50 ft Sailing Yacht Grid-Structure Repair

The repaired structural grid after final gelcoat finishing in the original bilge colour.

Vessel50 ft sailing yacht

DamageSevere grounding with grid delamination

ScopeStructural grid-to-hull repair

LaminateBiaxial fiberglass, correctly oriented

Resin systemEpoxy

ResultReturned to seaworthy service

The problem

A heavy grounding had delaminated the structural grid from the hull of a 50-foot sailing yacht.

Following a severe grounding, the yacht's internal grid structure had detached from the hull in critical areas. What had effectively become a total-loss scenario required a proper structural repair rather than a cosmetic patch.

Quinten Maritime Solutions removed the failed tabbing that originally tied the grid into the hull and keel-bolt region, prepared the structure properly, and rebuilt the connection using a stronger laminate schedule and resin system than the original construction.

Visible damage and cracking in the bilge area after the grounding — Visible signs of structural damage inside the bilge before repair.

Assessment & strip-out

Failed bonding and original laminate were removed back to sound structure.

The repair started with identifying and removing the compromised tabbing between the grid, hull and keel-bolt zone. The exposed laminate clearly showed the damaged bonding interface and the need to rebuild the structural connection over properly prepared surfaces.

Exposed delaminated grid bonding area after removal of the failed laminate — The delaminated bonding zone exposed after strip-out.

Prepared keel-bolt area and structure before new composite tabbing was applied — The structure prepared for rebuilding around the keel-bolt region.

Stronger than original

The new bond was rebuilt with correctly oriented biaxial fiberglass and epoxy resin.

The original connection had relied on chopped strand mat. For the repair, this was replaced with biaxial fiberglass laid in the correct orientation for the load path, creating a significantly stronger structural tie between the grid and the hull. The repair was executed with epoxy rather than the original polyester resin system, further improving the quality and strength of the rebuild.

New biaxial fiberglass tabbing installed between the grid and hull — New biaxial tabbing replacing the failed original connection.

Side view of the rebuilt composite connection between grid and hull — The rebuilt side connection with fresh biaxial laminate.

Overview of the rebuilt grid connection and laminate work inside the yacht — Wider view of the repaired laminate tying the structure together again.

Repair scope

The entire structural area was rebuilt and then finished back to a clean serviceable bilge.

Beyond the laminate work itself, the repair included careful preparation, clean consolidation around the structural members and keel-bolt areas, and finishing across the whole repaired structure. A final gelcoat finish was applied over the repaired grid in the original RAL colour of the bilge.

Wide overview of the repaired grid structure before final gelcoat finish — Wide overview of the structural repair before final finishing.

Finished structure

The result was a rebuilt, sealed and neatly finished structural grid.

After the structural work was completed, the entire repaired grid area received a fresh gelcoat finish in the original bilge colour. The result was not only structurally sound but also cleanly restored and ready for continued service.

Short walkthrough of the completed grid repair after gelcoat finishing.

The rebuilt grid structure before final gelcoat — The rebuilt structure before the final coating.

Completed grid structure with final gelcoat finish — Completed finish in the original bilge colour.

Operational result

From effective total loss back to a yacht in regular North Sea service.

This repair returned the vessel from a severe structural grounding case to a seaworthy yacht that has since continued crossing the North Sea regularly, including passages toward Denmark, England and Norway.

50 ftstructural grid restored after grounding damage

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Quinten Maritime Solutions supports owners with structural GRP and composite repairs, including keel and grounding damage, grid repairs, local reinforcement, rudder repairs and gelcoat finishing.

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