how bad is this boat crack?

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
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Mar 5, 2006
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Of course its done all the time. In any average day of boating, on the water and at the launch ramp, how many things do you see that are being done incorrectly?
I should tell my friend whose $130K 2017 Mastercraft trailer was built incorrectly....zero keel rollers.
 

rderenzy

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Oct 5, 2015
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Spider cracks are due to running the boat hard in rough water, and / or poor fiberglass layup. My buddy bought a brand new boat and it spider cracked the first month. He was not an idiot on the water. His boat was replaced by the manufacturer, no questions asked. Repairs of excessive spider cracks are money wasted.

The crack in the OP's boat is structural, and the boat needs to be inspected by a qualified marine surveyor.. The boat is not safe.

Bunk trailers that are designed so the boat doesn't hit a crossmember, have a rubber pad on top of the crossmember. Boat trailers with V-rollers like the OP's are designed to make the boat launch and retrieve easier. Thus, the keel must touch the roller. No boat manufacturer will install a $30 roller if all that is needed is a 50 cent pad.

JimS123 certified marine collision repair has deemed this crack non structural, and gel coat was the only crack. confirmed this was not taking on water and was not damaged to the fiberglass

you are out of your mind, if waves pushed boat into cross member a pad isnt' going to help
I just looked at a BRAND NEW 2017 four wins at the dealer next door, same trailer setup as mine, same roller in same location, no where close to touching your boat - proceeded to look at other boats in the lot - ALL setup the SAME exact way.
 

rderenzy

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What year is the boat? Has the floor developed any soft spots yet. Looks like absolutely nothing to me. Not sure what all the fuss is about.

thanks and after inspection, it looks like you are correct and 90% of the posters here are wrong - HOWEVER, I appreicate their concern, as it was a possibility
the picture I think made it look far worse than it was.
however, I will still have this crack patched, probably forgot the other spider cracks

it is a 19.6 foot open bow, sylvan, 4.3 merc
zero soft spots
 

rderenzy

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Of course its done all the time. In any average day of boating, on the water and at the launch ramp, how many things do you see that are being done incorrectly? Many trailers are quite adjustable, but you still need to get the correct one for the boat.

Just before I bought my first boat I went to a funny building and took out a boating book (a library I think - do they still have those? LOL) Anyhoot, it was very informative and taught me a lot. Boy, I wish I still had that book! Just bought a new Boston Whaler, and you know what? The very comprehensive Owner's Manual said the same thing about trailer setup as what I read in that book 48 years ago.

perhaps its setup this way for different boats ,or different types.
2017's with matching trailers are setup where the front roller and back roller are NOT touching the boat.
and these are setup and at certified 4 wins delears

its sunday, go take a drive, go take a look ;)
 

JimS123

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I should tell my friend whose $130K 2017 Mastercraft trailer was built incorrectly....zero keel rollers.
My comment was directed at bunk trailers that DO have rollers. The Mastercraft is an inboard - Correct? If so, rollers and drive shafts don't compute. Besides, today most companies supply bunks only because people don't like rollers.

Regardless, this is another one of those "can't agree" topics. The OP should make up his own mind. If a professional said the crack is OK, then nothing further to discuss.

Now, if he just put a whaletail and some Bennets on, the crack would disappear on its own.
 

Blind Date

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Thanks and after inspection, it looks like you are correct and 90% of the posters here are wrong - HOWEVER, I appreicate their concern

There tends to be a few drama queens on this board. People telling you the boat isn't even safe with no more information than the two pictures you provided is a bit on the ridiculous side. That crack could be a manufacturing defect that's been there since the boat was new for all we know.
 

Stumpalump

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thanks and after inspection, it looks like you are correct and 90% of the posters here are wrong - HOWEVER, I appreicate their concern, as it was a possibility
the picture I think made it look far worse than it was.
however, I will still have this crack patched, probably forgot the other spider cracks

it is a 19.6 foot open bow, sylvan, 4.3 merc
zero soft spots

Nobody here was wrong. You said its cracked and leaking. Where is the water coming from? Did they fiqure that out? It's easy in the busy season for a shop to recomend a quick patch job. You also indicated to the shop that you did not want to put a lot a money in the boat. Ive been a service writer and when you hear that then you sell what you can sell. Upfront they knew you were not going to pay for more than a patch. I've never seen a simple gel coat crack look that bad but all we got were a few snap shots of it. What is the cost of the patch job?
 
