Gel coat cracking

Posted by seychellois_lib (seychellois_lib@…>)

While visiting my boat recently I observed some very fine cracking in
the deck gel coat. These are hairline cracks and do not appear to be
stress related. They are fairly short cracks but there are swarms of
them. My gut tells me its some sort of UV ralted deterioration. I’m
not all that concerned but the portential for water penetration has me
a bit worried. Anyone have any experience with this and what I can do
to repair?

Mike

F-30 #3 (1986)

Posted by andre laviolette (andrelaviolette@…>)
Mike, I have cracking and crazing on my bridge deck and cockpit floor. The structure is rock solid however. Seems that under gelcoat there is an additional rectangular layer of, perhaps, " Coremat " or some simillar marterial. Very visible print through. Plus the gelcoat was applied to heavily. i.e. to thick, therefore lacking in flexibility. My solution is to sand off gelcoat to specific area of bridge deck and all of cockpit floor, coat with epoxy, then refinish with Treadmaster ( t.m.) which is close to colour of deck. Andre.seychellois_lib <seychellois_lib@…> wrote: While visiting my boat recently I observed some very fine cracking in the deck gel coat. These are hairline cracks and do not appear to be stress related. They
are fairly short cracks but there are swarms of them. My gut tells me its some sort of UV ralted deterioration. I’m not all that concerned but the portential for water penetration has me a bit worried. Anyone have any experience with this and what I can do to repair?MikeF-30 #3 (1986)
Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger with Voice

Posted by mike cunningham (seychellois_lib@…>)

Andre,

Thanks for the response. You’re describing the same
symptoms I am seeing, no structural issues, just
cosmetic. I am not in a particularly good geographic
position to do the repairs you describe, I live a long
way from the boat and don’t plan a yard visit for two
more years. This looks like a bigger job than I want
to attempt on a long weekend maintenance trip, I
expect I’ll have it done professionally, especially as
I need to have the deck non-skid areas repainted. Is
this something I can ignore for awhile or am I at
risk?

Mike

— andre laviolette <andrelaviolette@…> wrote:

Mike,

I have cracking and crazing on my bridge deck and
cockpit floor. The structure is rock solid however.
Seems that under gelcoat there is an additional
rectangular layer of, perhaps, " Coremat " or some
simillar marterial. Very visible print through.
Plus the gelcoat was applied to heavily. i.e. to
thick, therefore lacking in flexibility.
My solution is to sand off gelcoat to specific
area of bridge deck and all of cockpit floor, coat
with epoxy, then refinish with Treadmaster ( t.m.)
which is close to colour of deck.

Andre.

seychellois_lib <seychellois_lib@…> wrote:
While visiting my boat recently I observed some
very fine cracking in
the deck gel coat. These are hairline cracks and do
not appear to be
stress related. They are fairly short cracks but
there are swarms of
them. My gut tells me its some sort of UV ralted
deterioration. I’m
not all that concerned but the portential for water
penetration has me
a bit worried. Anyone have any experience with this
and what I can do
to repair?

Mike

F-30 #3 (1986)


YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

Visit your group "freedomyachts2003" on the web.

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email

to:
freedomyachts2003-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the

Yahoo! Terms of Service.



Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new
Yahoo! Canada Messenger with Voice

