Spider web cracks in gelcoat

The cracks are called spider cracks, and they are normal for a gel coat finished boat. I asked the manufacturer about it at the boatshow and was told to not worry about leakage and just use an abrasive rubbing compound to help remove the cracks or even a super fine grit. Know what the causes are and fix them,then finish off with repairing the gelcoat cracks and. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. All gelcoat is, is nonreinforced tinted fiberglass. Crusting can occur when you stamp a pattern on concrete that has dried too quickly. Spider cracks in hull boat talk chaparral boats owners. Is there information and advice available on repairing these cracks. If there has been any rain or heavy morning dew during the drying period, pump it out or mop it up asap. A fiberglass boat can be repaired to its original state with fiberglass fabric, a lot of skilled work, and some resin. Cracks right through the gelcoat, especially if they originate at slide corners, are. The reason glass is often brittle is because of microscopic cracks within, and on the surface of the glass. I have 1977 fiberglasss 30 ft sail boat that has spider cracks all over the hull,no leaking just fine cracks. These cracks are generally cosmetic, and indicate flexing of the hull.

I have a bell northstar blackgold canoe that is now about 19 years old. Learn how to treat wearinduced spider cracks that appear along the hull of your dinghy. Hairline cracks in gelcoat are not symbolic of structure problems. Spider web cracks in gelcoat on hull this fall when i hauled my boat. Spider cracks can indicate impact damage or serious structural problems. Look for a pattern of spider webtype cracks radiating away from the damaged area. Provides a longlasting repair guaranteed to seal and protect for years.

Spider web cracks in gell coat originally posted by wedoseadoo its a pretty common thing and an absolute biotch to repair,it will not leak though and is just cosmetic. Pay close attention to any areas of fiberglass where the gelcoat is worn thin or has spider web cracks, or very small surface crazing. I have a 2005 r12x with 7 hours on it, bought brand new leftover this year. Gel coat stress cracks are small cracks in the gel coat only, not the underlying fiberglass and typically will not affect the safety or operation of your boat if these cracks are stress related and not due to any type of impact they may be covered under the boats warranty. If not managed, these small cosmetic annoyances can. Extensive spider cracking common on older boats is due to aging of the gelcoat. Im not willing to just let anybody that says they can fix gelcoat work on it. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. They are the best resource i have found somebody w gelcoat background might tell you that gelcoat might fill the spider cracks. I have repaired two holes with west systems epoxy and plan to paint with interlux brightsides linear polyurethane. Step 1 figure out what caused the cracks to begin with.

My prob is as i started to sand one of the holes i repaired with the orbital sander, there has appeared several other star shaped cracks in the gelcoat. Complete the repair in seconds without having to grind out the existing damage. Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat. It was a quick way to make it look better for a while anyway, but the cracks always reappeared later. Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. If the top of the concrete slab dries too quickly, crazing cracks can form. In most cases this is true, however it is important to seal them correctly otherwise water may penetrate into the fiberglass and cause more serious damage. Fiberglass gel coat repair seattle hull damage boat. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. Sand the layer of fiberglass exposed by the removed gelcoat with coarse 80 to 150grit dry sandpaper to provide good bonding surface for the application of new gelcoat. Spider cracks are a form of fiberglass damage that occurs from minor flexing or. It takes like 4 hours to do and 2 of that is waiting for it to dry. Small cracks form in the outer surface of the fiberglass, spreading out from a central point like a spiderweb. When you are certain that the pool is dry, check the weather again to have at least 4 days of dry weather.

I would like to know if anyone knows anyone in the atlanta area, specifically around lake oconee that could repair some spider web cracks in my gelcoat. All that filler wont allow the gel coat to shrink as much as the hull and the gel coat fractures. Stress cracks, spider cracks, and hairline cracks in the decks of older. Spider cracks in gelcoat moderated discussion areas. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen. I didnt hit any thing but did some wave jumping 1 to 3 waves. Spider cracks looks pretty much like hairline cracks and happen in the surface layer or gelcoat of a fiberglass surface. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull.

He never went through with it because he didnt want to lose the boat for the time. The procedure is quick, as in minutes, and when complete you will never know there were cracks. This thicker gelcoat cannot stand any flexing without showing cracks. Magic fix for hairline cracks in gelcoat practical sailor. Cheers, ralph fuchs edmonton alberta canada original message from. Heres an easy way to fix and color stress cracks in seconds and its so tough it comes with a 3 year durability guarantee magicezy hairline fix is a revolutionary precolored fiberglass and gelcoat repair product that fixes and colors fine stress cracks spider cracks, and hairline fractures fast in one application it penetrates deeply into the pores of even the finest. Inspite of this hairline cracks are not unusual on boats. Hairline cracks, stress cracks or spider cracks star cracks that occur in gelcoat surfaces on fiberglass boats or other water craft are often seen as a cosmetic issue. These hairline fractures also occur in boats of the mid 1970s vintage which often had thicker gelcoat layers than newer boats. A body guy came out and looked at them and said they were stress fractures in the gelcoat. The next time youre cleaning and waxing your boat, take the time to look for small cracks, scratches and chips in its gel coat. When the last windstorm took the cover off i went out to recover it and discovered the entire bottom covered with little spider vein cracks in the gelcoat. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat west. The cracks are purely cosemetic, and not structural to the boat.