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rderenzy

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I never said it was leaking, but I did think I got water in the boat on rough water, and known watersports(obviously) I also posted I took it out 5 hours and no water in bilge.
I've been quoted 400, so long as its just the gel coat - he's going to dig into it soon - if he dremmels it out and finds there is structural damage, then we will re-access

I also got quotes for fixing ever single stress crack in the gelcoat, for 1300
 

ondarvr

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It's common to have rollers on a bunk trailer to prevent the keel from contacting the frame when loading or unloading the boat, sometimes rubber pads are used, but rollers are better.

​Cracks in the strakes can be serious, or not an issue, it just depends on the method of construction. Some strakes have a relatively thin layer of glass put down, then are filled with something to make the inside surface flat for easier lamination. They may be filled with putty, foam, wood, floor sweepings, it doesn't make much of a difference, you just need to fill the space so it can be glassed over. If the glass isn't thick enough, or the area takes a good hit, then it may crack, but it doesn't leak into the bilge area, it will only leak into the strake itself, it's not good, but it's not a safety concern. To know which it may be you need to inspect it, you can't tell from the outside unless you open up the crack and see what the build method is, the better method is to look from the inside.
 

rderenzy

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well, I'm going to know 100% on the 10th, when the marine repair shop opens up the crack :)
i'll post the conclusion as soon as I know
 

Old Ironmaker

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Dec 28, 2015
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I've been getting some water in my bilge - even when im' not doing water sports.
sometimes my bilge fills up with a small 1/8 of an inch, other times (rougher water it seems) fills up to a good inch or more

90% are wrong based on what you said.
 

rderenzy

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90% are wrong based on what you said.

you have a good point, im' sure this mislead a lot of folks
however boats can intake small amounts of water many ways, out drive sales, water intake/cooling

I followed up on that comment that we let the boat float for 5 hours and not one drop of water was in the bilge.
I wonder how many times I've had water up in the front of the boat, and cruising around ti comes back to the bilge and looks like I took in wate,r but it was actually from last week
 

JimS123

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you have a good point, im' sure this mislead a lot of folks
however boats can intake small amounts of water many ways, out drive sales, water intake/cooling

I followed up on that comment that we let the boat float for 5 hours and not one drop of water was in the bilge.
I wonder how many times I've had water up in the front of the boat, and cruising around ti comes back to the bilge and looks like I took in wate,r but it was actually from last week
Your test merely shows that there is no static leak, nor a cracked bellows, etc.

My old tinny has loose seams everywhere. It sits tied to the dock, covered, all Summer and not a drop comes in. A ride down our no-wake canal and still no water. But run her at planing speed bouncing over a few modest waves and the bilge is full of water. Flexing opens the cracks and then the water comes in.

We cant wait until your mechanic does his investigation...
 

rderenzy

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good point JimS123
I bet you are right about the flex, but if its just gel coat, then that wouldn't be my problem.
I truly wonder if ti was just water up front from not draining from water sports.
once I found the crack, I did put some seal on it, that could be helping.

boat has been floating at the dockfor over 24 hours now, not one drop of water
drove it around lake Michigan today hard (good 4 hours), still not a drop of water
taking boat out tonight, then it will sit docked for another 24

work on the crack starts on the 10th :) ill be sure to report the good or bad news
 

rderenzy

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boat was taken to a certified marine fiberglass repair specialist company

upon dremelling out the crack, the crack was through the entire gel coat (about 1/4 inch)
they inspected the fiberglass and the fiberglass showed no damage, and was not moist
they certified no structural damage and patched the gelcoat

what I don't understand, if the crack was through the gel I would assume it would or was taking on some water, but if it didn't breach the glass, where would the water go? it would just sit and hold between the two layers? not sure how that all works or is conctructed
 

roffey

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chances are someone will correct me but.... I think gel coat is for looks and the fiberglass is structure. I suspect the gel coat can have spider cracks and have little to no damage to the boat, just looks bad. Having said that someone please correct me, lol.
 

ondarvr

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The gel coat wouldn't be 1/4 thick, but if it was that would be the reason it cracked. As long as the glass was intact it should be fine.
 

rderenzy

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I dotn know, it was on a bottom ridge, maybe it had more thickness in a ridge area- he said "about 1/4 inch" so probably less.
its patched up now and curing, 400$
 
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