Gelcoat cracks in the hull of a boat

Coupled with other dings and scrapes on that side, i think my gelcoat cracks were caused by the hull banging up against the fenders and dock while the previous owner had her. This premium marine grade gel coat may be as gecloat for boats, gelcoat for pools or many other applications. Fairly brittle, gelcoat is the first material to be applied to the mold. Most common location for these to occur is on corners and radiuss where the layup of fiberglass is typically thinner, and the amount of resin is usually more than what it should be. Painting over cracked and chipped gel coat moderated. Gelcoat without wax for layups does not contain a wax additive, making it ideal as the first layer when building a boat hull or composite part on a prepared mold. If the boat is fairly new and the manufacturer is still in business, you may be able to get gelcoat that will be. White gel coat, precolored gel coat, clear gel coat, neutral tintable gelcoats. Professionals, at least ones with experience with the type of hull or deck youre repairing, can make it so you. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. There is a crack in the gelcoat in the bottom keel downt he center of the hull on either side of the daggerboard slot. Apply the gelcoat using a brush if youre covering a small area. Application is easy and in a few seconds, even a novice handyman can. Most stress cracks occur in the gelcoat layer of fiberglass surfaces and can be repaired by yourself.

This thicker gelcoat cannot stand any flexing without showing cracks. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear. I have a variety of spider cracks on the hull of my club 420 sailing dinghy. You can successfully complete basic fiberglass boat repair by following these steps. These are vertical fissures that dont appear to be any deeper than the gelcoat itself. This video is a step by step on how to properly repair your cracked gelcoat. The cracks are purely cosemetic, and not structural to the boat. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the gelcoat is suffering from crazing sometimes called alligatoring.

Any heavier than 25 mils and youll run the risk of spider cracks in a few years. This boat is 2 years old and to be honest i never expected to find something like this. For more details on some of the things that can go wrong in the fiberglass during the manufacturing process please refer to the blistering article. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boat s. Other times, maybe a small hairline crack formed in the fiberglass, but this is more rare. Although this usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats structural integrity. Fiberglass gel coat repair seattle hull damage boat. The next time youre cleaning and waxing your boat, take the time to look for small cracks, scratches and chips in its gel coat. Fortunately, with the right tools most anyone can conduct this process, allowing you to save money from hiring a professional to do it.

This post talks about how we did it and describes a fairly easy and relatively long lasting way to restore old faded gelcoat to a better than new shine. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat west. If you own a boat, you may know that it is important to give your boat a gelcoat cover to help protect it from leaks and cracks. More then just stress cracks below the water line youtube. Hairline cracks, stress cracks or spider cracks star cracks that occur in gelcoat surfaces on fiberglass boats or other water craft are often seen as a cosmetic issue. One of the long overdue projects we completed on our boat, quantum leap, this past summer of 2014 was restoration of the gelcoat on the topsides the deck areas.

Tips with fiberglass and gelcoat repair methods by john. If not managed, these small cosmetic annoyances can. There are many ways to repair cracks in fiberglasswhich ones the best. Hull showing cracks skeeter boats indepth outdoors. Avoid spreading the gelcoat too thin or youll get stroke marks. Nonsagging formula can be mixed with coloring agents made specifically for polyesters sold separately catalyst. And while an aircraft isnt subjected to the same type of forces as a boat hull, the fuselage is the hull and must be strong in different ways. If there are hairline cracks in the hull, do these have to be repaired. Camper nicholson 31 owner repairs cracks and crazing in the gelcoat on the hull.

The vertical area of the hull aft of the center is going to be more suseptable to that than the forward hull, where the outward curve makes the hull stiffer and more. Most people can handle small dings and cracks, even holes, but making them look perfect, where you cant tell where the damage was, thats another matter. I have painted numerous old boats including two whalers with very bad gelcoat before the paint job, including the 1971 outrage i own now. Brush the gelcoat onto the fiberglass using short vertical strokes. New life for old gelcoat an inexpensive solution that. These fiberglass cracks can be purely cosmetic, or can severely degrade the boats ability to stay afloat.

The boat is due for the annual haul out during which i am planning on having the submerged part analyzed for cracks and fissures as well checking the depth of the surface fissures on the super. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters. Boat builders call the outer skin of a fiberglass hull or deck the gelcoat. And more importantly how do you repair gelcoat cracks. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating. Once your boat is clean, walk along it, looking for cracks. This is caused by impact to the hull, manufacturer error in too. On top of the stress cracks in the hull there are numerous other ones throughout the boat but this is the most alarming. Although this usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boat s structural integrity. How to repair cracks and scratches in 8 easy steps. Well i noticed a wet spot on the ground and looked up and noticed that the one part of the crack was. It does look and feel sound, although on the sides there are some areas where the gel is a little rough. Tint the batch of gelcoat to match the color of the boat. Evidently nonstructural, but according to the surveyor, probably caused by some weight locally compressing part of the outside of the hull, generating an area of expanding rings of stress cracks, about 23 across, presumably when the deformation pressure released.

In this article, i will focus on gelcoat, usually a polyester resin formulated with pigments, ultraviolet light absorbers and other chemicals. Spraying gelcoat on the entire boat deck or hull be sure to prime first to cover all pin holes and repaired areas also to avoid blistering especially near the waterline, apply 4 coats at waterline and below, remember you will be sanding off at least a coat leaving you with 3 coats needed for a water barrier, 2 coats are fine for the rest of the. Anyone who has ever seen airframe construction, particularly jet aircraft, understands why aircraft can be built with skins that are extremely thin. All gelcoat is, is nonreinforced tinted fiberglass.