\


Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Posted by andre laviolette (andrelaviolette@…>)
Mike, TWO YEARS ! In this case I would heavily wax crazing and using a four inch grinder I would grind away the gelcoat at 90 degrees to the larger cracks to the glass . Then fill flush to surface the one in wide feathered gouge with Marine Tex as you will refinish deck in future anyway. When ready to redo deck, sand gelcoat only to smooth and remove pattern, then roll deck with Awlgrip adding a nonskid grit. Easy, Andre.mike cunningham <seychellois_lib@…> wrote: Andre,Thanks for the response. You’re describing the samesymptoms I am seeing, no structural issues, justcosmetic. I am not in a particularly good geographicposition to do the repairs you describe, I live a
longway from the boat and don’t plan a yard visit for twomore years. This looks like a bigger job than I wantto attempt on a long weekend maintenance trip, Iexpect I’ll have it done professionally, especially asI need to have the deck non-skid areas repainted. Isthis something I can ignore for awhile or am I atrisk?Mike— andre laviolette <andrelaviolette@…> wrote:> Mike,> > I have cracking and crazing on my bridge deck and> cockpit floor. The structure is rock solid however.> Seems that under gelcoat there is an additional > rectangular layer of, perhaps, " Coremat " or some> simillar marterial. Very visible print through. > Plus the gelcoat was applied to heavily. i.e. to> thick, therefore lacking in flexibility.> My solution is to sand off gelcoat to specific> area of bridge deck and all of
cockpit floor, coat> with epoxy, then refinish with Treadmaster ( t.m.)> which is close to colour of deck.> > Andre.> > seychellois_lib <seychellois_lib@…> wrote:> While visiting my boat recently I observed some> very fine cracking in > the deck gel coat. These are hairline cracks and do> not appear to be > stress related. They are fairly short cracks but> there are swarms of > them. My gut tells me its some sort of UV ralted> deterioration. I’m > not all that concerned but the portential for water> penetration has me > a bit worried. Anyone have any experience with this> and what I can do > to repair?> > Mike> > F-30 #3 (1986)> > > > > > ---------------------------------> YAHOO! GROUPS
LINKS > > > Visit your group “freedomyachts2003” on the web.> > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email> to:> freedomyachts2003-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the> Yahoo! Terms of Service. > > > ---------------------------------> > > > > > ---------------------------------> Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new> Yahoo! Canada Messenger with Voice__________________________________________________Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
Share your photos with the people who matter at Yahoo! Canada Photos

Posted by freedom39catschooner (freedom39catschooner@…>)

— In freedomyachts2003@yahoogroups.com, andre laviolette
<andrelaviolette@…> wrote:

Mike,

TWO YEARS !
In this case I would heavily wax crazing and using a four inch
grinder I would grind away the gelcoat at 90 degrees to the larger
cracks to the glass . Then fill flush to surface the one in wide
feathered gouge with Marine Tex as you will refinish deck in future
anyway.
When ready to redo deck, sand gelcoat only to smooth and remove
pattern, then roll deck with Awlgrip adding a nonskid grit.

Easy,

Andre.
mike cunningham <seychellois_lib@…> wrote:
Andre,

Thanks for the response. You’re describing the same
symptoms I am seeing, no structural issues, just
cosmetic. I am not in a particularly good geographic
position to do the repairs you describe, I live a long
way from the boat and don’t plan a yard visit for two
more years. This looks like a bigger job than I want
to attempt on a long weekend maintenance trip, I
expect I’ll have it done professionally, especially as
I need to have the deck non-skid areas repainted. Is
this something I can ignore for awhile or am I at
risk?

Mike

— andre laviolette <andrelaviolette@…> wrote:

Mike,

I have cracking and crazing on my bridge deck and
cockpit floor. The structure is rock solid however.
Seems that under gelcoat there is an additional
rectangular layer of, perhaps, " Coremat " or some
simillar marterial. Very visible print through.
Plus the gelcoat was applied to heavily. i.e. to
thick, therefore lacking in flexibility.
My solution is to sand off gelcoat to specific
area of bridge deck and all of cockpit floor, coat
with epoxy, then refinish with Treadmaster ( t.m.)
which is close to colour of deck.

Andre.

seychellois_lib <seychellois_lib@…> wrote:
While visiting my boat recently I observed some
very fine cracking in
the deck gel coat. These are hairline cracks and do
not appear to be
stress related. They are fairly short cracks but
there are swarms of
them. My gut tells me its some sort of UV ralted
deterioration. I’m
not all that concerned but the portential for water
penetration has me
a bit worried. Anyone have any experience with this
and what I can do
to repair?

Mike

F-30 #3 (1986)

