Gel Coat Damage Advise

[Captain PartyMarty]

Hey Guy's

So I went for a drive south this weekend to look at some used boats. I think I found the perfect boat for a good price it's very clean the motors are in perfect shape.....but on the gunnel above the bump rail there is an area which has a lot of very fine spider cracks about 4 in high and 30 inches long which radiate from a central zone which clearly indicates that either the boat hit something or was hit by something. The guy said he bought the boat with the damage. I have read a lot of stuff on the internet and on this site about stress cracking in the gel coat due to boat warping and other things but this definitely damage cause by a strike . Obviously I am going to have a surveyor look at the area to judge if there is any structural damage which I think would kill the deal for me. But if it turns out be purely cosmetic gel coat damage would you still buy the boat? Is something like that repairable to the point that you wouldn't see it anymore? If you where to buy the boat how much do you think it should effect the value of the boat?

Capt'n Marty

 

[Degree of Freedom]

if not structural...a good fiberglass shop can make that vanish completely, but it'll cost you. You can DIY...dremel out grooves along the cracks and fill the grooves with gelcoat and wet sand it out. You can easily create a shiny good as new surface, but matching the color perfectly is very difficult.

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

There is a few variables. What year is the boat? Price? Is it going to be a strictly fishing boat or are you buying a cruiser that you want to shine while you sip brandy on the dock. I suspect the spider cracks are going to be cosmetic. Small gel coat repairs are hard to spot but bigger ones can stand out. I live with my boats imperfections but I use it mostly for fishing. 2 cents

 

[Degree of Freedom]

I live with my boats imperfections but I use it mostly for fishing. 2 cents

your boat looked just fine parked between $1,000,000 worth of Sea Rays at Newcastle last year!

 

[Foxsea]

Hey Guy's

Obviously I am going to have a surveyor look at the area to judge if there is any structural damage which I think would kill the deal for me. But if it turns out be purely cosmetic gel coat damage would you still buy the boat? Is something like that repairable to the point that you wouldn't see it anymore? If you where to buy the boat how much do you think it should effect the value of the boat?

Definitely get the survey but, like little dents on a car, pretty common on a used boat. Gel coat is tough but brittle so the spider cracking can happen after a bump. My boat has a similar "defect" near the rub-rail. 2 years later, it looks exactly the same. The surveyor deemed it to be "immaterial" and I agree.

The only way to fix it properly is to remove the cracked gel coat. A boatyard may grind the gel coat away, down to the fiberglass, then add a new layer of gel coat. As DoF says, I've also seen a Dremel tool used to clean and open the cracks down to the fiberglass, thus leaving much of the gel coat untouched. Then the cracks are filled and faired smooth. Exact color matching is tough to do well so sometimes the repair looks worse than the original defect did.

You are considering a used boat purchase so use this defect as a negotiating item but I wouldn't expect a big concession because of it.

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

your boat looked just fine parked between $1,000,000 worth of Sea Rays at Newcastle last year!

Thanks. Not really in the same category as those two but I love her.

 

[searun]

Spider cracks are fairly common, particularly if the boat does any amount of pounding off shore. They can simply be from the boat flexing as it goes through the waves. Minor cracks are not a big deal and most guys never bother with them. If the boat is a good deal, its probably not a show stopper...but I would follow earlier advise to hire a professional surveyor.