Your pictures indicate it just needs some gelcoat patching. That is what happens to fiberglass. If the damage is all the way down into the fabric you may need to add a layer of fabric and resin first. Actually it wouldn't hurt to add a layer all along those spots for future impact protection. A fairly easy DIY project.
That said; while fiberglass can be lighter than aluminum the latter is much more durable in rough water. Also going from a raft to a drift boat you will see a marked difference in how you row and steer the boat. These boats are very stable when the bow or stern are facing the rough water but not if they get sideways.

 

Thanks for the info! Sounds like a DIY project that's more than within my comfort zone.

I'm aware a hard boat will definitely be different. The thing is that when we have big water on these rivers I would probably take out my paddle cat anyway. When we experience big big water, the fishing is not good.

Do you have recommendations for the gel coat? Thanks again.

 

I am not a fiberglass expert, never worked with gelcoat, but have beaten the tar out of a couple of DB's. I'd get some quality marine epoxy, system 3 or similar, and some heavy glass, min 10 oz/sq yd and reapir it with that. Won't be pretty but will should hold up.

 

Why not put Wetlander on the bottom and a little way up the chines? I haven't personally used it on a fiberglass boat but here great things about it over other coatings I have used, such as Glovit. Home - Wetlander Slick Bottom for Boats

 

Email Clackacraft and see if they will sell you a gel coat repair kit.

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I have a Clackamax and wish my bottom and chine looked that good! There's absolutely nothing wrong with those blemishes and just shows that he used the boat (good for him).

I wouldn't even fix those dings becatuse if you plan on using the boat in lower water or higher gradient streams, you're bound to get up close and personal with some rocks.

They are an amazing boat and can take an unbelievable amount of abuse. Trust me, I know fom experience.

If the price is right, go for it!

 

Yea, save repairs for when you sell it.

 

I have a Clackamax and wish my bottom and chine looked that good! There's absolutely nothing wrong with those blemishes and just shows that he used the boat (good for him).

I wouldn't even fix those dings becatuse if you plan on using the boat in lower water or higher gradient streams, you're bound to get up close and personal with some rocks.

They are an amazing boat and can take an unbelievable amount of abuse. Trust me, I know fom experience.

If the price is right, go for it!

Thanks for pointing this out! I won't sweat it until I have some serious time to kill!

 

Just a quick FYI , Gelcoat won’t adhere to epoxy,,, Gregg

 

Why do you say that? If the epoxy was roughed up with sandpaper, it should bond to it ok i would think. It adheres to fiberglass ok, and epoxy definitely adheres to fiberglass … I’m just curious…. Kirk

 

Look up PNW fiberglass in molalla and give him a call, he does great work. I can attest to that and at a good rate. (503) 810-6029

 

The OP says he lives in Colorado. Quite a way from Molalla.

 

The beauty of gelcoat is it is an epoxy. The bad thing is that its a liquid. To dramatically speed up the application process and to prevent runs, do a small amount at a time on the chine until you get the hang of it. Clean the exposed glass well with a degreaser. Dry the area with a heat gun on low. Use two inch masking tape with the boat inverted. Cover the wound with 2" masking extending about three inches on each side of the break and use this as a mold for the new gelcoat rather than applying multiple coats. With a brush you can p\"poke" the liquid into the void made by the tape and just flat coat it on the bottom. It works best if the hardened gel is thicker than the existing gel as it can be sanded flat then buffed out. There are thousands of colors of white so bite the cost bullet and get a repair kit from the dealer to match. The other way to do it in anticipation of further damage is tape off an area up the side of the boat starting from the bottom and use a stark white pigment on a two inch strip along the chine. It doesn't really matter if the color is different on the bottom. Two good pieces of advice..... Don't beat up the chines and don't let the new color run down the sides when repairing. You can "cup" the two inch masking tape to make a small trough that will catch any dripping liquid gel coat. YouTube IS your friend in this process. This is not rocket science. Good Luck!

 

Did you get to fix it yet??

 

I'm buying this boat in August. I'll see how badly I want to "fix" it. Might just FISH it instead and do it this winter.

 

Epoxy to poly is fine, poly to epoxy no bueno. You can get a little bit of bite temporarily, but it will start to lift,,,gregg

 

Got the boat. She rows like a dream. I'll probably hold off on this repair job until next spring

 

Congratulations on your new boat! The Max is an extremely versatile, roomy, and capable watercraft.

 

Congratulations on your new boat! The Max is an extremely versatile, roomy, and capable watercraft.

It's actually the WF model. I love it. I'll need to get used to the rod holder situation, it's too bad it doesn't have the newer tray style, but hey, its pretty great.

 

Look up Marine Tex epoxy and look up some u tube vids on how to use it. Easy peasy!