GUYS

JUST PURCHASED A 1985 F 39 CAT SCHOONER. SURVEYOR SAYS LOTS OF

GEL COAT CRAZINGS AND SPIDER WEBBING. BEING A LONG TIME BOAT
REPAIR PERSONIN THE BUSINESS FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND A SURVEYOR
THIS IS NOT TOO TROUBLESOME TO ME. SOME CRACKS ARE CAUSED FROM
STRESS ON THE CONSTRUCTION MATRIX, SOME CAUSED FROM HARD CORNERING
OF A MOLDED SECTION WHICH WHEN NORMAL HULL/DECK FLEXING OCCURS THE
BRITTLE GEL COAT STARTS CRACKING DUE TO THE LACK OF A NICLEY ROUNDED
RETURN FROM VERTICAL TO HORIZONTAL SURFACES, AND THE BIGGEST BADDY
THE ULTRAVIOLET RAYS FROM MR.SUN WHICH CAUSES THE BRITTLING AND
DEGRATION OF THE EXPOSED GEL COAT. THERE ARE SEVERAL REPAIR
TECHNEQUES OUT THERE, AS WELL AS SPECIALIZED PRODUCTS…INTERLUX
2000E FOR EXAMPLE. I THINK THE SPIDER WEBBING ONES SHOULD ENLARGED
SOME WHAT TO ELEVEATE AIR TRAPPING IN THE CRACK. ON LARGER CRACKS,
I LIKE TO USE A HYPODURMIC SERINGE FULL OF ISOPROPAL ALCOHOL AND
WASH THE FRACTURES OUT LIBERLEY. TTHIS NOT ONLY FLUSHES OUT DIRT AND
DEBRIS BUT ALSO DRIVES OUT ANY MOISTURE TRAPPED WITHIN THE CRACK.SO,
DON’T GET TOO EXCITED ABOUT TAKING CARE OF THE LITTLE EYE SOARS,
MOST OF THEM LOOK UGLY TO US ANNAL PEOPLE BUT ARE NOT THAT HARD TO
REPAIR, AND USUALLY ARE NO THREAT TO THE INTEGRATEY OF THE HULL OR
DECK AREAS…THAT,S JUST THIS OLD MANS OPINION FROM EXPERIENCE.

TIM SAWYER F-39 “ARCHANGLE” EUREKA CA


YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

Visit your group "freedomyachts2003" on the web.

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email

to:
freedomyachts2003-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the

Yahoo! Terms of Service.



Make free worldwide PC-to-PC calls. Try the new
Yahoo! Canada Messenger with Voice


Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com


YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS

Visit your group "freedomyachts2003" on the web.

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:

freedomyachts2003-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of

Service.



Share your photos with the people who matter at Yahoo! Canada
Photos

Posted by seychellois_lib (seychellois_lib@…>)

Yes, when your boat is 1000 miles away and you aren’t rich the yard
visits get spread out a bit as do the maintenance sessions. And don’t
ask why I just don’t sell the boat. I can’t give it up!

Thanks for the advice. This looks like something I can do on the worst
offenders. Any idea if I could find some tint for the marine tex? The
white is really white and the grey is really dark. Would be nice to
get it close to the color of the original grey nonskid areas so I
don’t have to look a white stripes for the next two years.

Mike

\

TWO YEARS !
In this case I would heavily wax crazing and using a four inch
grinder I would grind away the gelcoat at 90 degrees to the larger
cracks to the glass . Then fill flush to surface the one in wide
feathered gouge with Marine Tex as you will refinish deck in future
anyway.
When ready to redo deck, sand gelcoat only to smooth and remove
pattern, then roll deck with Awlgrip adding a nonskid grit.

Easy,

Andre.

Posted by andre laviolette (andrelaviolette@…>)
Mike, Any powdered colouring ( mix ) from an art supply store would work ok. Andre.seychellois_lib <seychellois_lib@…> wrote: Yes, when your boat is 1000 miles away and you aren’t rich the yardvisits get spread out a bit as do the maintenance sessions. And don’task why I just don’t sell the boat. I can’t give it up!Thanks for the advice. This looks like something I can do on the worstoffenders. Any idea if I could find some tint for the marine tex? Thewhite is really white and the grey is really dark. Would be nice toget it close to the color of the original grey nonskid areas so Idon’t have to look a white stripes for the next two years.Mike> TWO YEARS ! > In this case I would heavily
wax crazing and using a four inchgrinder I would grind away the gelcoat at 90 degrees to the largercracks to the glass . Then fill flush to surface the one in widefeathered gouge with Marine Tex as you will refinish deck in futureanyway. > When ready to redo deck, sand gelcoat only to smooth and removepattern, then roll deck with Awlgrip adding a nonskid grit. > > Easy, > > Andre.
Share your photos with the people who matter at Yahoo! Canada Photos

Posted by Bob Tuttle (tuttlejr24@…>)

You can mix the white with the grey and try to get the shade that you
are seeking. Try small amounts half & half and then go from there.

offenders. Any idea if I could find some tint for the marine tex? The
white is really white and the grey is really dark. Would be nice to
get it close to the color of the original grey nonskid areas so I
don’t have to look a white stripes for the next two years.

Mike