See full version: Tips from the Boatyard: Gelcoat cracks
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. Stress by thermal expansion or when bulkheads and liners were installed can cause minor flexing. Cracks from larger issues—a winch, for example, that was inadequately mounted—will need to be fixed before cosmetic repairs begin.
For more than 35 years, Practical Sailor has been taking the guesswork out of boat and gear buying with bold, independent boat tests, and product-test reports for serious sailors and boaters. In this report, they offer the magic fix for hairline gelcoat cracks.
Finally, we tried a very minimalist approach using Magic Ezy Hairline Fix. It’s not cheap—$25 for a 0.43-ounce tube—but it’s hard to find a solution that’s much cheaper except in buying a large volume of gelcoat that would go to waste. It’s available in ten colors. more
Our test boat has had a few spider cracks since a few months after she came out of the mold. They never got worse. A prior owner had “fixed” a few with Evercoat Gel Coat Scratch Patch gel coat repair, with ugly results. We tried West Marine Gel Coat Scratch Patch, and although very careful, the results weren’t really an improvement.
When you have a small “web” of cracks in your fiberglass, it can strike you as an impossible repair. How can you possibly restore the look of fiberglass when there are so many nooks and crannies to deal with? The good news is that spider cracks can be far easier to handle once you know what to do. Here’s everything you’ll need to know to repair these cracks.
To diagnose “spider cracks,” inspect your boat and look for the following: more
The good news about these cracks is that they’re largely cosmetic problems. This means you can apply a simple, cosmetic fix.
Re: your opinion on quality of Tahoe boats here
All in all it has been a great boat. The only reason I would sell it at this point would be to get a much larger boat.
I have an 01 Q7 that I love. the previous owner let it sit for years and the upholstery was shot and the color was all faded, but other than that I have only done regular maintanance, up until last year, I did nothing out of the ordinary for a boat that was never maintained. Last season I had a head gasket blow, but again, this is on a boat that prior to me never even had an oil change in 5 or so years. I also found a pinched gasket, so it was probably a GM defect from Mercruiser.
Re: your opinion on quality of Tahoe boats here
Thank you both for your thoughts. Im glad to see that you both are happy with the boat. Splicer- I see that you have the 5.0 220hp, the boat I am looking at is the 4.3 190hp, is this enough power for the boat? I do not want an underpowered boat as I would use it for skiing and tubing.
Thin hairline cracks - star cracks - present a bigger problem. These need to be repaired eventually. It's ok to leave them until the end of the season but much longer than that and water will penetrate the glass fibre matting and cause it to delaminate. These need to be widened using a small blade or grinder and then repaired with gel coat. here
Never try to gel coat repair shallow scratches. A thin layer of gel coat isn't structurally strong enough to prevent itself cracking off. Either deepen the scratch using a small blade or grinder, or leave it. Unless the scratch goes through to the glass matting it won't harm the boat.
Wipe the repair with styrene to re-activate the old gel coat. This provides a chemical bond rather than just a physical one. Apply masking tape around the area. Add the catalyst to the gel coat according to the manufactures advice and mix well. Brush the gel coat over the area, remove the masking tape and leave it to dry thoroughly. Sand the repair flush using a sanding block and working your way through wet and dry paper, from a course grit to a fine one. For best results polish the area. For a bomb proof job, glass a thin layer of matting on the inside of the hull covering the area of star cracks.