Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

[Big Pete]

Hi all

Brought a secondhand small speedboat which i intend to refurbish a bit and then use it as a step into boating..

This one section on the top of the Boat hull , looks unsightly , is there anyway to fill or do anthing about it or !!! Is this serious.. It is only on one small section the main Hull is immaculate ..

So any ideas how to rectify,fill or mask it ?

 

[Big Pete]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

Surely someone knows something ? Or is my boat the only one in the world ?

 

[LX Kid]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

No, I think there be at least one other boat "somewhere" in the world besides yours! LoL Not really well versed in fiberglass repair "but" those gel-coat cracks may have to be sanded/ground out and then recoated with new gel-coating. Now that I've given my two cents worth we will probably get some resident experts to chime in and "chew" me up! How about some more pictures of your boat project? Thanks and Good luck.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

Those are stress cracks in the gelcoat. They happen when the fiberglass flexes beyond the gelcoat's ability to flex with it and cracks form. They initially don't show much, but later when they fill with dirt they look pretty bad.

Here's the thing... the "right" way to fill those cracks is to either fill and paint over them or re-gelcoat. But, they'll come back.

The stress cracks only happen when the fiberglass flexes too far, and that happens when the underlying structure is failing or when something very unusual happens like the hull has a tree drop on it, or it hits a dock too hard, or jumps a wave and lands badly.

If you don't fix any underlying problems, the cracks will come back.

So first figure out why that part of the boat flexed too much, then grind the dirt out of those cracks and re-gelcoat, then fair it out.

Erik

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

The mold will be recessed in that area, so the gel coater is spraying down into a narrow difficult to cover space, this can result in gel coat that is too thick. Thick gel coat tends to crack just like what you see in that area, its not uncommon and normally doesn't show up right away.

The glass in that area may or may be the correct thickness, it can crack either way, sooner if its thin though.

The fix is to remove all of the gel coat and see if the cracks continue into the laminate, if they do, then you need to continue sanding until they're gone. This should leave the area lower than the surrounding surface so it will need to be built back up before applying new gel coat.

 

[Knightgang]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

I agree, the gelcoat cracks mostly due to flex. You can grind out the cracks and sand it down and re-gelcoat. It may last several years... but it will start cracking again at some point. I hope you find out that it was caused by something hitting it rather than from the hull havinf a problem causing overflex...

 

[RICHARD5]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

It appears that is the stbd gunwale. Dollars to donuts it wraps inboard and terminates hanging in air. You need to beef up the area and what works for me is to lay in solid wood working from the underside.

What makes it difficult is you'll be working in tight quarters when prepping the underside of the exisiting fiberglas. Grind or course sand and wipe with acetone. Cut the wood to fit and seal with a good spar varnish or whatever. Enamel won't do. Lay in a good bead of epoxy on top of the board and fit it to the underside of the glas. You're aiming for 100% coverage.

Screw down through the existing glas or brace from below, either way is to secure the board while the eposy cures. Later you might want to use a syringe to caulk in a bead of thickened epoxy. After a few hours or so remove the screws and get on with your topside patching.

(a thin batten board 'tween the screw heads and the glas helps the screws to bite without gouging the glas.)

I'm a woodworker, I love wood, so I'm partial to it. You may prefer a differnt material. I've used PVC strips (house siding) or sheet aluminum before so it's your call. The objective is to strengthen the area and to achieve a good bond.

Why is seems it's on the stbd rail and not the port is either you haven't looked close enough or the previous owner preferred boarding over the stbd. Just a guess. Or maybe it did suffer some slight damage to that side at sometime.

EDIT: Forget all that work. Just lay in some nice looking wood on top. Make it look pretty and fuggedaboudit.

 

[Big Pete]

Re: Crazy Paving on part of the fibreglass

Thanks Guys for your answers , I can only figure it was strapped to tight then as thats where the Strap holding the boat to the Trailer Goes..

I will try a sand down and the gel idea ,

I will post a few pics of the boat maybe as i am doing it up. its not bad just needs seats and bits and pieces..