These hairline fractures also occur in boats of the mid 1970s vintage which often had thicker gelcoat layers than newer boats. Gelcoat or paint which one should i use boatworks today. Determine the gelcoat batch size for the size of the repairapproximately 80 square feet per gallon of gelcoat 20 sq. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the. Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat. But keep in mind that maintaining your boats gelcoat will help you catch more customers should you ever want to sell. Gelcoat cracks 1976 catalina 22 sailboat owners forums. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. How to prepare your boat for painting a gelcoat sail. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters and is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats. I have a 2011 wx 1850 and when wiping it down last week i noticed the fiberglass showing stress cracks in the hull.

These premium quality isophthalic npg gel coats are. Hence you get these little hairline cracks in the gel coat surface itself. When that happens, the gelcoat cant flex with the fiberglass, it just cracks. Online article on hull design defects by david pascoe, marine surveyor, namscms. These might be in a parallel pattern or a nondirectional pattern. Contained in it is the pigment which gives your boats characteristic color. Justin at the skiff shop shows us his process of grinding out the old gel coat, filling these cracks with resin paste.

The cracks are called spider cracks, and they are normal for a gel coat finished boat. In the opinion of some owners, bright, shiny boats dont sail any better or catch more fish, so why bother with maintenance. How to repair gelcoat, chips, scrapes and gouges yourself. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull.

This can range from small defects that need a little patching up to major damage that affects the overall shape of the surface. In most cases this is true, however it is important to seal them correctly otherwise water may penetrate into the fiberglass and cause more serious damage. Owner apathy and dull, tired gelcoat go hand in hand. Because there is no fiber in it, over time it will crack because the hull naturally flexes a bit.

Our satisfied clients and our years of experience in the restoration of gelcoat and fiberglass guarantee our work. It can be helpful to run your hand over the surface of your boat as you walk, since you might feei a crack before you see it. Once the hull is completely dry, you can apply the gel coat with a spray applicator or a paintbrush, whichever works best for you. Gel coat repair is pretty easy if you know how to spot the nicks, dents, gouges, and scratches that can potentially compromise your hulls. Any crack that goes deeper than the gelcoat definitely needs attention. Use a fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the cracks and prep the surface of your boat. You may think you own a blue boat, but what you actually have is. From the pictures, it looks like the cracks were in the paint antifouling paint that was on the bottom. Even if it is only a gelcoat problem i think it should be repaired under the 10 year hull warranty. A recent survey indicated that my boats hull has numerous cracks in the gelcoat. It is actually a layer of pure resin a few thousandths of an inch thick. So, the gelcoat on your boat is looking chalky and.

This boat will be used in fresh water lakes inland and be trailered after e im thinking of. All about fiberglass boat stress cracks fiberglass boat. This colored filler comes in 11 popular boat colors and is readytouse straight from the tube. Gel coat hardened too quickly or with improper curing temperatures and conditions can also promote stress cracks in the gel coat itself. All three issues are concerning but the cracks are very troubling. Radial cracks spider cracks, star cracks caused by impact or by a fixture bolt that puts strain on a certain area of a boat and cracks occur around the hole. This article looks at how to repair a deep scratch or crack in the hull. Learn how to treat wearinduced spider cracks that appear along the hull of your dinghy.

However, i would definitely have the dealer look at it and follow up with sea hunt. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats. To apply the gelcoat with a brush, dip the brush in the gelcoat so theres a liberal amount of gelcoat on it. How to fix crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks which plague countless boaters. Im not sure about the hull yet, have to wash it to see how it looks. I wold like to change the color to today new cranberry metallic and off white or light gray. Stress cracks can be identified as longer parallel surface cracks on the hull or deck. If you have removed the paint and gelcoat on the boats underwater surfaces which is what it looks like youve done you will need to replace the gelcoat layer with some sort of epoxy barrier coat as ted has suggested. Are these caused by stress, or by applying too thick a gelcoat during the boats hull layup. Gelcoat used to patch existing gelcoat, fiberglass repairs, and for new construction and projects. A fiberglass boat can be repaired to its original state with fiberglass fabric, a lot of skilled work, and some resin.

Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. Gelcoat is a resin that will protect any fiberglass structure with a strong shield. From what i know from reading posts here, i would need a dremel tool to create a gorge on the gelcoat crack before applying the gelcoat putty. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. Gelcoat repair on boats boatus magazine boat owners. Ralph, since you got me interested in gelcoat repair one or two per year, i believe you would have some answers for me. If the gelcoat is in good condition with no major cracking or crazing, the job is relatively straightforwardclean and prepare the surface, apply an epoxy primer, sand the primer, remove the sanding residue and then apply the topcoat. On recent inspection a series of concentric rings of very fine cracking in the gelcoat on the hullside have appeared. This article will explain how to repair cracks and scratches in gelcoat 8. Looks to me like spider cracks in the gelcoat and not a structural problem. Thermal fatigue cracks when gelcoat repeatedly expands or contracts. This is caused by impact to the hull, manufacturer error in too thick gelcoa.