ok, so i found out my boat has a bit of a leak in the hulls... and i think its due to the condition of the bottom of the hulls, its been beached a few too many times... I need all of your guys expert advise on how i can fix this problem. for now id like a cheaper temporary fix for the time being... will something like expoxy work? heres a few pictures. thanks everyone.

I see no pictures. But anyway, if you're beaching the boat a lot, then sure, put a few layers of glass over the bottoms of the hulls. Cut some strips maybe 4" wide and as long as you think appropriate, soak the first one you apply in epoxy and place it along the hull. Subsequent ones don't have to be pre-saturated; after you position them then dab more epoxy on with a cheap paintbrush just to make sure they're also saturated. I'd say 2-3 layers would be plenty.

While you have the boat upside-down and the epoxy out, run a bead all the way around the hull-deck joint to seal that as well.

would it be ok if i just put some epoxy down and get it good and smooth to seal the fiberglass and waterproof it? i dont beach it much, it was this way when purchased... got it bout a week ago...

It is usually recommended to put a few layers of fiberglass in the repair, but when I redid the bottom of my H16 hull a few years ago, I used only thickened epoxy. However, mine wasn't worn all that deeply into the original fiberglass. I rough sanded the hull bottoms and then put an unthickened layer of epoxy down. Then followed with a layer or two of thickened epoxy to build up the bottom to it's original shape. After sanding, I followed up with a couple coats of paint (spray can) that matched the boat. Epoxy should have paint over it for UV protection.
I'm not saying this is the best way to repair a boat, but it worked pretty good in my situation. Like you, I rarely landed my boat on a beach, so future wear wasn't a big concern of mine.

Jack
Fort Loramie, Ohio

Heh. Didn't even occur to me that his hulls might have worn down from the original shape. That being the case I would definately use some thickened epoxy to build it up. My reason for pre-saturating the first layer of fiberglass cloth was to keep epoxy from running down the sides of the hulls and becoming a general pain. If he's got the thickened epoxy there already, however, then that'd serve the same purpose and he could put down the dry fiberglass cloth over it.

Your hulls are very fixable. The time involved will have a lot to do with how perfect you want the final result to look. In either event, here are the steps:

(1) Thoroughly wash with mild detergent (boat or dish soap) and rinse very well. Wait until dry.

(2) Degrease/dewax (very important). Use a professional product from an autobody supply place. I use RM900 by B.A.S.F. Do this at least three times over repair area. Wipe in one direction only and constantly change/fold your cloth for a clean surface. Do not take short cuts with this process

(3) Scuff/sand the loose debris and any shine from the repair area. Make sure you scuff any gelcoat that the repair will overlap.

(4) Tape off both sides of the repair.

(5) Use a quality (slow cure) epoxy like "West System" and spread a thin layer over the entire repair area. Wait until tacky (1 to 2 hours)

(6) Rather than spending the day cutting glass cloth into long skinny lengths, buy your fiberglass on a 1.5 to 2 inch wide roll. 4oz to 6oz weight cloth will work quite well. Then laminate the tape-like cloth longitudinally over your hull, over-lapping each length of the fiberglass. Use only enough resin to saturate the cloth and remove air bubbles. Extra resin beyond this weakens the repair significantly.

(7) On your last layer or two - as you are approaching the desired build-up - use cabosils, microbaloons or fumed silica (all easy to get from a composites supply place)to mix with your epoxy until you have it to the thickness of smooth peanut butter. Then patiently fair it over your repair area.

(8) Sand to shape. Take your time. If you are concerned about achieving the original exact factory shape, the Hobie website has a scale cross-section template of this part of the hull. You can download and print it for this purpose.

(9) If you decide to paint, make sure you wash, thoroughly scuff (with scuff pad not sandpaper)and rinse the entire repair. When epoxies cure they form an almost invisible amine blush on the surface. Paints will not last or adhere very well unless you remove the amines from the surface.

(10) Keep in mind, all resins form much weaker bonds if you apply them to surfaces that have already cured (ie. greater than 12 to 24 hours in general). So once you start applying resin and cloth, keep going intil you are done. Previous layers need not be dry before applying the next. If you go with a gelcoat finish (lots of work but cheap) wait overnight before applying and remove the amine blush for this as well.

Hope this helps

Dave

P.S. For a cheap/fast repair that may end up cracking down the road. You can skip the glass part -step #6. The thicker you have to build up the resin (without the glass), the greater the chance of cracking and chipping. However, this should plug the leaks and give some additional scuff protection.