I called a broker to schedual an appt to see a 1990 boat listed for sale. The broker said the boats in good shape but the deck has a lot of crazing in the gelcoat and should be repaired, but it was only cosmetic no moisture in the deck. He estimated it would cost about 20k. I thought it was peculiar that he would mention that given the age of the boat. I would have expected some cosmetic stuff, especially in the gel coat. Does this sound reasonable that he would mention that? Is it something that can/ should be repaired? Can it lead to undetected moisture in the core??
deck craze lines
- Thread starter prosmile
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Broker is just being honest. If you want the boat and the crazing repaired get repair estimates from gelcoat contractors before you buy.
Geeze. OF COURSE it has crazing. It's a 1990 boat. I have a 1994. Is there crazing? OF COURSE.. Am I going to fix it? I did a couple that I was concerned about. Just a few that may annoy me. I would ignore it and on nice days, with a beer and a dremel tool and some gel coat repair tubes, have at it.
yes, it should be repaired before moisture deteriorates the deck core If it hasn’t already.
Depending on where, it may be indicative of stress cracking which should be inspected for cause.
Don’t know why broker mentioned it as any 30+ year old boat would exhibit crazing but if a broker says something requires $20k in repairs, expect the real number to double. It’s to his benefit to underestimate.
Depending on where, it may be indicative of stress cracking which should be inspected for cause.
Don’t know why broker mentioned it as any 30+ year old boat would exhibit crazing but if a broker says something requires $20k in repairs, expect the real number to double. It’s to his benefit to underestimate.
No it is not difficult, just incredibly tedious and time consuming.
Gelcoat crazes for a number of reasons. One of the biggest is the stress of popping the deck out of the mold. The second cause is where there are laminate transitions from thicker layups to the thinner. The flexing of the deck causes the cracks. Sometimes the gelcoat formula is too brittle or applied too thick.
Gelcoat is primarily cosmetic. So long as the cracking is not due to impact and the laminate below the gelcoat is is solid there are no structural issues. On a 30 year old boat, I wouldn't bother trying to fix all of them just the ones that are most annoying to you. My 27 year old boat has a lot of crazing and cracks. They are low on the priority list of things to be fixed.
Gelcoat crazing is a problem with some boats because the resins they used in building them had some sort of chemical makeup that led to the crazing ---- years after they had been built. It seems to have affected multiple builders and taken a long time to figure out. They changed the mix and the problem disappeared - except for the boats that had it. It seems to only affect the gelcoat - not the underlying fiberglass, which is applied in a separate step, after the gelcoat, in the mold. Cracks in the gelcoat CAN indicate problems with the underlying fiberglass being too weak, flexing, and leaks. This does not seem to be the issue here, but a surveyor would help to confirm this. If the gelcoat alone is crazed, it is a cosmetic problem. It can be fixed, or ignored. To fix it calls for stripping off all the gelcoat on the deck and re-applying it. We saw a J/42 that had had this done. Looked almost new, and the asking price reflected this. We also saw one that had extensive deck crazing, and no leaks, asking for less than half the price of the first. Depending upon the size of the boat, $20k might be low for a re-do, but it's likely the right ballpark. 2-part poly paint (Awlgrip etc.) might offer a temporary fix, but would likely be in the same $20k price range unless you did it yourself. And it would only be temporary. The cracks will end up becoming visible again through paint. Some people slap on some wax or other compound to fill the cracks and go sailing instead of worrying about it. The broker was right to tell you. Now you get to decide how important it is to you.
Time for the obligatory asking for pictures. I'm in the camp that it's mostly cosmetic. Unless indicating some impact damage. Boats bend, gel coat not as much. Hence cracks. High stress areas bend more. i.e. more cracks. Painting, and doing it right, is a big job (Comma police alert).
If you want a new boat, buy a new boat.
Sorry, I'm cranky tonight.
If you want a new boat, buy a new boat.
Sorry, I'm cranky tonight.
Ok. Next question. Who does this gelcoat work? The boat is on the Long Island Sound. Not comfortable with the work from my marina so I did my own work, but I dont think I could handle this job.
Do an internet search for "mobile marine services" on Craigslist in your area Marine Services near Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724 - craigslist. Also call automotive repair shops for their gelcoat guy. That is where I have found them.
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Some replies seem to declare that this is a problem for ALL boats over a certain age. Plain speak: Not So; no way, no how.
"Inexpensively built" boats are much more likely to show such cracking. Besides the basics of chemistry, there can be problems like this if the material was wrongly applied or applied too thickly.
While no boat was immune, the more expensive production boats are much less likely to have this.
As others point out, refinishing will remedy it. Only question remaining is whether you can buy the boat cheap enough to spend the $$ to repair it.
Since any (!) boat over 25 years old needs to have all of the deck hardware removed and re-bedded anyway, you could do this immediately and refinish the deck and non-skid while the hardware is off. Then sail that beautiful boat for at least a happy decade, and collect admiring glances everywhere you dock... !
And also have a boat that, unlike 98% of the rest, is totally dry inside.
"Inexpensively built" boats are much more likely to show such cracking. Besides the basics of chemistry, there can be problems like this if the material was wrongly applied or applied too thickly.
While no boat was immune, the more expensive production boats are much less likely to have this.
As others point out, refinishing will remedy it. Only question remaining is whether you can buy the boat cheap enough to spend the $$ to repair it.
Since any (!) boat over 25 years old needs to have all of the deck hardware removed and re-bedded anyway, you could do this immediately and refinish the deck and non-skid while the hardware is off. Then sail that beautiful boat for at least a happy decade, and collect admiring glances everywhere you dock... !
And also have a boat that, unlike 98% of the rest, is totally dry inside.
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My boat Gel Coat Stress Cracks [GCSC] are being done now.
My 1998 H430 GCSC's were associated with Curves and Stress. Never seen on flat deck or inside cabin.
I have Fiberglass Professionals doing the work and expecting the neighborhood of $15k.
I will make a New Post soon on GCSC's
But look here for a sneak preview on my post #108
Repairing boat after Hurricane Zeta
Jim...
PS: Still a good link if you want to do it yourself
Gel coat
My 1998 H430 GCSC's were associated with Curves and Stress. Never seen on flat deck or inside cabin.
I have Fiberglass Professionals doing the work and expecting the neighborhood of $15k.
I will make a New Post soon on GCSC's
But look here for a sneak preview on my post #108
Repairing boat after Hurricane Zeta
Jim...
PS: Still a good link if you want to do it yourself
Gel coat
On Long Island Sound you would probably want Pilot's Point in Westbrook for a job like this. You might not want to have to pay their prices, however. Norwalk Cove Marina might also be able to handle it, along with Bridgeport Boat Works. Milford Boat Works and Essex Boat Works would be worth a call as well.
In part this is an old real estate salesperson line. "Look the house is in kind of rough shape, needs a new roof... blah, blah blah..."
This sets the buyer up for a negative expectation. When the buyer sees the actual condition the response is often, "Oh, that's so bad.." and the buyer is willing to pay a little more.
In the end, a good surveyor will help figure out how bad it is.
Your situation seems a bit more extreme than normal “every day” crazing…
Some Of those cracks were DEEP!
Greg
Sorry, all were surface stress cracks, none were ever deep.
Only made deep with the Dremil grinder, the method to remove them.
Jim...