Extend each coat farther than the previous one, with the last coat out to the tape line. At the end of may last year i was online looking for. Gelcoat crack and crazing repair moderated discussion areas. Possible causes of fiberglass pool cracks home guides. Sand the hull to a point where you have a stable base. Apr 24, 2009 the main cause is its an old sailboat. Its a very thin liquid which is supposed to flow into the cracks to fill them. How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs.
Spider cracks can be avoided by countersinking holes just through the gelcoat,so the load is placed on the structuralfiberglass rather than the brittle gelcoat. Yamaha jet boaters view topic spider cracks in gel coat. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull. One manufacturer use to just sand and polish spider cracks especially on runabouts with metal flake gelcoat. Webbing solution is an additive to gel coat or paint that is used to create a surface with a spider web or spattered effect to it. Cob webbing can occur if paint has not been mixed correctly prior to application. Finally, apply a coat of highquality marine polish and your repair is complete. Stress can be from flexing of the hull, or from the gel coat drying out and shrinking. Imagine a single giant database of boat projects for all brands, organized by category, boat type or budget. Possible causes of fiberglass pool cracks home guides sf gate. Step 4 as soon as the crack has been channeled out, wipe it clean. Step 2 then toughen the laminate that contains the crack or cracks by solidifying it. Depending on the tip size of your gun, 10% 15% patch booster is all you may need. Took the camper in to my dealer oct to find the cause of the cracks in the front cap.
Usamarine web group captains corner boatbuilding tips. Something like a thickened paintthinned out gel coat so that it will fill the voids after scrapped out and then blend in with the surrounding areas. Small crack above the streetside running light and, when down at the dealer the. 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. If these are just in the gel coat you might be okay. All that filler wont allow the gel coat to shrink as much as the hull and the gel coat fractures. I have what appear to be spider web style cracks on my front cap and thought it normal. If your boat is more than a few years old, youll probably be surprised at the number you find. 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. Because there is no fiber in it, over time it will crack because the hull naturally flexes a bit. Again, its the inability of the gelcoat to flex with the rest of the hull that causes it to fracture around the impact area and hulls with nice, thick, shiny layers of gel coat are the most likely to crack. Step 1 figure out what caused the cracks to begin with. It was a quick way to make it look better for a while anyway, but the cracks always reappeared later. Fixing gel coat spider cracks 2002 malibu vlx share your completed boat projects.
Then fix all the glass fractures first then gel coat marine grade. The topic of gelcoat is often a mystifying subject for boat owners. This thicker gelcoat cannot stand any flexing without showing cracks. Crazing craze cracks are hairline fractures that do not go through the. My only complaint, and reason for the 4 stars is because lack of directions for a small batch.
Share your projects, find inspiration for a new upgrade, or learn the basics or low budget solutions from projects before you. Spidercracks in the gel coat boating and boat fishing. The repair technique recently rediscovered by l h g in the boston whaler literature sounds. Add a cap full of sanding aid wax to the gel coat to seal the surface. There are two types of cracks that will commonly appear on a fiberglass pool stress or spider cracks, and structural cracks. Spider cracks in paint lexus detailing and car care. Spider cracks, epoxy paint moderated discussion areas. It seems to fill in the cracks okay but i found that it discolors somewhat so its not an invisible.
The location of the cracking is the center of the hull,about 5 inches down from the bump molding. Hairline cracks, stress cracks or spider cracks star cracks that occur in gelcoat surfaces on fiberglass boats or other water craft are often seen as a cosmetic issue. The countertop itself is in great shape, so we would prefer repairing the sink rather than having to replace the whole onepiece unit. I realized there was and its this weird spider crack on it. Learn how to treat wearinduced spider cracks that appear along the. Spider cracks are small, hairlike cracks that appear on the gelcoat of boats.
For this reason, fiberglass repairs rely upon the adhesive quality of their resin for their. Spider cracks are a form of fiberglass damage that occurs from minor flexing or impacts. You can grind out the cracks and regel, but they may reappear. A product i used to repair some spider cracks on saucy sally is called captain tolleys creeping crack cure its available from west marine among other places.