The location of the cracking is the center of the hull,about 5 inches down from the bump molding. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web. Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat spider web cracks in gelcoat. My hull just developed spider cracking on both sides,that go parallel about 5 inches in lenght,then web out 10 inches on both sides of the hull. You need to chip away the gel cote around that spider web. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters.

Are spider cracks not usually just cracks in the gelcoat. My dad bought a barracuda 19 and the deck had a ton of gelcoat cracks. We were surfing at the time we hit the submerged oject, so speeds were very low and visually, i hadnt even noticed the gel cracks. Fixing them can involve more than just slapping on some gelcoat, however, and that is where we come in. Will epoxy primer penetrate crazing gelcoat moderated. It is starting to show its age with stress cracks from being dropped on portages, etc. Can this be safely repainted and the cracks not come back through the.

Because there is no fiber in it, over time it will crack because the hull naturally flexes a bit. As the substrate flexes as it is designed to do, the gel just cant deflect the same amount and will develop these small cracks. The fact that yours are extensive and below the water line should get the attention of both the dealer and the builder. The first step needs to be ensuring that your spider cracks are just that, and not a sign of a soggy core, or a broken support. We have this awesome boat that just cannot take enough of a beating, but. Chris craft seahawk is developing spider web cracks in the gelcoat. Spider cracks in paint lexus detailing and car care. As it is more brittle than the laminate, when something stresses the laminate too much such as flexing or something hard hitting the deck it cracks to resemble a web pattern. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat.

The term spider crack comes from its similarity with a spiders web. As far as how they did in detail, not 100% sure, just know they laid down a sheet on another area that can take the pattern, then pull off in a couple days, then spray the gel and then apply a sheet of fibre. I have worked on many boats with spider cracks, the best method i have used is a dremel tool to gouge the cracks and fill them with a gelcoat paste made with gelcoat and glass bubbles works wonders, as for sand paper you will have to change grits as you sand and fill. Cracks occur when there are pockets of gelcoat that accumulate and end up being too thick. Do i grind the stress lines back to the laminate then fill with epoxy 1978 thompson 18 spider cracks. When materials undergo a brittle failure, the applied stress causes the material to deform slightly, especially where these cracks are located. The gelcoat is clear, and i really dont want to paint the. Step 3 now, once youve removed all hardware, toerails, and. Structural cracks in fiberglass happen because something damaged the pool, and they can always be repaired. Thermal fatigue cracks when gelcoat repeatedly expands or contracts. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. These are very fine surface cracks that resemble spider webs or shattered glass.

Spider cracks are a form of fiberglass damage that occurs from minor flexing or impacts. One manufacturer use to just sand and polish spider cracks especially on runabouts with metal flake gelcoat. I didnt see any gelcoat damage, but after my progressive agent carefully inspected the boat very impressed with progressive. Its the unstable nature of the polyesterfiberglass hull under the gelcoat and its tendency to shrink slightly over time that cracks the gel coat. Crazing cracks can be unsightly, but are not a structural problem. Magicezy hairline fix is a colored sealant used to quickly and easily repair fine stress cracks spider cracks and hairline fractures. The solution to spider cracking is to buff out the cracks and sand the gelcoat smooth again, and reapply new gelcoat. Radial cracks spider cracks, star cracks caused by impact or by a fixture bolt that puts strain on a certain area of a boat and cracks occur around the hole.

The gelcoat will not tolerate flex and therefore you develop stress cracks at the stress points. Gelcoat thickness will be greater as will layers of cloth underneath. That is, the cracks emanate from a center point and radiates outward. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats structural integrity. Eventually they went to fixing the cracks the correct way of grinding out the gelcoat and lamination layers that were damaged.

Or you could use a universal repair kit from somewhere else. They were going to grind it all out, gelcoat it again, and recreate the traction texture. These might be in a parallel pattern or a nondirectional pattern. Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with. My sc400 has spider web cracks in the paint on the front bumper were it seems that the bumper has bumped into something and flexed the paint so that it cracks in a spider web pattern.

Measure a small amount of gelcoat, which is a thick form of fiberglass resin. Clear coat applicationspider crack questions dont see why you couldnt clear coat gel coat many fiberglass hulls get coated with two part lpu coatings. Here is what the bayliner web site customer service rep said. They can occur in any form of fiberglass, including cars, boats and swimming pools. I flew up to tokyo yesterday and back on the 15th, so will take some pics for ya then. We tried west marine gel coat scratch patch, and although very. They seem to appear out of nowhere, and for no reason. The spider web crack was just in the gelcoat, not in the fibergalss. How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs. Step 2 then toughen the laminate that contains the crack or cracks by solidifying it, either by thickening with more. Spider cracks are small, hairlike cracks that appear on the gelcoat of boats.