Gelcoat cracks and decals moderated discussion areas. Constant exposure to wind, water and sun can wear down your boat s protective gelcoat over time and youll soon find you need to apply a clear gelcoat to your fiberglass boat. Are these caused by stress, or by applying too thick a gelcoat during the boat s hull layup. Fortunately, with the right tools most anyone can conduct this process, allowing you to save money from hiring a professional to do it. How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs. The cracks are about 18 inch and can only be seen when u are close up to the rv. These are vertical fissures that dont appear to be any deeper than the gelcoat itself. Tint the batch of gelcoat to match the color of the boat. When i asked the vendor about that issue, he told me that it is only cosmetic and that most tige from those years have the same trouble. These fiberglass cracks can be purely cosmetic, or can severely degrade the boats ability to stay afloat.
Over time and with use, the gelcoat on your boat can become dull, making your boat look old. You can successfully complete basic fiberglass boat repair by following these steps. Stress cracks in fiberglass bass boats, canoes, kayaks and. Gelcoat is a fiberglass resin that has had a pigment added to it. He has a 11 yer old class a, good brandi dont want to talk bad about the brand who is still in business, and he has these small cracks in the gelcoat, mostly where the darker colors are located. Try to keep your work area at or above 70f and free from moisture when working with gel coats. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the gelcoat is suffering from crazing sometimes called alligatoring. Avoid spreading the gelcoat too thin or youll get stroke marks. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull. Fiberglass is a pretty good boatbuilding material, but gelcoat is its weakness.
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 boat s. Fiberglass, gelcoat, paint and woodworking are my specialties. Gelcoat repairs which includes an instructive video that covers gelcoat restoration, scratch repair, and polishing and. White gel coat, precolored gel coat, clear gel coat, neutral tintable gelcoats. Before i start, dont forget if you find this video useful give us a like below, add a comment, and dont forget to subscribe to our youtube channel. Apr 02, 2019 look for stress cracks around stanchions or other areas that might be an indication of an underlying structural problem. If the gel coat cracks are on a bass boat, that is a common occurrence.
If you have any surface scrapes or gouges that need repair, check our advisor doit yourself. Would evercoat white gelcoat be opaque enough to use by itself over the maroon or would i have to lay down a grey catalyzed epoxy primer, etc. Any crack that goes deeper than the gelcoat definitely needs attention. The boat is in pretty good condition for its age in my opinion, but the hull does have some minor hairline stress cracks. How to repair a gelcoat scratch, cracks or hole when looking at a scratch in the gelcoat, you need to determine whether it is a surface scratch or a deep scratch. This premium marine grade gel coat may be as gecloat for boats, gelcoat for pools or many other applications. Application is easy and in a few seconds, even a novice handyman can. Ive sprayed tan gelcoat before and i didnt use primer but i was simply overcoating cracked tan gelcoat. New life for old gelcoat an inexpensive solution that.
Gelcoat used to patch existing gelcoat, fiberglass repairs, and for new construction and projects. Cold temperatures can lead to slow gel coat cure times, while moisture can cause pinholes, blisters and other imperfections in the gel coat. Apply the gelcoat using a brush if youre covering a small area. This thicker gelcoat cannot stand any flexing without showing cracks. If you can see black in the cracks that is the base coat.
This video is a step by step on how to properly repair your cracked gelcoat. Today im going to show you how to repair spider cracking in gelcoat. If you love your boat but feel youe not up for the job to repair your gelcoat yourself, give us a call we specialize in. Gelcoat hairline cracks a proper solution jeanneau. Brush the gelcoat onto the fiberglass using short vertical strokes.
Although gelcoat feels slick as polished stainless, its surface actually has more nooks and crannies than a thomas original englis. Compound formulated for gelcoat is more abrasive and cuts fasternever use it on your car, or youll be heading for the spray booth. How to repair gelcoat, chips, scrapes and gouges yourself. Hi, i went to a tige dealership, and notices that their used 20002001 models have gel coat cracks from one end to another on the bottom of the hull. Because there is no fiber in it, over time it will crack because the hull naturally flexes a bit.
I would want to see what the underlying fiberglass looks like before starting a repair. Aug 27, 2012 the cracks are called spider cracks, and they are normal for a gel coat finished boat. There is one 00 2300v limited that im particularly interested in, but it has the same problem. Fiberglassing old scuppers closed the final step october 20, 2019. Repair cracks and scrapes, gelcoat blisters, loose hardware, delaminated decks and panels, damaged keels and holes up to 1. I bought a repowered 2000 25 cc in april of last year.
During the fall i noticed some rust colored staining of the hull. Here are the symptoms that led me to this restoration approach. 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. It isnt very difficult, so you diyers and shade tree me. This resin can be used as a protective surface over the top of fiberglass, or simply as a finish, much like you might varnish a piece of outdoor furniture. Aug 02, 2017 how to prepare your boat for painting a gelcoat if the gelcoat is in good condition with no major cracking or crazing, the job is relatively straightforwardclean and prepare the surface, apply an epoxy primer, sand the primer, remove the sanding residue and then apply the topcoat. A recent survey indicated that my boats hull has numerous cracks in the gelcoat. Justin at the skiff shop shows us his process of grinding out the old gel coat, filling these cracks with resin paste.
Use a fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the cracks and prep the surface of your boat. As bntii said, laying up heavy glass on the underside is the best solution. Hairline cracks, and crazing in boat gelcoat materials list boatus duration. Also this process will not repair crazing, cracks or other physical damage, but it will make a dull, chalky gelcoat finish shine beautifully and it will make any underlying repairs less obvious.
