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I’ve got what
looks like fine cracks on a small portion on the foredeck of my boat,
right near one of the bow rail stanchions. What is this, and how can I
get it repaired? H.K., via e-mail
It sounds
like you have stress cracks, the specific cause of which could be any
one of a number of things. Generally, stress cracks occur because the
gelcoat becomes brittle and flexes differently than the substrate. Some
gelcoat stress cracks are normal, especially in older boats, and usually
are not structural in nature. You needn’t worry about them unless
they’re wide enough for you to fit your fingernail into or unless
they go deep enough that they allow water into the underlying laminates.
If the cracks are structural
or if you just can’t stand the sight of them, WEST SYSTEM® has
a fiberglass-repair manual that explains how to deal with the problem.
The area must be first ground down, then filled with an epoxy filler,
then sanded with ever-finer grits of sandpaper. Finally it is regelcoated.
If the cracks are in your nonskid, the repair is trickier. Regardless
of where it is, note that’s it’s always difficult to match new
gelcoat color exactly to the original, particularly on older boats that
have faded. I recommend calling in a professional.
Here’s what to
expect. The area will be ground out, then wiped with an appropriate solvent
(one recommended by the manufacturer of the paint system being used).
It will now have a shallow crater-like look that will be more evident
to the touch than to the eye. The contractor will use epoxy resin and
cloth to build the area back up. He’ll cut the cloth into circles
that get bigger as the repair advances from the center of the crater.
Each layer will be wetted out with resin, and once each of these layers
cures, he will do some minor filling and fairing. Once the entire area
is evenly covered and the final layer is cured, filled, and faired, he
will prime and paint the area.
If your foredeck is
gelcoated, color matching can be done by using polyester or vinylester
resins and fillers instead of epoxy, due to the fact that gelcoat doesn’t
cure properly over epoxy. If the deck is painted, you can use the epoxy
for the repair and then repaint, since epoxies are stronger and will usually
last longer than polyester or vinylester.
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