Are These Stress Cracks?

[jumpjets]

I have a 2007 Rinker Captiva 262 cuddy cabin. I just found these cracks in the cockpit, under the windshield area. What causes these? Is it excessive stress? Is this boat going to come apart and destroy itself?

Rinker seems to be regarded as a cheap brand. Its a 21* deadrise, which makes me think it's more of a calm water lake boat. I Take it out on the ocean sometimes, and on the intracoastal waterway. I frequently have to deal with 2' waves, which give this thing a dreadfully uncomfortable ride. Am I beating it death? Is it unsafe?

 

[89retta]

Yes those are stress cracks . They don't look to bad so nothing to worry about in my own opinion

 

[Chris1956]

Agreed, especially since they are not in critical areas. They look to be minor cracks in the gel coat. Likely from slamming the hatch. Enjoy your boating, but it is wise for every boater to watch for cracks in their boat.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if it really bothers you use a die grinder and follow link 13 as guide https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...r/295740-how-to-s-and-other-great-information

 

[wahlejim]

They are stress cracks but not in the integral structure of the boat. They seem to be in what I refer to as decorative trim areas. Manufacturers save money whenever possible so they dont build these areas up with fiberglass like they do the hull of the boat. Keep an eye on migration of the cracks, and pay attention to any excess water draining from the bilge when you pull the boat, which can be a sign of a crack in the hull itself.

 

[MTboatguy]

Simple stress cracks in the gel coat, most all boats eventually develop them. For the most part just about anything made of fiberglass will develop them from normal use, I have seen on cars, motorhomes, travel trailers, etc.

They can be repaired, but most likely will come back in the future as well.

 

[jkust]

Standard stress cracks in the gel. Sure they are ugly but most boats get them sooner or later somewhere. Gel is very brittle.

 

[tpenfield]

As the others have said, the boat is a total loss.

Not sure if it is really worth trying to fix the cracking. Got any other pictures from further back to get more perspective?

 

[mr 88]

21* is not a calm water boat, the only boats with more deadrise and only buy a few degrees are offshore racers and a few CC fishing boats made for going to the canyons. There drawback is the use more fuel and rock a lot more while on a drift or even anchored. Are you "beating "it,maybe depending on how fast your cruising at. You may try trimming the bow down while on a plane along with slowing it down enough that it stays on a plane but not much more than that. Let the sharp bow cut the waves.

 

[jumpjets]

Thanks for the replies. The cracks are in the cockpit, near the cabin door. They aren't in a critical load bearing area as far as I can tell.

The boat gives me a really rough ride on rough waters. I generally cruise with the trim nearly all the way up. I'll experiment with trimming down more to get the "plowing" effect. Should I use my trim tabs as well to get the box down even lower?

 

[mr 88]

You will have to experiment with your tabs. I would start out with the tabs while leaving the drive in the " neutral "position , then move to trimming your outdrive.

 

[theBrownskull]

Gel coat cracks. If you fix them more than likely they will come back.

 

[jumpjets]

You will have to experiment with your tabs. I would start out with the tabs while leaving the drive in the " neutral "position , then move to trimming your outdrive.

Did exactly what you said, and man....what a difference!!!! I also tried putting the tabs full down and trimming the drive full down. That didn't make a difference. Leaving the drive at mid trim and putting the tabs full down was the ticket to success. The ride want' perfect, but it was 3x better than usual. My wake looked REALLY WEIRD with the tabs down on plane. It looked like the drive was high out of the water. I wonder if need a drive shower to run like that.

I'm just gonna leave the stress cracks alone. There are only a couple and they're in the cockpit. Not a load bearing or waterproof surface.

 

[mr 88]

Good to hear,no need for a shower running like that,you have plenty of outdrive/water pick up in the water. Yes the wake will look different running like that because of you stuffing the bow to cut the waves,don't worry about it.

 

[JASinIL2006]

You will know if you need a shower at the end of a full season running your boat that way. If the drive oil smells burnt and/or the drive casing has lots of scale build-up, youcan consider a drive shower.

 

[mr 88]

^^^^ Do not think he is going to run the "full season " with the bow trimmed down. He will be running it that way into head seas when they are above 2' . So when the conditions are like that at some point he will be running with the waves and be trimmed normal. That puts him at 50% with rough conditions along with 100% in calmer conditions at normal trim.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Of course not ... what I meant was he won't know after running this way once or twice if a drive shower is needed. After a season of using his new approach, when needed, he'll have a better idea if the drive lube is breaking down too much.