Cracks in Jel-Coat, What causes them????????

[springer9861]

I have been looking at buying a used boat for fishing. It seams like every fiberglass boat I look at has some small cracks in the jel-coat. My questions are: What causes the jel-coat to crack and how hard is it to fix the cracks? Is it something a do-it-yourselfer can do? Thanks for any and all info...............Larry

 

[JB]

Re: Cracks in Jel-Coat, What causes them????????

Hi, Springer. Tiny "spiderweb" cracks in the surface are pretty normal and are the result of normal stresses and aging in less-than-top-quality gelcoat. They represent no loss in strength of the underlying reinforced resin. <br /><br />Cracks that can be seen to allow flexing or obviously go deeper than the gelcoat surface are BAD news. Run!!<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB