Are spider cracks in the gel common ?

bgreene · #1 05-05-2011, 08:37 PM

Saw a lot of various size cracks in the gel coat inside a V I looked at today.

Up on the console, and down the gunnels. Is this common with these boats ?

Thanks

Genie Aye · #2 05-05-2011, 09:46 PM

That tells me that the boat has seen some hard water at one time or other.

Need to look at how this happens---it happens from the boat flexing--if it is run off shore--sooner or later it is going to have spider cracks--I have a few in mine--but I do run mine hard off shore and it is expected by me--where they are is a different story.

I have a few in the floor and a few in the upper sides just behind the windows--these are at what I consider a flex point and there is more stress than the rest of the boat. My arch has not even had any stress cracks show around it------YET---LOL

bgreene · #3 05-06-2011, 04:26 AM

That's been my experience too. My Mako was 17 years old with practically no cracks at all.

Thanks for reply

RidgeRunner · #4 05-06-2011, 07:00 AM

A boat that has been crashed into piling and such will be busted up along the gunnels where the rub rail is. I have had a few of those. My center console had a lot of spider cracks in the gel on the hull where the sister stringers were tabbed onto the side of the hull and midship on the liner where the floor meets the side. I can confirm it was beat on by the previous owner. I believe gelcoat cracking is just a fact of life for most boats. Some boats are worse than others and not necessarily price dependent. FL Fish and Wildlife purchased a bunch of Hewes Pathfinders, they did not fair very well but then again, they were beat on, more than most.. My buddy bought a Century Bay Boat and it has a few spider cracks after about 4 years. My Whaler is 11 years old and it has a few in the area around the swim ladder and around the mounts for the t-top. The last 33 Ocean Master I was aboard was a cracked up mess.

reelapeelin · #5 05-06-2011, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RidgeRunner

A boat that has been crashed into piling and such will be busted up along the gunnels where the rub rail is. I have had a few of those. My center console had a lot of spider cracks in the gel on the hull where the sister stringers were tabbed onto the side of the hull and midship on the liner where the floor meets the side. I can confirm it was beat on by the previous owner. I believe gelcoat cracking is just a fact of life for most boats. Some boats are worse than others and not necessarily price dependent. FL Fish and Wildlife purchased a bunch of Hewes Pathfinders, they did not fair very well but then again, they were beat on, more than most.. My buddy bought a Century Bay Boat and it has a few spider cracks after about 4 years. My Whaler is 11 years old and it has a few in the area around the swim ladder and around the mounts for the t-top. The last 33 Ocean Master I was aboard was a cracked up mess.

And from what I read, properly fixing stress cracks is only temporary as they will surely come back...I agree w/the statement; "fact of life for fiberglass boats"...

wellcraftv20step · #6 06-10-2011, 10:31 AM

well i bought my 89 v20 last year, it had a ton of these cracks in it so being the mad mad man that i am i pulled out the dremell and starting, only to find these that every one of them was no deeper than the gelcoat itself. funny i sold my 91 wellcraft 236 coastal and so help me it had not a one, aand i drove it offshore hard for ten years, well mow regelcoating my deck this weekend hope it goes well, only becaus the non skid is worn down

nipper · #7 06-10-2011, 12:53 PM

I have very few on my 1991 V20 cuddy, none on the hull. On the other hand, my 1985 Formula has a ton of stress cracks on the cockpit sole and the dash. I got paperwork with the boat where the original owner had complained about these stress cracks showing up just months after purchasing the boat, and he only used it on inland lakes. Not sure what, if anything, the dealer/Formula did for him, but there are lots of stress cracks.