Classic AquaSport
Aquasport Model Rebuilds, Mods, Updates and Refreshes => Generic Aquasport Rebuilding Topics => Topic started by: TXFishin on March 19, 2018, 01:57:03 PM
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Has anyone else seen spider / stress cracks on the bow like this? If so what was the repair?
This is on a 97 225 Explorer they are not very noticeable when the hull is cleaned up, but in the other pictures of you zoom in you can see what I'm looking at
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Interesting. I don't have any idea though, sorry.
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It's obviously flexed enough to crack the gel coat. I assume you can rule out hitting something big and soft (in the presumed absence of external strike marks from something hard)? Can you get to the inside of the hull/chain locker for a visual to see if something has popped in there?? Does the hull flex when you push against it from inside and out?
I had some crazing on my old 19-6 but never worried about it too much. Though mind you, it was nothing like that.
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Exactly, there are no signs of impact, or major blunt force.
I can hit the area with the palm of my hand it it all feels solid. The area is just below the anchor locker.
I'm not exactly sure when this occurred, and wondering if bumping the dock while tied up could have caused the flexing, it appears to radiate out from the chine / strake area as maybe it could have caught the bumper at the dock, I have no idea, I would have assumed if that was the case there would be marks on the hull
I need to peak in from the anchor locker area, but I just replaced the rode prior to my last trip out and didn't notice anything unusual, although I wasn't particularly looking in that area.
The next question, if no structural damage, would it be safe to say it could just be a fluke brittle area, grind out the cracks, fill with gelcoat, sand, polish and move on and see if they reappear?
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Here is a little better picture showing the area
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1 I can hit the area with the palm of my hand it it all feels solid. The area is just below the anchor locker.
2 I'm not exactly sure when this occurred, and wondering if bumping the dock while tied up could have caused the flexing, it appears to radiate out from the chine / strake area as maybe it could have caught the bumper at the dock, I have no idea, I would have assumed if that was the case there would be marks on the hull
3 The next question, if no structural damage, would it be safe to say it could just be a fluke brittle area, grind out the cracks, fill with gelcoat, sand, polish and move on and see if they reappear?
1 It’s not uncommon for gel coat to develop stress cracks. Gel is brittle and inflexible compared to FRP. It’s good that you can’t make the hull flex.
2 It looks like the boot stripe is worn away close to the area where the stress cracks appear. It looks like the boat could have spent some time tied up where the area may have been subjected to repeated impact or rubbing. Could even be wave or wake related.
3 As long as the glass underneath is in good shape, the repair sequence you describe is spot on. Personally, I would grind the gelcoat off the entire damaged area rather than just chase out the cracks. This will give you an opportunity to inspect the underlying glass for signs of damage. As long as there’s no bruising of the glass, the hardest thing about the job will be matching the gel color.
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1 I can hit the area with the palm of my hand it it all feels solid. The area is just below the anchor locker.
2 I'm not exactly sure when this occurred, and wondering if bumping the dock while tied up could have caused the flexing, it appears to radiate out from the chine / strake area as maybe it could have caught the bumper at the dock, I have no idea, I would have assumed if that was the case there would be marks on the hull
3 The next question, if no structural damage, would it be safe to say it could just be a fluke brittle area, grind out the cracks, fill with gelcoat, sand, polish and move on and see if they reappear?
1 It’s not uncommon for gel coat to develop stress cracks. Gel is brittle and inflexible compared to FRP. It’s good that you can’t make the hull flex.
2 It looks like the boot stripe is worn away close to the area where the stress cracks appear. It looks like the boat could have spent some time tied up where the area may have been subjected to repeated impact or rubbing. Could even be wave or wake related.
3 As long as the glass underneath is in good shape, the repair sequence you describe is spot on. Personally, I would grind the gelcoat off the entire damaged area rather than just chase out the cracks. This will give you an opportunity to inspect the underlying glass for signs of damage. As long as there’s no bruising of the glass, the hardest thing about the job will be matching the gel color.
Spot on. I suspect its cosmetic but best to check inside. Assuming there is nothing structural & the fibreglass is intact your biggest issue will be matching the gel coat colour like mshugg said. Very tricky and requires a skilled hand for a good job.