Gelcoat is a resin that will protect any fiberglass structure with a strong shield. May 23, 20 use a fine grit sandpaper to smooth out the cracks and prep the surface of your boat. With time, it is possible that gelcoat can become cracked, simply through wear and tear or a specific incidence of damage. You may be able to work a little gelcoat into the cracks and polish out the area. How to prepare your boat for painting a gelcoat sail magazine.
Most of the time they are just cracks in the finish and do not bother the structural integrity. The cracks near your bow locker look far more serious to me. All gelcoat is, is nonreinforced tinted fiberglass. You can also see hairline cracks radiating from the main crack, a sure sign of stress a crack. I would be wary of any cracks on the bottom hull as you describe.
I repaire a chip in my gelcoat and the following cracks using this kit. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear. If you own a boat, you may know that it is important to give your boat a gelcoat cover to help protect it from leaks and cracks. So, the gelcoat on your boat is looking chalky and. Quantum leap is a bit over 30 years old now and in our case the prior owners had. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat. Once the hull is completely dry, you can apply the gel coat with a spray applicator or a paintbrush, whichever works best for you. We had similar gelcoat cracking issues on one of boats built to our designs. Spruce it up easily by choosing the right cleaners and sealants. If the cracks radiate from the base of loadbearing equipment like a cleat or stanchion, there is probably a problem with the installation that deserves attention before repairing the gelcoat. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating.
Boatus how to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and. The cracks are purely cosemetic, and not structural to the boat. To apply the gelcoat with a brush, dip the brush in the gelcoat so theres a liberal amount of gelcoat on it. How to prepare your boat for painting a gelcoat sail. I looked under the boat last night and could not see any cracks on the bottom hull whatsoever. If the gelcoat is in good condition with no major cracking or crazing, the job is relatively straightforwardclean and prepare the surface, apply an epoxy primer, sand the primer, remove the sanding residue and then apply the topcoat. But, in my absence, i had some photos taken to track the progress and now im back at the yard. Stress cracks in fiberglass bass boats, canoes, kayaks. However, as it dried and hardened, it was a darker shade and i now have a dark spot on my boat that im going to have to recover to match. The reason being is that surface scratches can easily be buffed with a rubbing compound as opposed to deep scratches which take a couple more steps.
How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating magazine. Master boat builder with 31 years of experience finally releases archive of 518 illustrated, stepbystep boat plans covers how to patch a large hole this one was roughly wide in a standard fiberglass boat hull. Fiberglass epoxy is available at most boat supply stores. Determine the gelcoat batch size for the size of the repairapproximately 80 square feet per gallon of gelcoat 20 sq. Follow the instructions on the epoxy for repairing the cracks. How to repair deep cracks in fiberglass boats youtube. Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat. Aug 05, 2008 a recent survey indicated that my boat s hull has numerous cracks in the gelcoat. The dealer isnt lying when he says tiges from that period suffered from gelcoat cracks but ive never seen them on the underside. May 17, 2015 hey guys, i have a 96 champion 191 boat.
This can range from small defects that need a little patching up to. Jun 23, 2006 these must be stress cracks, sharp corners in a design concentrate the stress so this is a logical place. This colored filler comes in 11 popular boat colors and is readytouse straight from the tube. The cracks are called spider cracks, and they are normal for a gel coat finished boat. Improper temperature and humidity can also cause problems in your gel coat. Gelcoat doesnt add anything to the strength of the fiberglass, but it does protect the.
See more ideas about boat, sailboat restoration and bottom paint. Jan 21, 2020 before you gelcoat fiberglass, fill in any cracks or gouges with a polyester filler and then sand the damaged areas down with 80grit sandpaper. So, wondering if there now might exist a flexible crack filler that is bright white and glossy that would adhere acceptably without scraping out the crack but just filling the darn thing and be done with it. Gelcoat doesnt add anything to the strength of the fiberglass, but it does protect the fiberglass from leaking and from weather damage.
At that time the surveyor pointed out some very small cracks in the transom gelcoat around the rim of the exhaust. Fiberglass repairs, surface fairing, gelcoat color matching, application and finishing. Nov 26, 2014 also this process will not repair crazing, cracks or other physical damage, but it will make a dull, chalky gelcoat finish shine beautifully and it will make any underlying repairs less obvious. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying awlgrip paint. I have not had the boat for a while, i got it through a trade. Look for stress cracks around stanchions or other areas that might be an indication of an underlying structural problem. The spiderweblooking crazing is minor and can be ignored. Doing the math it came out that one quart of gelcoat would be a bit more then one coat on my 14 foot sunfish hull.
How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. These must be stress cracks, sharp corners in a design concentrate the stress so this is a logical place. The plan was to do the repair when i pulled the boat out for the winter. I prepped the boat, sanding, patching cracks fiberglass, filling bondao, sanding and finishing up with a acetone wash, before starting to apply the gelcoat in a heated, vented, humidity controlled garage. Are these caused by stress, or by applying too thick a gelcoat during the boats hull layup. And most rubbing compound contains petroleum distillates. I chemically striped the antifouling paint back to gelcoat to see if the previous owners has applied a barrier coat the boat was on a lake, now is on the sea and was surprised with the many hairline cracks in the gelcoat primarily in the p bracket and outside the.
Jan 21, 2020 this video is a step by step on how to properly repair your cracked gelcoat. If you find small, hairline cracks in your boat, you can repair it yourself by using epoxy. He felt they were cosmetic and recommended repairing the gelcoat. Ot filling fine cracks in boat gelcoat practical machinist. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. Since we got our so 35 i was troubled by the many hairline cracks in the gelcoat in visible and less visible areas. I matched my teal striping on my boat to a tee when it was wet and mixing. How to apply a clear gel coat to a fiberglass boat gone. Restoring your gelcoat can help restore the shine of your boat and protect its surface. Jun 10, 2017 hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters. These premium quality isophthalic npg gel coats are.
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