#342 Linkbox cracks

[dcsailing1]

Just hauled her home from the yard. All repaired and unable to see any problem with it now. Our local boat yard has a top notch fiberglass and boat repair shop, Skallerud Marine Inc. They have built large, 55 ft., glass cats in the past and have a good reputation. They opened the flat side of the link box and did most of the repair from the inside. Then repaired that opening, unbolted the box from the truss and dropped it enough to repair the surface cracks. All gel coated + new lock nuts and washers and it's like new. This repair, plus replacing the bow eye with a proper backing block (cracked nuts on the old eye and someone had stopped the leak with gobs of silicone inside). Also did lots of small gel coat cracks and void repairs, some looked like factory, issues plus sanded off loose bottom paint areas and fresh Petit Ultima SR paint on the raised water lines. Total bill just under $2100.00. We are smiling and looks like a new boat again. They did chicken out on jacking the boat up to get at the support areas as we have the front support posts off the trailer and the travel lift is down now. We will do the for and aft launch trick if need be, but that part of the bottom paint was in good shape when we did a travel lift launch last year so may let it go for now.
Guess the bottom line lesson is make sure the amas are either fully retracted or fully open and locked when leaving the boat in the water/slip. The repeated loading of the twisted link box left partially open is what likely caused our problem, as per Tony Smith. That and some stress points left in the corners by raw saw cuts.

[Dan]

I would be careful and check the ama's function in the water. I had one ama repaired on my boat, and while it worked fine on the trailer, it did not do so in the water. The way the ama behaves on the trailer is very different from the way it behaves on the water, since on the trailer, the ama's weight will keep it down and prevent it from hitting when opening and closing. On the water, the ama is being forced up by its buoyancy, and needs to be submersed about 4" in the retraction process.... if the repair isn't just right, the ama will hit as it retracts, rather than retracting cleanly.

Just hauled her home from the yard. All repaired and unable to see any problem with it now. Our local boat yard has a top notch fiberglass and boat repair shop, Skallerud Marine Inc. They have built large, 55 ft., glass cats in the past and have a good reputation. They opened the flat side of the link box and did most of the repair from the inside. Then repaired that opening, unbolted the box from the truss and dropped it enough to repair the surface cracks. All gel coated + new lock nuts and washers and it's like new. This repair, plus replacing the bow eye with a proper backing block (cracked nuts on the old eye and someone had stopped the leak with gobs of silicone inside). Also did lots of small gel coat cracks and void repairs, some looked like factory, issues plus sanded off loose bottom paint areas and fresh Petit Ultima SR paint on the raised water lines. Total bill just under $2100.00. We are smiling and looks like a new boat again. They did chicken out on jacking the boat up to get at the support areas as we have the front support posts off the trailer and the travel lift is down now. We will do the for and aft launch trick if need be, but that part of the bottom paint was in good shape when we did a travel lift launch last year so may let it go for now.
Guess the bottom line lesson is make sure the amas are either fully retracted or fully open and locked when leaving the boat in the water/slip. The repeated loading of the twisted link box left partially open is what likely caused our problem, as per Tony Smith. That and some stress points left in the corners by raw saw cuts.