Gel Coat is cracking NEED HELP

[MaleficentArmy]

i have a 1955 fiberglass runabout boat and the gelcoat is getting cracks in it, what should i do? i think its from age, but it doesnt help that i store it outside. i have no where else to store it. can i fill in the cracks somehow and repaint the whole boat? or maybe sand it down a little, fill in the cracks and put 1 or 2 new layers of gelcoat on it? or do i have to just redo the whole boats gelcoat entirely?

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: Gel Coat is cracking NEED HELP

Some pictures of the cracks would help tremdously, since we can't see what you see.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Gel Coat is cracking NEED HELP

1955 as in 57 years old ??? and the gelcoat is cracking . . . Age and exposure have done their thing, so there really may not be anything that you can do differently to stop/reverse the process.

I think you would be looking at a full gelcoat restoration rather than patchwork. but, yes, a picture or 2 would be helpful.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: Gel Coat is cracking NEED HELP

Grind em out and fiil them in. Then paint it. Gelcoat is not as flexible as paint and will just keep cracking. I am positive that I can some gelcoat cracks in any FRP boat that has been in the water and ooperated. I looked at hundreds of glass boats at the Miami, New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Paris and other boat shows and found gelcoat cracks in everyone. Some had not even been in the water. Had to look hard but always found some. When I looked at painted glass boats it was a different story. You don't want to do a full gelcoat restoration unless you have a lot of time and love sanding and buffing. Even at that gelcoat that has been surface finished will never last as long as out of the mold.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Gel Coat is cracking NEED HELP

Cracking or Crazing ?

Does it look like a hard boiled egg that your just crushed the shell prior to peel ?

YD.