little hairline cracks in deck

[jdupree]

My 170 is starting to develop little gelcoat cracks in the original non-skid(gray) decking.  They are about as long as a thumbnail but seem to be spreading.  Just wanted to know if any of you guys have or had this problem?  The deck seems to be solid and I can't find any soft spots.  Could a cleaner I used cause this problem, or is this the norm with a boat made in 1988?  Just looking for some comments or suggestions if any to stop this.  Thanks alot!

[Ben87]

My 1987 Osprey 222 has its share of hairline cracks in many spots, some new and most very, very old and once they showed up, they have stayed the same and don't cause me one single bit of concern.  Of course my boat is a primary fishing boat and not much else.  It does the job with the spider/hairline cracks and does it very, very well.  

I have no soft spots in the deck whatsoever, still very solid for a boat that up here in New England spends 4-5 months in the water.

[jdupree]

Thanks Ben!  Sounds like it is normal for the age of the boat.  I guess I have noticed it alot more lately.  I guess you always want your boat to look new but I guess time will hinder that.  I don't have any soft spots on the deck but in front of the cc on the left right in front of the casting deck the floor creaks and snaps like an old floor when you step on it.  Doesn't sound good but the deck appears solid from what I can tell.  What would you think?  By the way, love your 222.  I like the 170, but I really like the 222!  Thanks,

[Ben87]

No problem.  

I noticed most of the cracks when I really started using the boat in 1996.  I would see all the little cracks and upon doing some research found that they were mostly cosmetic and would most likely do nothing harmful in the long run, which to this day, they haven't.  The cracks have not gotten bigger or spread in any way but they are there.  Unless I get down on my hands and knees, they are pretty much  invisible to the uninitiated.

The hatch covers on my bow creak when I walk on them but they are still solid and only bow a little bit.  I guess they were built well even back then and my forward deck hatches are pretty long, the middle one is at least, must be about 5 feet long by a couple of feet wide, still holding up well.

At this point, I'm hoping to get at least 2 or 3 more good years from the old girl then looking for a new hull to put the 2006 OptiMax I just repowered with this season on.  I only wish I could replace a transom, just waayyyy too big a job for me.

[jdupree]

Ben,

That hull should last you along time.  I am surprised that you want to get rid of her as much work as you have done on the hull.  I figured by reading your posts that you would keep the hull until the new motor gave out.  What is wrong with the transom?

[Butchie]

My 72 19/6 has the small hairline cracks in the deck, been like that for years deck is solid with no soft spots I wouldn't worry about it.

[JimCt]

Gelcoat cracks are generally caused by the effects of time and the flexing of the underlying structure.  My 240 is laced with them, especially at corners & edges of molded features.  

To stop the progression of the cracks you have to get rid of them.  No halfway measues are available that I know of.

More explanation:

http://www.daveandangel.com/Boats/Stress_Cracks.html

[Ben87]

The 87 222 I've got is good.  The new motor I had put on is even better and makes the boat so much better than it was in 87, no question.  In the roughly 100 hours I've put on the motor so far this season, I've only gone through 2 gallons of OptiMax oil.  This to me is incredible.  I replaced a few things here and there on the boat to make it whole and working like it should again, just little things really that take a lot of time to work out, it is just that I'm sure that over time that transom is going to go before anything else.  While it is solid now I'm sure its days are numbered so I'm keeping an eye towards the future as it is not going to last forever.  

When it comes down to it, and I get the 24-26 footer with twin outboards that I'd want to run me out the 20-25 miles I consistently need to get to to get the best fish and fishing grounds in the prevalent 2-3 footers up this way, I'll someday consider replacing the transom if I had the time and energy as I know I can read all I can on replacement as I love the hull.  I'd like to keep the boat as the ultimate inshore fishing boat.  The shallow draft is what I cherish the most on the boat and the decent ride in the rough stuff and the solidness of the boat.  But someday it will be time.  

The boat is almost like a dog, they are so great when they are around and working good, but their lifespan is just way too short.