Gelcoat cracking

[frogbite]

All,

I am wondering if anyone else has experienced cracking in one of the two places I am seeing it on my 2004 ZX225.

1) Spider cracks under the chrome rail on the driver side of the boat. This cracking seems to get a little worse everytime I run on rough water. Had the boat to the dealer and they think it may be a defect but Skeeter will not cover it because the boat is a Federation tournament boat.

2) On the front under the trolling motor mounts (Motorguide 82lb). The cracks seem to come out from the holes drilled for mount. I also have one crack coming out from around where the light socket is screwed in.

Besides this, the boat is flawless. I am just wondering if this is normal for this boat, or is it that since this was manufactured for tourney use, it is held to a lower standard? My previous Skeeter 1993 Z150 did not even have the first crack on it and it was used by me in the same conditions.


Modified by symcha at 3:50 PM 4/24/2007

[BLAAJA]

My 1998 ZX195 has more spider cracks then a haunted house.

It hasn't bothered me other then every time you wipe it down or clean it you see all of the cracks.

[frogbite]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BLAAJA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
It hasn't bothered me other then every time you wipe it down or clean it you see all of the cracks.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yep, same here. I love the boat, and will probably get another Skeeter when it is time to replace it. Just want to know if it is expected. I've run pretty hard when the waves are 2+ feet and it seems that this may have contributed to it.

[K.D.]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BLAAJA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My 1998 ZX195 has more spider cracks then a haunted house.

It hasn't bothered me other then every time you wipe it down or clean it you see all of the cracks.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

How many Skeeters do you have? In the other post, you indicated something about spending $50K on an Iclass and it having quality control issues. I'm asking because I'm wondering if the things you mentioned were on an in stock boat that had yet to be detailed and cleaned up.

[DonnieG]

[QUOTE=BLAAJA]My 1998 ZX195 has more spider cracks then a haunted house.

It hasn't bothered me other then every time you wipe it down or clean it you see all of the cracks.[/QUOTE

Doesn't the boat have a 10 year warranty? If so, is spider webbing considered structural damage? I would think the dealer would have it repaired....

[frogbite]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Doesn't the boat have a 10 year warranty? If so, is spider webbing considered structural damage? I would think the dealer would have it repaired....</TD></TR></TABLE>

Nope, only one year on the finish, as this is considered finish. And the fact that I have a tourney rig it does not even have that. Let me just say I was very disappointed to find this out as I thought it would have been covered under the warranty. When I purchased it, there was no way of knowing that it had been a tournament rigged boat and the seller did not disclose this. Needless to say, when I took it to the local Skeeter dealer, he thought it would be covered. They contacted Skeeter and were told that it would not be covered. As it turns out, this is what the rules are to the finish warranty, and I am going to guess it is similar for most of the boat manufacturers.

1) When you purchase a boat new, there is a one year finish warranty. This is not the same as the structure warranty.
2) If this boat was manufactured for tournament use, it was sold at a discount to original owner. If this was the case there is "0" finish warranty. I have the original bill of sale from the original owner, and the person did not get any price breaks. This boat was out the door for $45k. I purchased it from the bank that repo'd it.
3) Once the boat is sold to a second owner, the finish warranty is null. So if person "A" purchases the boat and only has it for a week and then resells it, Skeeter has the right to deny the finish warranty to the second owner.

So I was told because of #2 and #3 that it was not covered. That is okay, when I am putting it in and people ask me how I like the boat, I always tell them it is awesome, except for the cracks. They immediately want to see what I am talking about so I show them

[ZXD]

Its pretty common, just superficial,most all boats have the same problem. Ihave a 03, same deal. Dont say anything about the cracks and they will never notice!

[clat225]

I have an 05' ZX225 and I do have the small cracks coming from where the trolling motor is mounted in one spot.

[frogbite]

If it is not a tourney boat and you are the first owner you may be able to get Skeeter to cover the repair if you care enough to have it done.

[BLAAJA]

This is my 2nd Skeeter and I'm not the origional owner.
Probably the 3rd.
I've fished a lot of Tournaments with this boat.
It's still a great boat.

[basspromedia]

every boat that gets run in rough water will show some spider cracks...metal flake tends to hide them better than a straight white gel coat or even a black gel for that matter! Any place where something has been attached to the hull or deck through drilling is a likely spot to show! Not to worry it's not structural... as for warranty it should still be covered even if it's a fed boat, as long as you were the first owner!

