Hairline crack on my new boat...Fixed!

[Nico2112]

Background first:

I got my new boat last April. Maiden voyage was on May 3rd, and since then been on the water 7 times, with a total running time of 17 hrs.

This past sunday I found out a disturbing hairline crack on the bow cap area (it's about 8").

1) Should I worry about this cosmetic crack?

2) Is it likely to grow bigger over time?

3) Should I leave as is and try to ignore it? or

4) Should I tackle it and fix it?

Any advice is welcomed and appreciated

 

[chrishayes]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Nico, dude! That is one BADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD boat man! Be proud of that sucker! About your crack, the one on your boat, not iboats in general do you have any idea whatsoever wouldve caused it? I mean to me it almost looks like someone scratched it not cracked. But of course it is only a picture. Only you can see the real deal.

 

[WizeOne]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

I would be in touch with the dealer.

 

[Nico2112]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Thanks Chris, yeah, it's a Bad boy ride
I wish it were a scratch, but it's a crack

WizeOne, dealership here in my country does not work as in the U.S. Once you receive it and pay for it, you're on your own No warranty.

 

[fuzzeywiggler]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Most likely the gel was sprayed too thick and it is now cracking

I would expect more crazing/cracking in time, it is up to you if you want to repair it. (check out youtube for gelcoat repair)

Fuzzy

 

[Nico2112]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Fuzzy,
That's what I've read, that it will keep on happening around the boat.
I'm not too concerned since it's above the waterline, but as a picky person I am, I hate to see a crack on my boat, even more knowing it's new!

I've already checked youtube vids, and they fix bigger cracks and they are on flat surfaces. This crack covers 2 curves, and is on a tight spot for me to do a good job.

Any pointers as to how to tackle gel coat repair on curved areas?

I can get some gel coat from the local marine store (since they don't have the evercoat scratch patch products), but I'm unsure about how to proceed.

Thanks for your comment.

Edit: forgot to answer Chris, I have no clue as to why this crack appeared!

 

[INJUN]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Bowriders don't have cross bracing from side to side, so I guess to say your crack is a natural place for it to show.
Thats only my guess & $0.02 worth.

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

That's a heart breaker, especially on a new boat. It's probably going to bother you until you fix it, but I'd wait until I had it out a few more times to see if anything else develops.

 

[oops!]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

uh....hate to be the bearer of bad new here.

that is the beginning of crazing.

it is caused most likely by gellcoat to thick or too thin or possibly an imprprer caytlisation of the gellcoat.

its not gonna sink the boat but there is (most likely) more to come.

i just did a 05 larson that is starting to show bad crazing. the owner is going to use the boat for another few seasons and sell it...(he is really picky too)

it can be fixed...better now than later as the gellcoat matching is easyer.

but as said....you wont sink....so its your call bud

cheers
oops

 

[jkust]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Isn't that a VEC boat? I thought they were not prone to this because of the VEC process?? MY 84 Bayliner has these but none on the Chaparral.

 

[Nico2112]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Thanks for your comments guys!

Yup Jeff, it's a heartbreaker, but at least it's fixable

I was waiting for a comment like yours Oops! ; I know I can leave it like that, but it's not pretty, and eventhough not structural, I think it should be dealt with.

Jkust, you're right, it's a VEC hull; so basically this means, yes, it can happen to a boat with a VEC hull!
I'm no boat captain, but have been driving boats for the past 7 years, and this baby hasn't hit a dock, log, rock or anything like it, so it must be a manufacturing flaw.

I have decided to go for it

So after reading, here's the procedure I've figured out:

1) mask the area surrounding the crack to be repaired

2) open up the crack using a dremmel, making it big enough for the gel coat to have sufficient surface to adhere

3) sand the area using 150 grit sand paper (I'm not going to be able to use a sand block since it's a curved area, so I'm doing it freehand)

4) wipe clean the area with either acetone or isopropyl alcohol (which one you suggest works better?)

5) mix the gel coat and apply using a small paintbrush, overfilling the crack a bit

6) cover the repair with wax paper and let it cure (for how long do I let it set before sanding again?)

7) wet sand using 300 grit sand paper first and then using 600

8) buff and wax


Is my procedure doable and correct?

If you have any tips, please by all means, fire away

Thanks again.

Cheers!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Hello Nico..

IMO.. I think this crack is from OEM.

The way they pull things out of the mold sometimes is .. well..say hard. The set points of the pull sometimes stresses the gelcoat ( too thick of gel will micro/crack the skin ). It often happens near complex curves as your area shows.

okies..here we go...

