Repair ideas

Ron LeB

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I’m embarrassed to post this message and show what a moment of negligence on my
art resulted in. The other guy is just fine; I need some guidance as to what to do to get me back some semblance of normalcy for the rest of the season.

tommorow I plan on using some sort of a puller mechanism just to help straighten it And then during the winter disassemble for a more professional repair….
Your ideas would be appreciated

thanks
Dubba Ron
 

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That aluminum tubing can't be terribly hard to bend back. Some careful work with some strong arms and perhaps a hammer to get the rough shape back, and as noted a more permanent repair in the offseason.

I'm sure replacement parts from Bennington are going to be very expensive so it might worth an insurance claim.
 
Yeah, bend it back and order a new fence panel. Easy to replace but will probably be a long wait. I doubt you’ll be able to “repair“ that in off season to look “new”. That’s going to need replacement.
 
Yep, what they said.

The temporary fix will be easier & will have best results if you remove panel for straightening.
 
Holy crap!!! Never seen damage that high on the panel/rail before! Hope nobody was sitting in that seat! Agree with Potomac and Semper. You can bend it back for now but it looks like replacement of the entire corner panel and probably the furniture will be needed. You might have to go through insurance. I say this because back in the day I inquired about replacing a rear corner panel. Parts and labor to remove/replace the panel and furniture etc. was in the $3500-$4000 range.
 
How’d you do that? Looks like you ran into a bow rider or sailboat???
 
Sorry to see and hear about this mishap. Any mishap can be heartbreaking on these boats, but that one probably “Hit” hard. Agree with others above, and probably doing an insurance claim to get it back to new condition for next season. In the short run at least you can probably finagle it back to useable and comfortable.
 
I'd be tempted to get a long anchor rope, tie off to a tree on shore, and pull in reverse to get it bent back. Go slow and be gentle... I'd think that would do a better job than a hammer. Good luck, glad everyone is okay!
 
Don't be embarrassed, because stuff happens to all of us. We just try to learn the lesson and move on. The top railing on my last boat was crushed several inches downward when it got rolled under a fixed dock by a wakeboard boat whose driver thought it was OK to make some 3-foot waves along the shore. I'm just glad no one was near that rail when it happened. What a knucklehead. Anyway, I tried clamping steel angle iron along the top and then tightening the clamps. The railing hardly budged, so I resorted to a car jack, and lifted till I thought I was going to destroy the boat's decking, so I let off. A couple of years later, I traded that old rig in just like she was. I think you are going to have to take that railing off the boat and use some serious equipment if you are going to straighten it. For a nice boat like that, I would save myself the hassle and get new railing as soon as possible. Unless you are experienced with metal working, it just won't look much better than it does now, IMO.
Crushed rail.jpg
 
That aluminum tubing can't be terribly hard to bend back. Some careful work with some strong arms and perhaps a hammer to get the rough shape back, and as noted a more permanent repair in the offseason.

I'm sure replacement parts from Bennington are going to be very expensive so it might worth an insurance claim.
au contraire as i could not disagree with you more as I tried a "come a long" initially, which unfortunately jammed on me.... but, i could easily see this "will not be an easy task" .... strong arms and a hammer won't work here. Perhaps a good reason we bought into "Bennington" !!
 
Yeah, bend it back and order a new fence panel. Easy to replace but will probably be a long wait. I doubt you’ll be able to “repair“ that in off season to look “new”. That’s going to need replacement.
Totally agree, repair is impossible. I need to prepare my$$elf for what a replacement will cost...
hoping a "come a long" will at least get me back to where I can open the front gate... Tomorrow will tell
thanks for the reply... are you on Lake Norman???

Ron
 
Totally agree, repair is impossible. I need to prepare my$$elf for what a replacement will cost...
hoping a "come a long" will at least get me back to where I can open the front gate... Tomorrow will tell
thanks for the reply... are you on Lake Norman???

