Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

[Thrasher0412]

Hello! So I just picked up a 1998 Marada Sport 1, made by Armada. It's an 18'4" open bow. The engine was not winterized properly and the block cracked, so previous owner replaced with a new crate motor. However, there are small (hairline mostly) cracks in what I believe is the gelcoat. They are not very deep and some cannot even be felt while scraping your fingernail across. Nothing is below the bumper line around the boat and certainly nothing below the water line. I opted to buy her because of the new motor thinking the cracks are only cosmetic. Now, I am second guessing myself. They are bugging the crap out of me. Are they only cosmetic? How do you repair them? Is it worth repairing? Is it safe for the water as is?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers!

Mike

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

Welcome to iBoats. Ondarvr and Yacht Doctor are our gel expert. Try to PM both with a link to your thread

 

[Thrasher0412]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

I will try that. Thanks for the reply!

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

Some nasty looking cracks there. They do look to be only cosmetic, possibly from very thick gel coat. Fixing them can be difficult because of the amount of work that needs to be done.

 

[Thrasher0412]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

What would you suggest? Any way to make them look better without a full blown repair? Is it water safe?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

What would you suggest? Any way to make them look better without a full blown repair? Is it water safe?

Ayuh,.... A Full Blown repair is yer only option, 'n it'll include a full paint job too...

Nothin' Unsafe 'bout cosmetic spider cracks...

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

Some nasty looking cracks there. They do look to be only cosmetic, possibly from very thick gel coat. Fixing them can be difficult because of the amount of work that needs to be done.

I agree they could be only cosmetic cracks.

Yes its safe to use and will not sink .. but .. depending on the build it could get much worse ( or could already be ).

The repairs are the repairs. You would need to die grind out the cracks and fill them with some type of fiberglass filler.

Its the top coat that will be the hard part. There are too many of them to spot spray.

Are these cracks on both sides ? Do they go all the way from bow to stern ? Or are these more localized around the windshield ?

Could you take out that cup holder please and give us a pic of what the glass layers look like ( take cup holder out and clean up any caulk thats there to expose the lams ).

YD.

 

[Thrasher0412]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

I agree they could be only cosmetic cracks.

Yes its safe to use and will not sink .. but .. depending on the build it could get much worse ( or could already be ).

The repairs are the repairs. You would need to die grind out the cracks and fill them with some type of fiberglass filler.

Its the top coat that will be the hard part. There are too many of them to spot spray.

Are these cracks on both sides ? Do they go all the way from bow to stern ? Or are these more localized around the windshield ?

Could you take out that cup holder please and give us a pic of what the glass layers look like ( take cup holder out and clean up any caulk thats there to expose the lams ).

YD.

YD, thanks for the response! It is a weight lifted to know that they are not unsafe. I will get a picture of the glass underneath the cup holder and post it in the next day or so.

The cracks are predominantly on the port side of the boat from bow to just behind the windshield. There is a random crack here and there on the rest of the hull, but only a few and very sparse. I was thinking to fill them with Marine Tex or the like, but most of the cracks are too thin and not deep enough to even hold wax. I was thinking that I would have to grind them out a little to fill them, just not sure what to do after they are filled and sanded. If using MarineTex, would a top gelcoat be necessary?

 

[sweet addiction]

Re: Cracks in gelcoat on top side, repair? New boater, please help!

Looking at that 1st pick it looks as if the snaps for the cover have something to do with it. I agree with Yacht Dr...My guess is sanding down to the fiberglass to expose what is most likely hair line cracks in the fiberglass. Fixing those and then a complete respray is in your future. Dang! :blue: