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Servicing Melbourne & the Mornington Peninsula

Caribbean Reef Runner repair

Cracked boat hatches, VSR failure and hull damage

Custom fibreglass fabrication and marine electrical repair on a coastal bar-crossing offshore fishing boat, carried out at our Hastings workshop for boat owners across Victoria.

Vessel
Caribbean Reef Runner
Use
Bar crossing & offshore fishing
Repair
Hatches, VSR & hull
Work
Fibreglass & electrical
Caribbean Reef Runner lifted off its trailer and wrapped for repair in the Valentus workshop

01 – The incident

Coastal bar crosser. Offshore fishing boat. Used hard on every trip.

The factory ABS plastic hatches on this Caribbean Reef Runner had cracked and failed structurally, mainly from UV exposure and constant flexing in rough water.

Caribbean Reef Runner arriving at the Valentus workshop

02 – The inspection

Battery mount failure behind the VSR fault

Inspection found the battery mounting had also failed. The factory plastic battery boxes couldn’t hold the batteries under load, so they shifted, struck the battery bar and damaged the VSR (voltage sensitive relay).

Cockpit floor and hatches of the Caribbean Reef Runner

2 in 1

Two problems, one cause

The owner came in about a hatch and an electrical fault. Both turned out to be structural problems, and both needed fixing properly.

03 – The repair

Custom fibreglass fabrication and marine electrical repair

Every repair was built for the way this boat is actually used: crossing bars and fishing offshore.

  1. Custom fibreglass hatch fabrication

    New fibreglass hatches built to fit the existing moulded deck openings, matching the original profile, edging and non-skid pattern, then flowcoated for UV and saltwater durability.

  2. Composite battery mount rebuild

    Battery mounts rebuilt with composite Thermolite pads, glassed in and flowcoated, so the batteries stay put under load.

  3. Full hull lift & inspection

    The boat was lifted off the trailer and the hull inspected for damage.

  4. Gelcoat chip & stress crack repair

    Gelcoat chips and stress cracks ground back, repaired and refinished.

  5. Marine electrical repair

    Wiring faults repaired, the battery bar replaced and Optima BlueTop marine batteries installed.

04 – The result

All repaired properly.
Back to its owner.

Custom fibreglass hatches built for UV and saltwater, battery mounts that hold under load, a repaired and refinished hull, and reliable marine electrics. The Caribbean Reef Runner went back to its owner ready for the next bar crossing.