I know glass boats and stress cracks are like
peanut butter & jelly but I'm a little concerned about
having some in my splashwell. There's 3 or 4 of them
about 2"-3" long running port to starboard. They are not
deep and you can barely feel them. I went ahead and
water proofed them and for right now I'm just going to
have to keep an eye on it. Is this possibly a sign of things
to come? Only people with some thing good to say respond
Thanks
If they are very fine they are probably just cosmetic. Run your fingernail across them and if it doesn't catch then they are just stress cracks and extremely common. For peace of mind, don't worry about sealing stress cracks as they are only in the gel-coat, not the fiberglass. Instead, re seal all through transom fittings, like motor bolts, tie down rings, etc. Remove these items, clean the area with acetone and re attach, properly sealing with 3M's 5200. Yes that means removing the motor or jack plate. It's not a hard job but you will need a hoist. Transoms soak water and rot Not because of wood, but because of lack of maintenance and poor quality sealants. Manufacturers only use silicone, which won't last and doesn't seal that well. Once you re seal with 5200, assuming the core is dry, that transom will be fine indefinitely. You can re seal then again in another 5 or 10 years.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by perfect-storm »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If they are very fine they are probably just cosmetic. Run your fingernail across them and if it doesn't catch then they are just stress cracks and extremely common. </TD></TR></TABLE>
What if your fingernail does 'catch" I have some that are stress cracks, however one in particular is a little bigger than I think it should be, and I want to keep it looking decent. Could I take a dremel with a small grinding wheel and then refill with resin? Or something else to refill with? I believe it is just the clear coat but all the way through to top coat, maybe even below that a little. but still a small crack.
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by kisskollector »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
What if your fingernail does 'catch" I have some that are stress cracks, however one in particular is a little bigger than I think it should be, and I want to keep it looking decent. Could I take a dremel with a small grinding wheel and then refill with resin? Or something else to refill with? I believe it is just the clear coat but all the way through to top coat, maybe even below that a little. but still a small crack.</TD></TR></TABLE>
You can refill it, but chances are it will return in the same spot after a ride in some rough water....the cracks occur at a flex point in the hull and a lot of variables are involved....thickness of gel/clear.....internal bracing in the area.....etc.
If they are deep enough were your nail actually catches and drops into the crack, the they should be filled as a precaution to keep any water from seeping down to the actual glas mat.
Be real careful grinding it down if you do it....real easy to grind too deep and get into the mat.
Thanks for the help. I had my motor/ jackplate off last year
along with the through hull fittings. At that time I just used marine
grade silicone on everything. Somehow I over looked my tie down
rings. Glad you brought that up perfect-storm. I'll get that knocked out
after work tommorow.
Once again,
Thanks
Be sure to remove and reseal corner trim angle as well (this area is the most common culprit).It is the deck to hull joint , usually find cracked bonding putty.
Good luck!
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BASSCAT7 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
You can refill it, but chances are it will return in the same spot after a ride in some rough water....the cracks occur at a flex point in the hull and a lot of variables are involved....thickness of gel/clear.....internal bracing in the area.....etc.
If they are deep enough were your nail actually catches and drops into the crack, the they should be filled as a precaution to keep any water from seeping down to the actual glas mat.
Be real careful grinding it down if you do it....real easy to grind too deep and get into the mat.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well, when I bought the boat I had a guy who would NOT use transom savers. I have heard the arguments back and forth, there good, there bad, blah blah blah, but every marine store I have called says use them, so I want to use them. This guy only had the boat for 1 year, but never used a transom saver. I'm hoping maybe the crack was just from that? I will try to grind it down just a little then fill in with putty or resin or something. I want to get the shape back too. (I dont want it to be noticeable.)
Thanks for the help !
Reply With Quote