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Aug
Over time the cracks get larger and the structure may begin to delaminate andor blistering starts to occur. This boat is 2 years old and to be honest I never expected to find something like this.
Wave action and rigging stresses.
Stress cracks on boat hull. Once a stress crack begins it can travel for great lengths. Sometimes a short one or two inch stress crack can travel the length of the boat over time. This is because once that fiberglass underneath has flexed and once the gelcoat has given way the bond has been broken.
A separation has occurred. Also older fiberglass boats tend to have a thicker application of gelcoat which means they are more susceptible to cracking. Stress cracks first appear as very fine hairline cracks.
Over time the cracks get larger and the structure may begin to delaminate andor blistering starts to occur. Click to see full answer. Stress cracks are a commonly occurring phenomenon with reinforced plastic boats.
A lot of boat owners get very upset when they see these cracks sometimes needlessly while at other times their fears are well founded. Clients will often ask about cracks and the surveyor will be expected to provide answers. Stress cracks first appear as very fine hairline cracks.
The main causes are. Swelling of the resin due to water diffusion. Wave action and rigging stresses.
Direct sunlight or thermal shock on darker colored gelcoat can cause warping delamination and blistering. On recent inspection a series of concentric rings of very fine cracking in the gelcoat on the hullside have appeared. Evidently non-structural but according to the surveyor probably caused by some weight locally compressing part of the outside of the hull generating an area of expanding rings of stress cracks about 2-3 across presumably when the deformation.
A note about stress cracks. Theyre there because your boats hull is flexing or was flexed from an impact or cracked from drilling at that point. Unless you can stop the flexing youre wasting your time fixing the cracks.
Theyre not affecting the integrity of the boat so dont stress out pun intended if you have a few. Keep in mind all fiberglass parts of the boat will flex to some degree. If the gel coat cannot flex to the same extent as the fiberglass because too much hardener was used when Sea Hunt mixed the gel coat it will crack.
That said I would still want to find out why a specific part of the hull has stress cracks. Stress cracks are cracks in the gel coat of a boat that let you know there is undue stress on a particular area or a problem under the gel coat. I have a 79 11ft Whaler and it is covered in cracks in the gel coat but none seem to be wide enough to tell me there is a problem.
They seem to be common on boats of that age. Stress cracking on hull sides is something that generally did not happen until the mid 1980s when builders began skimping on hull side laminate. Hull sides have gotten so flimsy in the last decade that its almost laughable if the construction of some of these boats wasnt so pathetic.
Cracks are at the front end of the longitudinal stringers likely one of the areas that experiences the hardest impact from waves and also where the weight of the livewell and consoles bears down. The biggest cracks are on the port side though there are some very small weepers on the starboard side as well. Since the cracks are all the way through the first step is to grind the broken fiberglass back into solid unbroken material.
Go at it with an electric grinder or very coarse sandpaper. Aim for a 12-to-1 taper on the fiberglass so for the thickness of your hull this is 2 to 3 inches past the repair. It is not uncommon for fiberglass boats to get minor stress cracks in the gel coat - depending on the part of the boat.
Stress cracks can be more pronounced. Depending on the type and particular batch of resin used in the manufacture of the boat. In general it is recommended to NOT repair stress cracks if they are in the gel coat only.
Star crazing which appears as a star of radiating cracks from a central point are usually the result of an impact on the inside of the hull. This is often a result of poorly secured heavy items of equipment anchors outboard engines etc impacting on the inside of hull when the boat is slamming in a seaway. The very basic reason for stress cracks in a gelcoat finish is the hull or surface that the gelcoat is bonded to flexed or moved an amount beyond the point that the gelcoat can flex so it just cracks because the gelcoat has no structural bearing attributes.
A fiberglass layup that is too wet or has too much resin will crack also. This can happen when the part is pulled from the mold or years down the road where a little more stress is introduced from the part flexing. Generally these cracks will appear as single-line gelcoat cracks in the cabin or cockpit.
This type of cracking is hard to avoid and is part of boat ownership. Stress cracks You need to determine if these cracks are just cracks in the gelcoat or are they in the fiberglass below it too. Definately dont go drilling anything until you know for sure its the fiberglass that is cracked.
If you sail your boat much at all you will get cracks in. Gelcoat cracks also known as spider cracks indicate that your boat has suffered from severe structural problems or impact damage. As such you need to address cracks in gelcoat on boat surfaces immediately to prevent them from spreading.
While it is possible to fix these cracks yourself your best option is to hire a contractor to fix the cracks. Aug 30 2013. There is some stress cracks in the hull up towards the front of the boat.
The fiberglass repair guy noticed excessive flex where that crack is by the handle. You can grab the handle and the whole inside flexes. He also noticed some flex on the outside of the hull where the stress cracks were located.
Hairline stress cracks are somewhat common on Hobies. Usually theyre located towards the outer edge of the deck right along the transition between the smooth and non-skid surfaces. This tend to be a hard spot in the hull due to the strength of the hulldeck joint so if the deck flexes a little it will stress along that edge.
I have a 2011 WX 1850 and when wiping it down last week I noticed the fiberglass showing stress cracks in the hull. This boat is 2 years old and to be honest I never expected to find something like this. On top of the stress cracks in the hull there are numerous other ones throughout the boat but this is the most alarming.
Stress cracks can be identified as longer parallel surface cracks on the hull or deck. Most common location for these to occur is on corners and radiuss where the layup of fiberglass is typically thinner and the amount of resin is usually more than what it should be. I have just discovered two three inch long hairline stress cracks in the hull.
The dealer took pictures and Tracker has agreed to fix only if I take the boat to Missouri. The dealer is talking me out of having the cracks welded and insists that I use JB Weld or Marine Tex.