[frogbite]

As I mentioned I am not the first owner. The crack were not there when I purchased the boat, as it only had 11 hours on it.

Both the dealer and Skeeter verified with me that a tourney boat does not have a finish warranty unless it was not used as a tournament boat. When I talked to the dealer they told me that if it was a tournament boat that it would have been sold at a discount. They gave me a price range, and this boat was not discounted at all. When I talked to skeeter, they told me that they were sure this boat was a tournament boat though.

Regardless, I really don't understand the first owner argument either. I am sure it makes sense to the manufacturer, but to me it seems like a loophole. When I purchased the boat from the bank, I had not done my homework to understand the warranty. This is my fault. I probably would have still bought the boat, but would not have paid as much. Even the bank mentioned that the boat was still under warranty. (I don't have that in writing).

I also find it interesting that the cracks I have on the side under the rail were bad enough that the dealer had their fiberglass guy look at it. Both the dealer and the body shop both agreed that the cracking was due to a defect. It is not like I bumped something and caused the cracks. To Skeeter it is not structure related, but to me the owner, it certainly seems like it is. I will post a pic in a bit.

[GM482V]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by symcha &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I also find it interesting that the cracks I have on the side under the rail were bad enough that the dealer had their fiberglass guy look at it. Both the dealer and the body shop both agreed that the cracking was due to a defect. It is not like I bumped something and caused the cracks. To Skeeter it is not structure related, but to me the owner, it certainly seems like it is. I will post a pic in a bit.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That's why they quit putting the rails on.

[frogbite]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by GM482V &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
That's why they quit putting the rails on.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That being the case, shouldn't they stand by what they have already produced. Here is a pic of the cracking:



This seems a bit more than just a cosmetic problem to me, but then again, I am not a boat manufacturer.

[EJP]

It's only cosmetic, but that is a severe case of it though. 9x's out of 10 stress cracks are exactly that, stress.... The manufacturer looks at it as your were beating up the boat.

No stress cracks in the gel coat from penetrations like trolling motors and depth finders are very very common, and 99% of the time will not be warranty because it was a penetration made to the boat outside of the factory.

Boats made out of fibergalss crack, plain and simple it is a fact of life. Obviously your case is somewhat severe, but again, to a manufacturers eyes it would look like you were jumping waves.... Why you ask.... I am not 100% familiar with skeeter but I belive those handrails are at the seating areas. In most cases that is the fold line on impact when slamming down from a arial jump. This is all IMHO, and not guaranteed facts though.

[frogbite]

EJP, I agree 100% with you. And yes the handrail is at the exact point that you are describing. When I purchased the boat there were no cracks on it. They get worse every time I am out on rough water. Not sure how much worse it will get, but it is consistently getting deeper and covering more area.

[EJP]

It sounds like you are not running the boat at the proper trim. I am no fan of a skeeters rough water ride, but they do not ride that bad Make sure when Toho is kicking up you trim her down and let her plow water...... It'll feel weird but the impact the boat is taking from running her nose up in the rough stuff is really severe and it is showing. What is happening is you have the nose to high, then the boat jumps way up and slaps back down, and it wants to flex like any material would. You have to slow down and let her nose dig through the waves......

I may be wrong, but in all honesty, I think what is happening is your fault and is not a design flaw at all. I fish alot bigger waters then you guys down there. I have fished those lakes quite a bit (my dad lives in Hillsborough Cty.) and they do get rough. But I have seen a ton of rough water used boats up here and if you have that much damage at the areas you describe you are obviously dogging your boat..... They are expensive dude, ride easy!

[frogbite]

So true. But I do run trimmed down and plow. If there are waves I am usually not going any faster than 40mph. But who know what the previous owner was doing with the boat. At times I may be running 70+ and then hit some rough stuff. This may account for the damage getting worse. It is strange but sometimes I will be running on light chop, and then out of no where.... big waves.

[EJP]

The most dangerous thing on the water is the rogue wave.... My advice is to keep scanning the horizon for large boats.... If you see a large boat way up ahead, even as far as a mile away, it's time to slow down. If I even see a boat so far away and it even looks like he is heading towards me, I slow way down..... Those rogue waves will kill you. Infact I think it was the federation pres. in Fl. a few years ago that hit a rogue wave and flippedhis boat.... He and his non-boater were ejected and killed! Be careful, not just for your sake, but obvioulsy your boats! Have fun and be safe

[frogbite]

Will do.