Fish mille lacs from opener to ice up and get caught out in some rough stuff often. I didnt see any gelcoat damage, but after my progressive agent carefully inspected the boat very impressed with progressive. It penetrates deeply into the pores of even the finest of cracks for ultra tough adhesion and durability. Stress by thermal expansion or when bulkheads and liners were installed can cause minor flexing. Click to expand the cracks ive been repairning couple per year are the small annoying spider cracks which appear in the damndest places and appear to have no stress. Add a cap full of sanding aid wax to the gel coat to seal the surface. Note that i have started, to route out the hairlinespider cracks emanating from the hole. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. Most scratches and chips in gelcoat result from impacts with hard objects winch handles, downrigger weights, 15 lb. It is not shown here but i also used a bottle opener with the deep v to dig out the spider cracks. Oct 11, 2017 the spraying part of this video will be out next week. In this report, they offer the magic fix for hairline gelcoat cracks.
You can successfully complete basic fiberglass boat repair by following these steps. Sometimes it takes a season of use with the stress and flexing of the hull and deck for spider crack to show up. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. I know i can buy a paste style gel coat, route out the cracks and then fill and sand down as i have done it before, but i feel like there has to be a way to maybe scape out the crack real fine and just apply a self leveling thinned out paste or thickened white matching paint that is flexible enough to fill. But i have a 10 year old ranger 618 that i run hard.
Sitting in the hot sun in fla or az the dark colors can absorb a lot of heat it may get up to 140f and when the gel coat expands the fg restrains it and the thermal stress. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. Spider cracks in gel coat question a good wet sanding with 3m quality grade wet dry sand paper is all that is needed, start coarse to fine ending in 320 grit. Apr 26, 2017 being that my boat is 10 years old she has a few fine gel coat cracks here and there. Small cracks form in the outer surface of the fiberglass, spreading out from a.
Feb 24, 2014 for clarification, are we talking about filling our new grooves with gel coat only, or filling with resin or epoxy or something else and then topcoat with gel coat by brush. Dec 06, 2017 spider cracks can indicate impact damage or serious structural problems that will need to be addressed to prevent spreading, but most often they result from relatively inflexible gelcoat that is too thick. Spider cracks looks pretty much like hairline cracks and happen in the surface layer or gelcoat of a fiberglass surface. Our test boat has had a few spider cracks since a few months after she. Gelcoat applied too thick a thinner gelcoat application will flex more. If you dont get down to the bottom of the crack, the crack will telegraph and. I recently had to repair spider cracks about 8 inches on my f 12 x,eventually ordered from acompany called fiberglast,it is a perfect match,could not believe how well repair came out. Extensive spider cracking common on older boats is due to aging of the gelcoat.
Spider cracks can indicate impact damage or serious structural problems that will need to be addressed to prevent spreading, but most often they result from relatively inflexible gelcoat that is. The term spider crack comes from its similarity with a spiders web. The highest quality iso npg marine finish gel coat to permanently repair or replace original, highglass finish. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat. Oct 12, 2011 i didnt see any gelcoat damage, but after my progressive agent carefully inspected the boat very impressed with progressive. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying awlgrip paint. Finally, apply a coat of highquality marine polish and your repair is complete. This technique can be used on any fiberglass boats or kit cars. Gelcoat surface damage 1 dings 2 dents 3 gouges 4 small holes. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen. This product provides easy permanent repairs on hairline cracks, small scratches and chips in fiberglass.
Start by wiping down the area with acetone and sanding the damaged gel coat down to the fiberglass. Spider cracks in gelcoat moderated discussion areas. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats. Also on of the fairleads hole has cracks running out of its, how do i fix. Boatus magazines mark corke shows you how to easily repair those pesky spider cracks that show up in your boats fiberglass gelcoat. Climb aboard sign up for emails and stay uptodate on the latest news, events, and promotions. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web. Though smooth and relatively durable, gelcoat, like any finish, is prone to dings and scratches. Just fill in the crack, let is set and scrape off the excess with the enclosed spreader. A common problem within the marine world when it comes to fiberglass gelcoat boats is stress cracks, a. May 27, 2009 the other cause of gelcoat cracking is impact. Spider cracks are a form of fiberglass damage that occurs from minor flexing or impacts.
Since 1968, west marine has grown to over 250 local stores, with knowledgeable associates happy to assist. How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs. You dont always have to have a 10 year old boat to be experiencing this problem. How to fix cracks in fiberglass gel coat using fiberglass. Sold by nanotech repairs and ships from amazon fulfillment. Magic fix for hairline cracks in gelcoat practical sailor.
Cosmetic gelcoat surface damage 1 small scratches 2 hairlinespider cracks 3 gelcoat chips. The first step needs to be ensuring that your spider cracks are just that, and not a sign of a soggy core, or a broken support. If the gel coat is not chipped but only spider webbed, wash the bad areas with acetone, scuff with 320 grit, blow clean and use a small finish roller to apply several coats of gelcoat thinned with about 20% styrene. The spraying part of this video will be out next week. Small cracks form in the outer surface of the fiberglass, spreading out from a central point like a spiderweb. This is usually evidenced by a concentric ring pattern as opposed to random crisscross spider webbing. Theres also a great article on how to drill holes correctly to avoid chipping and cracking in fiberglass. They can occur in any form of fiberglass, including cars, boats and swimming pools. For clarification, are we talking about filling our new grooves with gel coat only, or filling with resin or epoxy or something else and then topcoat with gel coat by brush. This is a resin in itself and can be quite viscous so it will enter the cracks and has very good adhesive qualities. Apr 22, 2020 note that i have started, to route out the hairline spider cracks emanating from the hole. Diy gel coat spider cracks microskiff dedicated to the. Start by wiping down the area with acetone and sanding the damaged gelcoat down to the fiberglass.
