Since it was originally a black boat, I couldnt see all the stress fractures that existed until the second coat of primer. All are fixed now and ready for final coat of primer and top coat... Here are some pics of just a few...
Since it was originally a black boat, I couldnt see all the stress fractures that existed until the second coat of primer. All are fixed now and ready for final coat of primer and top coat... Here are some pics of just a few...
How did you go about repairing the stress cracks?
After priming, filled in cracks and fractures with 3m spot/glazing putty. worked it into the fracutres in a circular/buffing motion to insure fracture has been completely filled. move quickly because this sets up quick. after about 20 minutes, wet sanded lightly with 3m 400grit wet/dry sandpaper.
looks like my 96 stratos,i checked into getting it fixed,the gel on the top cap looks like crap,started cracking up shortly after i got it,stratos was going to fix it but they went tits up before i had it done,i was told the only way to fix those cracks was to grind them out and re glass them,drilling a very small hole at the end of each before glassing.
Did you gring a couple of inches past the centers of each crack creating a valley so to speak? Then glass em and then use filler? If you just filled and did not grind em out, they will return,,,,
Age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill !!
explain grinding? I didn't take it all the way down to carbon fiber, but roughed the surface yes...
Most stress cracks on bass boats will appear in the same type areas where the fiberglass makes a sharp radius or turn.
That's why you generally see stress cracks around the splash well radius area, where the consoles meet the side of the hull, and in the cockpit where the floor meets the hull on some boats.
Those type of cracks are generally caused by one of 3 things, not enough bracing in the direct radius area of the cracks, not enough glass lamination or too thick of a gelcoat layer.
Gelcoat on the boat is not structural and is the weakest link on the laminate. The glass laminate itself will flex and the gelcoat if applied right will flex a little also.
The thicker the gel, the less it will flex, if it is too thick, which happens more often on the radius areas then it will crack .
Gelcoats used today are much less elastic than gelcoats from 10 years ago due to tougher environmental compliance issues with the VOC's.
To try and repair a stress crack it should be ground down in a V to the glass mat layer and out from the sides of the crack an inch or so then filled and sanded.
Usually just roughing them up and filling will result on the cracks reappearing the first time the hull stress as it did to form the original crack.
the putty you used is just that, putty,unless you ground down the cracks and repaired them with glass, they will show up not long after you paint,, with the putty all you did was cover them up
Slowly right now... been workin 60-70 hrs a week lately. money is comin in for the project but no time... haha. Thanks for following the project.
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