Hairline cracks found below waterline

[Birdman84]

Just bought a used 06 Sea Hunt 186 and took her out for the first time yesterday. After returning home, while cleaning her up I noticed a cluster of hairline cracks near the drain for the anchor locker on the starboard side of the hull. I know these cracks were not present before I took it out. They are very fine, can't get a fingernail in it. I didn't see anything obvious inside any compartments that would have stressed/impacted the inside of the hull. Is it possible it's just from the screws and hardware for that drain, or should I be more concerned? The boat is in great shape otherwise, no other cracks outside of the hull. Planning to pick up a gel coat repair kit to patch it but want to get other opinions before I address it.

 

[82rude]

I think you will be ok .I had a mfg gypsy star that had lots of that from over the many years and she was ok.By all means repair if it bothers you.

 

[Birdman84]

Ok thanks for the reassurance. I assumed it was merely cosmetic and it seems to be. I crossed a few wakes going through the waterway that I didn't completely slow down for and she took a little beating from it. Considering she's 12 yrs old, I presume that may have caused it to flex around the hardware enough to cause a crack like that. Will patch it next chance I get and keep an eye on it.

 

[jbcurt00]

Iboats sells gel coat repair kits

https://www.iboats.com/shop/paint-and-maintenance/fiberglass-and-epoxy-boat-repair.html

 

[mr 88]

To patch it correctly you are going to pretty much make a mess of it. The cracks should be dremeled out,which means enlarging them.Then you have to hope the gel coat matches,which is very hard to do with UV fading occurring on the original gel. IF it was me I would just take a picture ,like you did and watch them to see if they get any bigger over time. IF they did then I might consider the repair.It's just cosmetic in a spot that is rarely seen by anyone, if at all. I doubt hitting any waves caused that, it's in a area that doesn't really flex at all,sometimes it's caused by a poor layup or the way it was removed from the mold,just doesn't appear right away. They are very common on glass boats. You can You Tube gel coat repair to see what's entailed or google it as well.

 

[JimS123]

Look like stress cracks. Cosmetic, not structural.

Don't waste any time or money to repair them. I have seen professional FG repair shops do a nice job, but they reappear the first time you hit another wake.

 

[Birdman84]

I originally took the picture with the intention of just keeping an eye on it, didn't really give it too much thought at first. As I sat back thinking I figured it would be best to get some other opinions. I'll wait to repair and keep a watch on it. I too was suspicious that if I DO repair it, there's a likely chance it would appear again. Just annoying that after 12 years and 500 hours on the water it decides to show its ugly face when I take it out :facepalm:. I was proud of the absence of stress cracks on her. I suppose it could have been there all along like mr 88 mentioned and took until now to be visible.

 

[garbageguy]

Congrats on the new-to-you boat. Is that the same boat you asked about before that a soft spot in the floor? I agree the cracks you showed here are insignificant, keep an eye on them though. What does the whole boat look like? I'll bet it's nice.

 

[Birdman84]

Congrats on the new-to-you boat. Is that the same boat you asked about before that a soft spot in the floor? I agree the cracks you showed here are insignificant, keep an eye on them though. What does the whole boat look like? I'll bet it's nice.

Thanks garbageguy! I upgraded from a '73 14ft Mckee to this boat, so it is truly rewarding...and new-to-me. My McKee had cracks all over the dang place but with its age I just looked the other way and kept boating. Here's a pic I took when I brought her home. I'll have to add some to my profile -

This isn't the same boat. It's one year older but same model. The other looked like it came off a showroom floor with low hours but a soft floor was a no go for me.

I still need to change the name and she desperately needs to be compounded/waxed, but it's a one owner and never seen salt water (until now). The previous owner was retired and only used it for fishing. I don't think he had energy left at the end of the day to clean her very well so...I'll be losing a few pounds over the next few weeks cleaning her up. Thanks to everyone for your input!