Step 3 now, once youve removed all hardware, toerails, and other paraphernalia. If you see blisters as well as cracks, this is a sign that the gel coating was applied too thinly. Fixing gel coat spider cracks 2002 malibu vlx fiberglass. Are we talking about larger deep cracks or these type i have. Small cracks form in the outer surface of the fiberglass, spreading out from a central point like a spiderweb. Jul 24, 2006 its the unstable nature of the polyesterfiberglass hull under the gelcoat and its tendency to shrink slightly over time that cracks the gel coat.
You can start with 220grit sandpaper and, for a really slick surface, finish with at least 400 or 600grit. As it is more brittle than the laminate, when something stresses the laminate too much such as flexing or something hard hitting the deck it cracks to resemble a web pattern. Choose from traditional gel coats including white, clear, and neutral, as well as tooling gel coats in orange and black. Stress cracks, are often called spider cracks because they will radiate out on numerous directions and look like a spider s web. I recently purchased a new hood for my car since it was dented. If it is applied too thickly, expansion and contraction of the hull due to temp will cause gel coat cracking. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat. It takes like 4 hours to do and 2 of that is waiting for it to dry. After this, the material is sprayed onto a wet or still tacky, catalyzed resin or gel coat surface. In which case, you need to strengthen the fibreglass talk to a pro at that point. Extensive spider cracking common on older boats is due to aging of the gelcoat. I took it home and today i decided to washclaypolish it to see if theres anything going on with the hood. We have this awesome boat that just cannot take enough of a beating, but the gelcoat in some spots seems to craze, or spider web.
Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with the fiberglass structure under the gel coat. Where the gel coat layer is too thick, as we often see in areas of a molded boat where it can easily accumulate such as corners or radii, the shrinking gel coat may create its own stress, resulting in cracks. My hull just developed spider cracking on both sides,that go parallel about 5 inches in lenght,then web out 10 inches on both sides of the hull. The spider cracks will probably show through or come back if you dont carefully grind them out and fill with epoxy resin. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. It is caused by an impact or stress with enough force to crack the surface, but not the glass beneath. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. Contains aircure resins and additives eliminate the use of wax and pva creating a superior finish. The gel coat on this boat was spider cracking all over the place as well. One problem that was mentioned is that the cracks are very fine and tight, so getting anything in there effectively is difficult. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. Theres also a great article on how to drill holes correctly to avoid chipping and cracking in fiberglass. Another problem is that the cracks are full of wax, dirt and everything else that will make any adhesive not work too well. Gel coat and catalyst can also be mixed in and dispensed from the provided plastic tub easily cleaned for reuse.
Though smooth and relatively durable, gelcoat, like any finish, is prone to dings and scratches. The appearance was considerably improved by wet sanding the entire hull down to 2000 grit, then applying several thin coats of system three clear coat epoxy, which is. On the third coat add about 10% surfacing wax so that after the gelcoat cures it will be sandable. These hairline fractures also occur in boats of the mid 1970s vintage which often had thicker gelcoat layers than newer boats. If its the latter, i will go get mine warrantyrepaired as well. The spider web crack was just in the gel coat, not in the fibergalss. Or you could use a universal repair kit from somewhere else.
Spider cracks are small, hairlike cracks that appear on the gel coat of boats. Are spider cracks not usually just cracks in the gelcoat. If an insufficient amount of hardener or thinner has been added, the viscosity of the paint will be too thick and it becomes impossible to force it through the chamber of a spray gun without using excessive pressure. All of our gel coats offer incredible durability, and resist uv degradation and water absorption. Aug 27, 2012 the cracks are called spider cracks, and they are normal for a gel coat finished boat. Cr was called and only thing they would do was to fill in the cracks paint and buff. The effect is dependent upon the air pressure of the spray gun that you use to apply itsetting the spray gun to 10 to 15 psi creates a spider web effect, air pressure between 5 and 10 psi results in a spattered effect. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters. They can appear as a single line, a series of parallel lines, or a spider web originating at the center of an impact. Spider cracks in gelcoat moderated discussion areas. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat.
