Cracks corner seat

[BoatFisho]

Ive had a fair few glass boats and all have had spider/stress cracks somewhere, usually at the transom.

This is a 13ft RIB. They are very fine cracks and its where the rear seat pods join the transom (which is a hollow area).

Also have one or 2 on the false floor/skin, which might let in 1 or 2 drops to the inside of the hull but very rarely.

I saw that magic gel coat product but it doesnt get great reviews on amazon. otherwise im going to have to dremel out a groove in the crack to fill it?

 

[Woodonglass]

Dremel will be your most effective and long lasting method.

 

[BoatFisho]

They are very fine and like i said its where they join part of the false floor, well seat pods to be exact, which are hollow.

 

[Woodonglass]

PICS???

 

[BoatFisho]

no can do pics, damn well broke phone and cant afford new one. even my webcam is broke. im a poor man with bad health, cant get an income. :-(

the one on the floor is more a crack, maybe half a mm wide. i think its because where it appears to join the inside of the seat pod (my rib has a bench seat that sits on inbuilt glass pods at the back) is actually hollow, ie its not solid or thick like the hull itself.

 

[Woodonglass]

I read your thread in the other forum. Gelcoat is a cosmetic "OverCoat" for the cured resin. Polyester resin once cured is fairly water resistant. It takes a LONG time for water to soak into the molecular internals of the glass. Gelcoat is Polyester based and serves as just and extra water barrier as well as a more attactive final layer. Bottom line is this. If you don't dremel out the crack and just coat over them the cracks will reappear in short notice. If you do dremel them out and prep properly the fix should last a lot longer. If you do nothing and Maintain the boat relatively well and keep her dry and covered, she'll prolly last as long as you wanna keep her. Your boat...Your choice!!!

 

[BoatFisho]

the only crack that bothers me is one on the false floor, unfortunately it runs close to the checker plate pattern in the gel coat. its not huge or wide, but i want the under floor bouyancy to be water tight so the boat floats even if i puncture 3 tubes, not for reality, just for wanting to look after it. i dont even get a drop of water in a full days outing in the internal bung. still id like to fix it.

PS thanks woodonglass.

 

[Woodonglass]

Those types of cracks usually occur from two causes. Weathering from old age or Stress. Without pics it's impossible to tell you which one is the case for yours. Have you drilled core samples in the transom to ensure it's not waterlogged?

 

[BoatFisho]

Reluctant to drill any more holes in it, it is just a 13ft rib.

 

[BoatFisho]

I just went and had another look. Even if I did have a camera I dont think it would pick them up. Its almost looks like a fine scratch at first. There is no gap in between.

Not quite sure what to do, I could take it to boat yard and ask them quickly to see what they think?

Cant afford a dremel :-( But even if I could Id be hesitant to on these ones as they are just so fine and im 99.999% confident there is no soft transom issues.

Converesely the one on the deck is a gap, about 0.5mm. Is a dremel the only want to create gouges?

 

[Woodonglass]

Nah, Heck you can use an AWL or even a Nail. Anything to open it up a bit and then clean it out with Acetone and then fill it.

 

[BoatFisho]

AWL?

A nail I do have

I think Ill leave the ones on the seats but check with the local boat builder they are ok, but Ill tackle the floor one.

Being a false floor for a RIB, how thick is the glass layer likely to be? It certainly doesnt move under foot so feels solid. Should I treat it like any spider crack and fill with gel coat only or should I be filling with something more flexible?

Also its a white deck, I dont want it looking like a big off colour fill in my deck, I presume thats just plain white.

I would love a dremel but without a job cant justify it to the boss and cant use her money for my toys , well, unless I sell it really well to her haha

 

[Woodonglass]

What kind of boat? How is it used? How often is it used? How is it cared for/maintained? What's in it's future?

 

[ondarvr]

An "awl" is a pokey thing (tool), sharp on one end.

There is no why for anyone to say if there is a problem with the floor or not without at least a pic. It's hard enough to tell sometimes even with a pic. There is also no way to know how the floor was made or how thick it is, these things are up to you to determine, especially without a pic.

The floor may or may not have a problem, stress cracks can be common in parts like that and may mean nothing, but on the other hand could indicate an issue.

Unless you do an actual good Fiberglass and gel coat repair you will end up with something that can easily be noticed and will probably fail a gain in the near future.

You don't need a dremel tool, only a hand drill with a rotary file bit, or stone.

 

[BoatFisho]

"What kind of boat? How is it used? How often is it used? How is it cared for/maintained? What's in it's future"

13ft RIB, its used just to cruise around, its used once a week max, its washed and dried after every use and then garaged, its likely going to be sold soon to get something bigger.

 

[BoatFisho]

These are basically raised fiberglass shell off the deck to support the rear bench seat. tapping on them, they arent very thick and definitely hollow. I would say the cracks more than likely have come about due to bouncing in the seat and the difference in glass thickness. They are not letting any water through to the inner hull. Hope that makes some sense.