Cracks on hull. Repair or deal with?

[philtheskipper]

The gel coat is cracked where the hull sits on one of the trailer rollers. It kinda spiders out but the cracks are not perfectly extending in a round shape. If you run your fingernail over them you can feel the crack but your nail doesn't get caught in them. Will it be okay as is or do you think a repair is in order?

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Cracks on hull. Repair or deal with?

It sounds like stress cracks in the gelcoat.If it is exactly where the roller is that tells you where the stress crack came from.Push on the area with your thumbas hard as you can and see if there is any flex that you can see.If not,then it is no big deal.I would see if you can move the boat up or back a little on the trailer to take the stress off that point.You may want to skim coat the cracks or paint over them if they are under water when in use.Make sure to strap the boat down to the trailer stern and bow so it cant bounce when you hit a bump while trailering. Charlie

 

[philtheskipper]

Re: Cracks on hull. Repair or deal with?

There is no flex visible when I apply pressure to the area. That area is also accessable from the inside and there is no rotting wood or stringer. Just wanted to make sure the cracks aren't anything to be concerned about. Thanks.

 

[peterbo3]

Re: Cracks on hull. Repair or deal with?

Evening Phil,<br />Possible cause of the "crazing" is that the adjacent hull rollers are a teeny bit lower which is putting more stress on the glass over one roller. See if you can get a 6ft piece of 4x2 pine under the adjacent rollers & lever them upwards to check for movement. The soft pine will bend & not cause any damage. It is unusual for FG to crack like this in one spot only unless there is a stress related problem which may be the case here.<br />Regards,<br />Peter.