Diying these small, but timeconsuming, jobs will save big bucks at the boatyard, too. Polyester, vinyl esters and gelcoats were good for the old days but they are pretty much prehistoric today. Spider cracks in hull boat talk chaparral boats owners. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying awlgrip paint. Easy cheap how to restore boat gel coat boat hull gelcoat oxidation restoration repair buffing. If not managed, these small cosmetic annoyances can. A spider crack usually has an impact point which may or may not cause a small hole in the center and the glass around the impact point cracks around it and gives the appearance of a spider web hence, the name.
Step 2 then toughen the laminate that contains the crack or cracks by solidifying it. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. 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. It is reasonably priced and would be a good knock around boat for the lower chesapeake bay, where i live. How to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and crazing in boat gelcoat. Its the unstable nature of the polyesterfiberglass hull under the gelcoat and its tendency to shrink slightly over time that cracks the gel coat. They can grow so much that they meet up with other cracks. These might be in a parallel pattern or a nondirectional pattern. It is brittle reason for all those spider web cracks and it is the cause of most osmosis. Stress cracks are those nasty spider web looking cracks that occur a point of. How to fix crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks which plague countless boaters.
Spider cracks in hull boat talk chaparral boats owners club. He uses a rotary tool to grind the crack down to the fiberglass, then he fills it. The boat is in fairly good shape for a 1980, and has not been butchered up with aftermarket mods. To all i am seriously considering purchasing this 1998 captiva 232 with the 7. We have this awesome boat that just cannot take enough of a beating, but the gelcoat in some spots seems to craze, or spider web. How to repair a fiberglass shower pan in an existing. Sometimes, theyre merely cosmetic, meaning they dont penetrate the gelcoat. Since these cracks often form from small impacts or minor flexing, they can appear just about anywhere on your boat.
Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with the fiberglass structure under the gelcoat. Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat spider web cracks in gelcoat. The hull truth boating and fishing forum view single post. They can occur in any form of fiberglass, including cars, boats and swimming pools. However, you can easily fix small or hairline cracks in porcelain sinks using repair compound, or cracks in ceramic sinks using epoxy adhesive. Gel coat stress cracks are small cracks in the gel coat only, not the underlying fiberglass and typically will not affect the safety or operation of your boat if these cracks are stress related and not due to any type of impact they may be covered under the boats warranty. I restored a black gold bell wildfire that had a lot of fine spider cracks in the clear polyester gel coat. Generally, repair of minor damage is within the mechanical aptitude of most skippers. Learn how to treat wearinduced spider cracks that appear along the hull of your dinghy. These cracks do not affect the structural integrity of the fiberglass, but are an aesthetic issue. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat.
If the laminate seems ok then just grind the gel away and re do that spot. I just did some more sanding and a new bunch of spider cracks almost overlapping about 4 inches in length and one wide just started up and yet another one about 6 inches from that. It penetrates deeply into the pores of even the finest of cracks for ultra tough adhesion and durability. Markus, my 68 islander has that spider web of little cracks all over the bottom. They say the rule of thumb is that you shouldnt have to worry about it unless you can fit your fingernail in it. The engines good and transom along with all other goodies that make a boat go. The pop out is a more common issue and easily fixed, normally the result of an air void between the fiberglass and gel coat. Mix it with a gallon water per instructions and spray dock, spider net, lines, around bimini cover. The rest of the boat is solid, but she could use a good cleaning. Bass cat owners is a forum for bass cat owners to learn, share, and discuss more about their boats. Despite a kitchen or bathroom sinks durability and resistance to wear and tear, cracks are inevitable.
Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat. Do i grind the stress lines back to the laminate then fill with epoxy 1978 thompson 18 spider cracks. Assuming theyre just cracks in the gelcoat, repair is simple. Gelcoat spider crack repair moderated discussion areas. Still even then you will want to fix it to seal the grp. The location of the cracking is the center of the hull,about 5 inches down from the bump molding. Ive seen numerous new boats at boat shows and dealers with them. Eventually they went to fixing the cracks the correct way of grinding out the gelcoat and lamination layers that were damaged. It was a quick way to make it look better for a while anyway, but the cracks always reappeared later. The cracks are just in the gel layer, and not the reinforced structural layer underneath of. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters.
How to repair a flaking clear coat on a fiberglass boat. Spider cracks are a form of fiberglass damage that occurs from minor flexing or impacts. When materials undergo a brittle failure, the applied stress causes the material to deform slightly, especially where these cracks are located. We use a spider net above our boat keeps about 80% poop of the boat. Boat is dry thank you, the boat has been in the cellar for a month and should be completely dry. Much to my amazement as the smoke drifted up a hiding spider rapidly dropped to the cabin sole.
