglass guy is not going to be there much longer (of course my boat has to be the last one he works on) but he said if I am not happy he will bring another guy in. We have a few great fiberglass guys in town, I wish I just reached out to them first but my options were limited as they were fixing it at no cost to me.

And the pinholes are still there after the 3rd visit. Again, praying that his 8 trip method he claims is necessary lives up to his ego.

[Dr Luke]

In case it's not completely obvious yet, that work in the pics is beyond sub par. I had extensive fiberglass restoration work done on my '92 Whaler Walkaround 23' - dings from debris in the water, stress cracks, unused mounting holes and such. I defy anyone to be able to find any of the areas repaired, in a 25 year old boat with a proprietary Oyster Boston Whaler gelcoat. It looks new... hopefully yours will too when the right person addresses the problem!