DO NOT follow the Tube vids for repairing gel. I have seen them..and not one is IMO correct. ( I may do a tube vid showing why ).

How to..

1. Magic mark your crack ..Sand your area ( in your case ) 2" all around the crack with 240-320 DRY .

2. Dremel or die grind out the gel ALL the way to you hit GLASS .. not some other coatings under the gel as some mfg. put on. go all the way to glass... INTO the first layer of glass in fact ( Thats your bond point m8 ). Grind at least 1.54987768 inches beyond the start/stop points of your crack. .. 1.5 inch m8..

3. Mix up some gel/cabosil paste with fine chopped up mat ( you can search my "Mohair" ) Kick and fill with this. let cure for 24hrs/70 deg.

4. Sand fair.. fill if needed with mix of gel/cabosil paste. ( You only use the factory gel in these mixes .. ). Do not use bondo or equiv.

5. Clean with acetone ONLY ... do this 4 times in fact.. do not wipe into your repair.. only from inside out..

6. Tape/ mask repair area to be sprayed ( use a preval ).

7. Wipe clean again all the way to tape with acetone 2 times ( this prevents pulling wax or mold agents into your repair )

8. research your mix for the gel.. spray wet coats about 5 min apart ( as far as how .. its kinda hard to explain.. there are many factors depending on the gel ).

9. after 24 hrs.. wetsand ( I dry sand with a DA as much as possible.. but thats years of exp..) with 320.. then 400 .. 600... 1200... then 2000 if its a color.

10. polish till done.. ( vague I know..but .. you should get the idea after 20 min ).

Its a starter DIY at any rate..

YD.

 

[Nico2112]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Thanks for your amazingly detailed step by step instructions Dr., really appreciate it mate

Forgive my ignorance, what's OEM?

So I must grind all the way to the glass. Okey dokey, approx how thick is the gel coat layer?

To the left, the crack ends right before hitting the non skid, I'm nervous about grinding the non skid, I really don't want to do that. Suggestions?

Marine stores in my country are a PITA. They only sell you gel coat and resin, nothing else (no mat, or chopped FB, or cabosil, or any other supply you need for a DIY project). I have to be honest, very few boaters around here tackle their repairs on their own, they prefer paying for the service.
I'll do my best trying to get cabosil or it's counterpart and some chopped FB, but, in case I can't get them, will gel coat by itself do a good job?

My boat sits at a marina 15 miles from home, so I can only work on the boat on sundays. Does it matter if I let cure the repair for a week instead of only 24 hrs?

Thanks again for all the help!

Cheers!

 

[oops!]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

the way yacht doctor is definatly one way of doing the gell coat repair.

however... the way you described will be just fine except for a few things...

150 grit is way too coarse.....scuff the area with 320.

using a lamp on the area....heat the substraight ...(good solid cure)

use aceitone

you dont HAVE to use the wax paper.

and yes.....gellcoat by it self will do a good job.....your boat is made of it.

this type of repair can be done within one hour start to finish by a pro. is allmost invisibile, (trained eye only) and will be permanant.

cheers
oops

 

[Nico2112]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Thanks for the input Oops!

I'll give this repair a shot this coming sunday. I'll try and document it as good as possible!

Thanks for all the input and advice guys

 

[Marcq]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Fixing the crack itself is very easy, matching it is not.So you don't want to make the repair to big/wide

Here's my way of doing it
Dig up the crack with a dremmell with the smallest bit to have a V shape out of your crack. Wipe with acetone. Mix gelcoat. Apply with your mixing stick(tabbing) over the crack( just enough to cover the crack (less is better) ) Cover the crack/gelcoat with 2" wide masking tape(transparent is a plus). Take something flat (small wood block) and pass it over the masking tape

Now I'm sure you are going to have a bit of gelcoat left that you mixted
When you see that the gelcoat leftover is starting to set, pass the wood block over the masking tape again(vertical crack)

An hour later(still sticky), remove the tape, you will see places where there was not enough gelcoat, use your mixing stick, and just tab the area with new gelcoat, tape over again. Remove the tape next day, minimal sanding and your done

The smaller the scar the easier, because gelcoat is very hard to match

Marc..

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Thanks for your amazingly detailed step by step instructions Dr., really appreciate it mate

Forgive my ignorance, what's OEM?

So I must grind all the way to the glass. Okey dokey, approx how thick is the gel coat layer?

To the left, the crack ends right before hitting the non skid, I'm nervous about grinding the non skid, I really don't want to do that. Suggestions?