Evercoat gelkote one step finish gel coat repair white. Sometimes, theyre merely cosmetic, meaning they dont penetrate the gelcoat. Magicezy hairline fix cream boat gelcoat crack repair fills and colors fast visit the magicezy store. The next thing to so is to carefully sand the surface of the repair using a rag and some acetone solvent. Fixing them can involve more than just slapping on some gelcoat, however, and that is where we come in. Sometimes it takes a season of use with the stress and flexing of the hull and deck for spider crack to. To repair these cracks and have the repair last, imho, you need to route out the gelcoat down to the glass and provide enough surface area for the new gelcoat to adhere. If it is applied too thickly, expansion and contraction of the hull due to temp will cause gel coat cracking. Magicezy hairline fix cream boat gelcoat crack repair. Apparently, gel coat cannot fit between the small crevices of the spider crack so you must give it something to bond to.
Multiple applications fill the crack and build the surface proud. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear. There are many ways to repair cracks in fiberglasswhich ones the best. Before i start, dont forget if you find this video useful give us a like below, add a comment, and dont forget to subscribe to our youtube channel. If the gel coat is applied too thick it has a tendency to crack because of the difference in thermal expansion, resin will expand much more than the fiberglass substrate. Once the gelcoat has fully cured, sand the repair smooth wet sanding works particularly well with gelcoat. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. If the underside looks solid, and the surface is steady, then a spider crack is just a spider crack. Color matched gelcoat of a specially thin variety is applied with a camels hair brush after the area has been cleansed with acetone.
Add to this that the exterior gel coat is cracked where the front eye attaches to the boat. Spider cracks can indicate impact damage or serious structural problems that will. I used a dremel tool to dig out the crack and get the rough edges all the way out. Although this usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats structural integrity. Its already recorded, i just need to edit it along with a dozen others on this cheoy lee project. Cracks from larger issuesa winch, for example, that was inadequately mountedwill need to be.
May 11, 2016 let me introduce our spidercrack repair kit, including everything you need to fix those pesky cracks. Let me introduce our spidercrack repair kit, including everything you need to fix those pesky cracks. That is, the cracks emanate from a center point and radiates outward. Try not to remove any of the fiberglass resin or cloth. Gelcoat crack and crazing repair moderated discussion areas. Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. Magicezy hairline fix is a revolutionary precolored fiberglass and gelcoat repair product that fixes and colors fine stress cracks spider cracks, and hairline fractures fast in one application.
In most cases this is true, however it is important to seal them correctly otherwise water may penetrate into the fiberglass and cause more serious damage. You can start with 220grit sandpaper and, for a really slick surface, finish with at least 400 or 600grit. For newer models, we offer a gel coat craze crack repair kit. If you see cracks take the gelcoat in that area down to the substraight. How to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and crazing in boat. In such cases, grinding off the gelcoat for wholesale refinishing is the best approach. Also there is a spider crack around one of the corners of the center console at the floor where it is screwed to the floor.
Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. One manufacturer use to just sand and polish spider cracks especially on runabouts with metal flake gelcoat. Prep the area removing all of the damaged gel coat keep the repair as small as possible. Boatus how to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and. Now, i have had a couple glass boats in the past that got gel coat stress cracks pretty much right out of the box. How to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and crazing in boat gelcoat. Today im going to show you how to repair spider cracking in gelcoat. Stress cracks, spider cracks, and hairline cracks in the decks of older boats are, of course, not rare. Before you add the gelcoat to the cracks, you will need to protect the area around them using painters tape. Until i owned a ranger i would probably have agreed with the comment.
Gel coat repair i would seriously consider painting over the cracks with a polyurethane 2 pack paint. The other repair for spider cracks involves a little more work. Fixing leak and repairing gelcoat and gelcoat cracks. Wipe away any other dirt and debris that is laying close to the crack. How to repair spiderweb cracks in fiberglass with gelcoat. Here you can learn about what is needed to apply a gel coat. We were surfing at the time we hit the submerged oject, so speeds were very low and visually, i hadnt even noticed the gel cracks. Learn how to treat wearinduced spider cracks that appear along the hull of. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters. There are repairpatch kits for gelcoat just need to match the color. If you dont open the crack, you wont be able to force the gelcoat into the repair area or. Catalina 22 gelcoat repair skythen catalina 22 sport. Pat and kevin are absolutely correct if you want to permanently repair spider cracks. In this case the cracks need to be examined closely, even chipped away at, to see if they extend through the gelcoats 0.
The good news about these cracks is that theyre largely cosmetic problems. This sets up capillary action, wherein the thin gelcoat is sucked into the crack. With some boats you could begin seeing signs of stress within the first few years. Jan 07, 2011 my friend pete shows us how to make a fiberglass paste to repair stress cracks in gel coat. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. Spider cracks can be avoided by countersinking holes just through the gelcoat, so the load is placed on the structural fiberglass rather than the brittle gelcoat. Spider cracks can indicate impact damage or serious structural problems that will need to be addressed to prevent spreading, but most often they result from relatively inflexible gelcoat that is too thick. Do your own fiberglass and gelcoat repair with epoxy resins, filler, sealants, and fiberglass repair kits from west systems, 3m, and hibond. Also i found two other small cracks in two other places that are about 2 to 4 inches long also. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the gelcoat is suffering from crazing sometimes called alligatoring. How to repair cracks and chips in damaged gelcoat duration. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters and is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats.
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