Gel coats iso gel coats in 3 sizes, kits and color. Eventually they went to fixing the cracks the correct way of grinding out the gelcoat and lamination layers that were damaged. Diy gel coat spider cracks microskiff dedicated to the. They can occur in any form of fiberglass, including cars, boats and swimming pools. Clear coat applicationspider crack questions dont see why you couldnt clear coat gel coat many fiberglass hulls get coated with two part lpu coatings. I found on this board somewhere it was caused by how the gel coat was drilled for the hold down ubolts. Small cracks forming, especially at the surface of the fiberglass cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to. Dont go too deep and cut into the web or cloth as the fiberglass will lose the strength needed to be safe.
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. Can this be safely repainted and the cracks not come back through the. Patch booster is a high quality, low viscosity polyester resin with additives to minimize a tacky surface when cured. Once the gel coat has reached a full cure, progressively sand the area to a polish. The cracks could be stress fractures from use bumping rocks or even dropping it. My seadoo is about 10 years old and im getting some spider web type cracks in the footwells,, there not really like cracks, i mean there isnt any gap in them or anything,, and they are flush with the finish,, whats the deal with these. All gelcoat is, is nonreinforced tinted fiberglass.
Spider cracks andor crazing is usually an indication of stress where the underlying fibreglass is flexing more than the gelcoat can manage. If the hull has spider cracks everywhere it will probably be easier to not try to repair them on an individual basis. By way of uniquely machined nozzles, the air stream picks up gel coat and provides a uniform, highvelocity spray in lateral and downward positions. Rich folks buy new boats and remove the gel coat then paint with an lpu coating. Any heavier than 25 mils and youll run the risk of spider cracks in a few years. A common example of this problem is hairline cracking around the perimeter of. I pvad the wall twice, then applied the first skim coat. Gelcoat spray guns with extra acessories including spray nozzles, aluminum cups, preval sprayer, spreaders, and more.
Foremost is that gelcoat doesnt level out and cure the same way that paint does. Everywhere you see the spider cracks in the gel coat, the fiberglass underneath is probably. Gelcoat can also be rolled or applied by foam brush in patch areas, but spraying tends to yield best results with the least amount of followup sanding. It looks great when i purchased it but i felt a slight crack on the hood but i didnt think it was a big deal. I restored a black gold bell wildfire that had a lot of fine spider cracks in the clear polyester gel coat. Pva is misted on with a fine tipped gun at around 90 100 psi. Include mixing 40%60 % webbing solution into catalyzed gel coat.
You need to chip away the gel cote around that spider web. Gel coat is easy to use and looks great when finished. Transfer it to a spray gun and then turn up the air pressure until the desired web pattern is achieved. Mar 26, 2019 once the gelcoat has fully cured, sand the repair smooth wet sanding works particularly well with gelcoat. Small cracks forming, especially at the surface of the fiberglass cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web 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. Premium polyester gel coats deliver top cosmetics and lasting durability for parts and molds. Its the unstable nature of the polyesterfiberglass hull under the gelcoat and its tendency to shrink slightly over time that cracks the gel coat. The cracks are purely cosemetic, and not structural to the boat. Mar 31, 2007 the spider cracks will probably show through or come back if you dont carefully grind them out and fill with epoxy resin. Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with the fiberglass structure under the gelcoat. I have a cultured marble sink and countertop in our bathroom, we have noticed a number of hairline cracks have appeared over the years, around the drain.
Spider cracks are nonstructural damage to the gelcoat of a boat. Spider cracks are a form of fiberglass damage that occurs from minor flexing or. I had the spider crack problem too, although not as many as you describe. Those hairline cracks are probably following the lines of the fibers in the fiberglass when it was sprayed on with a chopper gun. I have a 2005 r12x with 7 hours on it, bought brand new leftover this year. Nov 02, 2003 a product i used to repair some spider cracks on saucy sally is called captain tolleys creeping crack cure its available from west marine among other places. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for.
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