cracked fiberglass deck

[BOATINGmatt]

I have a 23 mako that has a 8 inch crack in the deck..Its been since i got the boat..it does not penetrate to beneathe the fiberglass but it is kinda deep..its been previously filled in with somthing that has flaked out over time..Th crack is approc 1/8 in ch thick..I want to repair it right but i have heard many ways to do it ..marine tex..epoxy resin....polyester resin...gel coat...what is the best way ...Im not overly concerned with appearance as long as it is a sound repair...thanks

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: cracked fiberglass deck

Im sure a Moderator will have this zipped right over to boat building and restore area soon

See ya there... You might want to pack a few pics for your next post

YD.

 

[sambar2010]

Re: cracked fiberglass deck

If it were me and I wasn't worried about appearance I would grind out some of the old glass in and around the crack to get to a clean surface and then patch it with fiberglass mat and resin. It's relatively easy to work with, can be sanded smooth after it cures (not long) and can be picked up it "kit" form at your local Lowes. Just a word of caution, read and follow the instructions. I always tend to try to "rush" the curing and as many times as not, end up with material that cures before I can use it all. Good luck.

 

[Adjuster]

Re: cracked fiberglass deck

Fixing the crack is the second thing you need to do. First thing is to get under that area of the deck and get it better supported. The crack is happening because the deck has some flex in it. Any number of ways to give it better support from framing, wedging blocks of Styrofoam to replacing softened existing wood.

 

[Solittle]

Re: cracked fiberglass deck

Marine Tex is a natural for this type of repair. It is like steel when cured.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: cracked fiberglass deck

Ditto on the marine tex.

But first find out why it cracked. Unless you dropped a cinder block on your deck or something, the deck cracked because it flexed more than it should have. If you fix the crack up nice and don't fix the cause, it'll just repeat itself.

Check the structure below the deck and find out why the deck flexed, and once that's fixed then repair the crack.

Marine tex is great, but honestly the "right" way to fix it is to repair the cause, then grind out the crack, patch with thin mat or cloth as needed, re-gelcoat, and repair the nonskid.

Erik