Hairline/stress cracks?

[calwldlif]

Have you owned it since new?
Can you attribute the cracks to a specific
time, did you have rough water?
Some would say cracks are normal,
I don't.
Depending on the history of the boat
where the cracks are, could be sign of
weakened stringers, rotted floor, other
load bearing parts.
More discription of location would help.

 

[PierBridge]

Re: Hairline/stress cracks?

Just bought it......:$

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Hairline/stress cracks?

Jell coat has no retainer in that it's just poly and over time the plasticizers can evaporate leaving it brittle (like the plastic on steering wheels)

With that said, with the pounding and stresses (like at the transom) a boat gets, over time the gell coat can crack. The glass behind it is secured with glass fibers; hopefully with a glass mat. Should be no problem unless there is flexing. You can probably determine if any flexing is apparent by striking it with a rubber mallet. If solid, probably no flexing. If not possibly some flexing.

Then if it is matted it will probably survive. If sprayed from a chopped glass gun it will probably fail. Only failures I have seen were deck to hull interfaces (down the length of the boat on the side) where only chopped glass was applied.

My 2c,

Mark

 

[PierBridge]

Re: Hairline/stress cracks?

Their is some flexing, so what does that mean? should I be woried?

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Hairline/stress cracks?

I personally don't like flexing....but I have had at least a couple of fiberglas boats that had the splash well molded in as part of the deck which developed stress cracks at the corners of the transom where it meets the deck (at the edge of the splash well).

Didn't worry too much about it and never had a problem.
But I looked it over pretty good before I came to that conclusion.

Mark