Ron
No. I’m on Lake Marburg in Pa. it’s a state park 20HP limited lake. I save lots on gas ... :p
 
Holy crap!!! Never seen damage that high on the panel/rail before! Hope nobody was sitting in that seat! Agree with Potomac and Semper. You can bend it back for now but it looks like replacement of the entire corner panel and probably the furniture will be needed. You might have to go through insurance. I say this because back in the day I inquired about replacing a rear corner panel. Parts and labor to remove/replace the panel and furniture etc. was in the $3500-$4000 range.
thanks for the reply...
perfect example of what a "slight moment on non-attention" can result in.... I've got 23 hours on this..(not my first boat)... by any means....which upsets me even more...
Anyway..., like a guy at the marina said...you've got to get over your first bump!! Was pulling out of the marina as slow as you can go...and looked right and one of those 40 footer with a cat walk was on the left... OOppps Lessons learned for us all...
 
No. I’m on Lake Marburg in Pa. it’s a state park 20HP limited lake. I save lots on gas ... :p
funny you make a comment about gas...
I'm on Lake Wylie SC now (13,000+).... whereas, 18 months ago I'm on a 350 acre lake in NH....
YOUR....right...a lot more gas $$$
 
au contraire as i could not disagree with you more as I tried a "come a long" initially, which unfortunately jammed on me.... but, i could easily see this "will not be an easy task" .... strong arms and a hammer won't work here. Perhaps a good reason we bought into "Bennington" !!
You just need the right arms! Maybe we need to get you back to curling 12oz weights, at least that's been my recipe for success (in my own mind).

Another option to relieve the shape is to cut it in the middle of the bend, straighten out and then couple the two ends back together somehow. Dowel inside the frame, external wrap or have a good aluminum welder make that union.

It's only going to be temporary but at least makes that area usable again. It took me over a year to get a replacement bimini frame that had bent on me, so I suspect with factory delays and supply chain disruptions the replacement fence parts will be at a minimal several months out.
 
Great minds think alike... as I've had that same idea rolling around in my head; Then just capping off the ends and going from there... I certainly appreciate your input...
I'll be tackling this in the morning...and will keep you posted...
 
Don't be embarrassed, because stuff happens to all of us. We just try to learn the lesson and move on. The top railing on my last boat was crushed several inches downward when it got rolled under a fixed dock by a wakeboard boat whose driver thought it was OK to make some 3-foot waves along the shore. I'm just glad no one was near that rail when it happened. What a knucklehead. Anyway, I tried clamping steel angle iron along the top and then tightening the clamps. The railing hardly budged, so I resorted to a car jack, and lifted till I thought I was going to destroy the boat's decking, so I let off. A couple of years later, I traded that old rig in just like she was. I think you are going to have to take that railing off the boat and use some serious equipment if you are going to straighten it. For a nice boat like that, I would save myself the hassle and get new railing as soon as possible. Unless you are experienced with metal working, it just won't look much better than it does now, IMO.
View attachment 30504
You are absolutely right...
A new railing is my answer... Did I mentiion the boat has 23 hours on it ?? UGH... Not my first boat by any means...but, just makes the issue a little more sensitive...
I'll keep you posted..., thanks for your input.
Ron
 
Sorry to see and hear about this mishap. Any mishap can be heartbreaking on these boats, but that one probably “Hit” hard. Agree with others above, and probably doing an insurance claim to get it back to new condition for next season. In the short run at least you can probably finagle it back to useable and comfortable.
 
I'm wrestling with the insurance claim...$1000 deductible and the other guy seemingly has no issues... I'm definately a "do it yourselfer" all the way...so may let this ride... BUT... I've no clue what a new fence from Bennington may run... so I have to loook into this pretty quick...thanks
 
You mentioned that you are a "do it yourselfer"
This can save you money, as labor will be much of the replacement costs.
If you do this, inspect very thoroughly for shipping damage prior to taking possession of the rail panel.
Also,take existing panel along when you pick up new one so you can ensure it is indeed correct by comparing them.
 
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