Do fiberglass hulls ever crack?

[nhcris]

I was out on the lake yesturday, along with nearly the entire state....so the waters at times were very rough. My boat is now 20 years old so after the 2nd or 3rd time of getting air off a rogue wake it got me thinking, how strong is a fiberglass hull? Do they get significantly weaker with age? Has anyone broken or cracked a hull by going to fast over the waves? Just curious!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Do fiberglass hulls ever crack?

You bet they crack!

It is always a good practice to inspect your hull for spider cracks and cracks in the gel coat. The primary reason for cracks is dirctly related to stringers that have rotten and are failing, trailer rollers are notorious for creating excess pressure and cracking hulls and of course collisions with objects seen or unseen is bad. Ever think about the debris under the water's surface you have hit? Logs floating below the surface.

Inspect your hull and just take care of it.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Do fiberglass hulls ever crack?

As bob mentioned, hulls crack, but its rarely from actually boating. Any owner of a tri-hull will tell you that the hull can absorb far more than your bones can!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Do fiberglass hulls ever crack?

I had a strake on my SeaRay crack, right along the edge. Strakes are sometimes not supported by a stringer, because the shape of the strake really makes it strong, as was my case.

It was on the 4th of July, and although the bay was a bit choppy, it was not bad at all. When I returned to the dock the bilge pump ran a long time. I opened the ski locker and water was bubbling up thru the floor. I had to pull the boat on the spot and fix it.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Do fiberglass hulls ever crack?

I had a buddy I used to call "Full Throttle Bob". He never went at a a lesser speed no matter what the conditions were. Went out with him only once - you needed to hang on so tight that you ended up with bleeding knuckles.

Yes, he cracked the hull. Only 2 years old and garage kept so it wasn't rotten. The manufacturer replaced the hull and he cracked that too.