We have this awesome boat that just cannot take enough of a beating, but. As far as how they did in detail, not 100% sure, just know they laid down a sheet on another area that can take the pattern, then pull off in a couple days, then spray the gel and then apply a sheet of fibre. You can buy gelcoat that matches your desert tan interior perfectly and its a pretty simple process of repairing them. Are spider cracks not usually just cracks in the gelcoat. Here is what the bayliner web site customer service rep said. Yesterday coming back to the boat i found nearly a dozen new webs but all of them unoccupied with the spiders hiding in the cracks and crevices. This is caused by impact to the hull, manufacturer error in too thick gelcoat and bending around forward bulkheads. Step 1 figure out what caused the cracks to begin with. 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 structural integrity.
The shock wave when the boat is tied up and there are waves really is a major cause of spider cracks around the cleats. Sometimes the damage is only repairable with a paint job. I flew up to tokyo yesterday and back on the 15th, so will take some pics for ya then. Youll be surprised how they disappear, and most wont reappear because the stress has already been relieved. I took it too the dealer and they looked at it and said thats not supposed to happen. If the cracks on your boat were caused by impacts, such as around rub rails or where a heavy object was dropped, move on to step 1.
Repair tiny cracks in your sink with repair compound or epoxy adhesive. I think the question, or topic even evolved to quality years. Much more work and expense but the crack would not. Its actually on its actually on spiderweb cracks in new margay bass cat boats. The spider web cracking will continue to run unless you create a stopping point. The appearance was considerably improved by wet sanding the entire hull down to 2000 grit, then applying several thin coats of system three clear coat epoxy, which is. Based on the location i think the winch on the mooring cover probably knocked into the side of the boat at some point.
However, you can easily fix small or hairline cracks in porcelain sinks using repair. How to fix a spiderweb crack in a windshield free online. Stress cracks, spider cracks, and hairline cracks in the decks of older boats are, of course, not rare. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. That should help to prevent it from happening again. Magicezy hairline fix is a revolutionary precolored fiberglass and gelcoat repair product that fixes and colors fine stress cracks spider cracks, and hairline fractures fast in one application. The interior gelcoat has some cracks in isolated areas, probably two or three spots throughout the interior. Remember cabelas replaced the driver side console last year for spider cracks. There are many ways to repair cracks in fiberglasswhich ones the best. 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 structural integrity. How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs. If, however, the spider cracks appeared at an attachment point or in a highstress area, theres a good chance theyll simply return after you fix them. Bass cat could no longer use vinyl ester resins high voc and thus they were impacted.
Its more a matter of when than if repairs will be required to cracked or flaking gelcoat on a well used fiberglass boat. My guess is that they likely are spider cracks, but just made larger because the boat has been ridden hard or something. Spider cracks in gelcoat moderated discussion areas. Diagnosing spider cracks in fiberglass it can be difficult to diagnose spider cracks, especially when youre not aware of them. The boat is in pretty good condition for its age in my opinion, but the hull does have some minor hairline stress cracks. I have not had the boat for a while, i got it through a trade. Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with. The main reason that grp hulls get weak and fail is water getting into the structure, rotting out the timber elements and. Stress cracks in fiberglass bass boats, canoes, kayaks. I have a 2005 r12x with 7 hours on it, bought brand new leftover this year.
When glass shattersspiderwebs, this occurs because one of the cracks was sufficiently large, and enough stress had concentrated around it that it grew rapidly, combined with another crack. Fiberglass boats are getting better all the time, but some spider web cracks over time are inevitable. As a general rule, whenever you see any cracks appear in your asphalt, the first thing you should do is apply crack filler or sealcoating, weather permitting, to try to halt further spread of damage. The cracks are really fine and i couldnt even see them until i rubbed some wax over it and the cracks turned white. These cracks are generally cosmetic, and indicate flexing of the hull. Step 3 now, once youve removed all hardware, toerails, and other paraphernalia. Boat fiberglass lamination construction is a fine art between to thin and too thick. Cracks right through the gelcoat, especially if they originate at slide corners, are. A spider crack is usually the result of a piece of debris or a rock that hits your windshield while driving. They are increased in numbers on all brands from 2008 09 through 2012my for reasons unknown till later as resin producers sought lower cost ingredients to manufacture resins. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boat restoration.
Upon putting the cover back on in the driveway i noticed cracks in the passenger console. What to do when you see alligator cracking in asphalt. Spider cracks are small, hairlike cracks that appear on the gelcoat of boats. After repairing all my spider cracks when i bought the boat, i use snubbers on the lines. These hairline fractures also occur in boats of the mid 1970s vintage which often had thicker gelcoat layers than newer boats. We also strongly advise keeping traffic away from the affected area, if at all possible. Either way though, if you are looking at buying a boat, i would have a professional survey it so they can make sure there isnt any structural. Look for a pattern of spider webtype cracks radiating away from the damaged area. All gelcoat is, is nonreinforced tinted fiberglass.
Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. Cheers, ralph fuchs edmonton alberta canada original message from. I had left the boat closed up and as i was expecting company later lit a stick of incense. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Because there is no fiber in it, over time it will crack because the hull naturally flexes a bit.
This deformation at the cracks causes the cracks to grow. As it is more brittle than the laminate, when something stresses the laminate too much such as flexing or something hard hitting the deck it cracks to resemble a web pattern. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. These cracks are rarely more than 3mm deep, and are more noticeable on over floated or steeltroweled surfaces. Thermal fatigue cracks when gelcoat repeatedly expands or. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull.
For such a high quality boat like yours 4 months sounds way too soon. These scars of a life welllived are unsightly, but usually are just cosmetic. Can anyone tell me how its possible that i can have these cracks on the port side of a new boat i picked up a couple of weeks ago. I came across a product called tempo at our local feed store. Crazing in concrete is the development of a network of fine random cracks or fissures on the surface of concrete caused by shrinkage of the surface layer.
Inflate to the proper psi and inspect for spider web cracks on the sidewall. The reason glass is often brittle is because of microscopic cracks within, and on the surface of the glass. A spiderweb crack on your windshield consists of a midpoint with smaller cracks branching out of it. Large cracks are typically difficult to repair and require replacing the entire sink. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web. To conceal the patched section so it blends with the surrounding sink surface, you may need to tint the porcelain compound before application, or paint over the epoxy.
The cracks are purely cosemetic, and not structural to the boat. Know what the causes are and fix them,then finish off with repairing the gelcoat cracks and. 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. For shower pans that have spiderweb cracks or an inconsistent surface texture, consult a boat shop or surf board shop regarding coating the shower pan with an epoxy sealer or paint. Is this an easy fix or could there be other unseen problems. If you are trying to save money and are going to buff it your self make sure you have experience if you only knew how many times over the years i have been called to fix what a rookie has done. Because the latter scenario may evolve into a very expensive proposition replacing coring materials in an existing. One manufacturer use to just sand and polish spider cracks especially on runabouts with metal flake gelcoat. This is not to say that glass is not damaged but often its just the gel. Clean up the cracks as best you can, get some rubber gloves, mix up some marinetex, use fingers to force the mixture into the cracks, let cure, wet sand smooth with grit or so. Maybe the gelcoat has been damaged from being stored in the sun. I didnt hit any thing but did some wave jumping 1 to 3 waves. Also, learn howto eliminate mold, mildew and stench from.
Just noticed a few hairline cracks on my boat today as well. You cant get crazy over every little spider web crack. I have worked on many boats with spider cracks, the best method i have used is a dremel tool to gouge the cracks and fill them with a gelcoat paste made with gelcoat and glass bubbles works wonders, as for sand paper you will have to change grits as you sand and fill. If you dont want any spider web cracks then get an aluminum boat. My hull just developed spider cracking on both sides,that go parallel about 5 inches in lenght,then web out 10 inches on both sides of the hull. Small cracks form in the outer surface of the fiberglass, spreading out from a central point like a spiderweb. They do not, and cannot compare to the new boat epoxies and paint available today. While theres little chance of vehicles being damaged. Spider webs on paint can be remedied with proper polishes and technique. All that filler wont allow the gel coat to shrink as much as the hull and the gel coat fractures.
The cracks are called spider cracks, and they are normal for a gel coat finished boat. Peter otoole is a boatus member who sells trucks at general gmc in west palm beach, florida. I painted on four coats of epoxy barrier coat and two of anti fouling paint but they still show through. Thermal fatigue cracks when gelcoat repeatedly expands or contracts. The amount they grow depends on the magnitude of the stress and the size of the cracks. Spider web cracks in gelcoat on hull this fall when i hauled my boat and was cleaning off the hull i noticed a lot of. I had this issue on the chine corners on my 226ssi exposed by the lift bull at the dry stack marina, but due to mold deficiency at the factory. A spider crack is usually the result of a piece of debris. Step 4 as soon as the crack has been channeled out, wipe it clean. This thicker gelcoat cannot stand any flexing without showing cracks. Sometimes, they go deeper and threaten an underlying laminate, which in many cases is cored.
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