Marine stores in my country are a PITA. They only sell you gel coat and resin, nothing else (no mat, or chopped FB, or cabosil, or any other supply you need for a DIY project). I have to be honest, very few boaters around here tackle their repairs on their own, they prefer paying for the service.
I'll do my best trying to get cabosil or it's counterpart and some chopped FB, but, in case I can't get them, will gel coat by itself do a good job?

My boat sits at a marina 15 miles from home, so I can only work on the boat on sundays. Does it matter if I let cure the repair for a week instead of only 24 hrs?

Thanks again for all the help!

Cheers!

Hello again m8..

OEM= manufacture origional equiptment.. or parts..

Layers of gel will depend on "who" sprayed the mold in the first place..every boat is built.. different.. ( depending on what day they started as well ). Think of it this way..its your boat in the factory..its friday..they just sprayed the gel and lammed the skin ... BUZZZZ.. quiting time .. go out and party then come back and finish the lams on monday (with hangover ) .. you get my drift..

Best boats are started on Tues or Wed.. IMO..

Aye..dont go into the Skid. If need be drill a small 1/16 hole JUST to the first layer of glass ( it will help spreading ).

I would not use just gel. Try to get some cabosil and mat.

IF you have to do it with just gel.. then here is how I would do it..

1. Mark crack with marker..

2. Prep with 220-320 1/2" around crack.

3. Dremel out crack ALL the way through gel ( just touching glass ) .... ( I DONT do this as I have glass and cab.. but for your special location I will give you my best ).

4. Tape basically as close as you can to your repair with about 6-10 layers of tape ( build it up )

5. Cat your gel and brush it in ( thicker the better and wait 5-10 min between coats .. no wax paper ! ). you may have to do this 5-10 times depending on how thick your gel is.

DO NOT ADD WAX TO GEL.

6. Let cure for 48 hours ( Gel shrinks heavy on its own ) .. block sand 80 grit untill you hit tape line. If you have a flat surface then pull tape / retape 1x and continue sanding untill fair with tape. at that point you switch to 320 wet.. pull tape and sand going up to 1200 g.. buff to finish

I have to tell you that this is a " patch paste " repair.. IT WILL shrink and pop over time. Without spraying over the repair you cannot encapsulate it.. water will intrude and eventually the repair will fail... Just FYI.

YD.

 

[Nico2112]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Thanks for the input Marc.
I would really wonder if using the transparent tape and wooden block as suggested can be done, since the crack extends over 2 curves; I guess I'll just have to do my best

I'm a bit confused now about curing time:

Oops suggests 1 hour

Marcq suggests 24 hours

Yacht Dr. suggests 48 hours



I'm sure all curing times can be used with success, but I have to decide wich one to use.


I talked to the marine store owner, and in a very polite manner, he told me he was sorry, but they only imported their fiberglass to use for their repairs; also told me they don't carry cabosil or something similar. He explained that all small boat manufacturers here use a very primitive production method, and that if I wanted any of the products available in other countries, I would have to import them
Definately I'm doing this with gel coat and not paying anybody to fix my boat.

Thanks Yacht Dr for understanding my situation and suggesting what to do with my limited resources
I get the point about the gel coat layering done at the factory
I appreciate your honesty telling me with time the repair will fail:redface:
Do you think it will last at least 4 years?

Once again guys, I really appreciate all your input...Thanks!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

The problem with fixing this type of crack, is without being able to examine the crack and determine the reason for it, there's no way to ensure it won't come back and sometimes it may return before you even get it in the water again.

If the gel coat is too thick (common) and the area flexes (very possible), then it will come back the first time it gets stressed.

If it was cracked from being pulled off the mold, not noticed and then spread later, then it may be possible to just repair it and have it last a long time.


The other issue is getting it to match and it most likely won't even if you get the exact same product the factory uses (lots of reasons).

If this was an older boat I'd just say go for it and don't expect it to be perfect, but since you're picky and the boat is new, you'll see the repair every time you walk past the boat. It will be more noticeable than the crack.


I'd do the repair and see if you can incorporate a tape line that will cover it up if you don't like the look of it. If you decide to use tape no matter what, then use epoxy to repair the crack, its much stronger and will last longer.

 

[oops!]

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

Re: Hairline crack on my new boat!

I'm a bit confused now about curing time:

Oops suggests 1 hour

Marcq suggests 24 hours

Yacht Dr. suggests 48 hours



I'm sure all curing times can be used with success, but I have to decide wich one to use.

if you use the big yellow construction lamps to heat the area (the substraight) the gell can cure rapidly.....you will need to let it cool before you start sanding.

when we hit my boat it was hard to the touch with in less than 20 mins but i let it cure a full 24 hours before sanding any sections.