Temporay Bottom Repair / Bottom Work Expectations

So after five years of consistent weekly summer runs, it's come time to have some bottom work done on the Atom Skier. I was noticing a soft spot right where the plywood meets the stem near the front of the boat, and was going to get some estimates for work done this winter, but I after my last run I came home to notice a half inch deep by a foot long piece of my stem was missing.

So I'm looking for some advice as to what I can use to temporary keep using the boat for the summer, and I'm thinking an epoxy of some type might do the trick to hold off professional repair until this winter. Keep in mind, I consistently use 5200 in all the crevices in the hull, and keep all exposed wood painted.

Secondly, what should I expect cost wise for hull repair. I know a new bottom on a planked boat is upwards of $10K, and I would think a plywood boat would be much less due to it's simpler construction (maybe $5k?). Having said that, my bottom is pretty solid, except for the aforementioned area and a small 1" diameter spot in the transom, so I don't think a whole new bottom is in order, but I do want to be mentally prepared if that's the right decision. I'm certainly willing to throw $2-3K at it, maybe up to $5K, but not much more.

Thoughts?

Jason,
I would have to say that the rot in the stem goes deeper than you think. The problem with a temporary repair is to get something to stick to wet rotted wood. A CPES treatment would soak in and strengthen the wood but it must be dry. You could put heat lamps on the stem to try to dry it out but that may take weeks. The stem is about 2&1/2" thick. Mine was rotten and there wasn't even any indication from the outside or the inside. The same applies to your transom. If you see the spot on the outside, figure a complete transom frame. Cost? I don't think you will find anyone to do a complete bottom for 5K.. If you do find someone to quote, expect more due to hidden problems.

Getting back to the stem, grind down the ply on each side and see how good it is. If it looks pretty decent, lay a fiberglass patch over the stem using epoxy resin. Again, the ply must be dry. Wear your life jackets!! I witnessed almost the complete fiberglassed bottom come off a wood hull that had been "patched"!!

DayTony wrote: As for patching, anything you do with glass is going to be a hack fix without digging deep into this hole to find a good dry purchase. your probably in for more than you think as mentioned above, especially since it just "fell" off.

Jason,
As I mentioned, don't expect to find much left of the stem and the reason I mentioned the ply hull sides. Yes, as Tony mentions, it would defiantly be a hack job and risky. I even hesitated mentioning it to you yesterday!