Cracked stringer case

[John]

I bought a H34 this past winter, while cleaning under the galley sink I noticed a crack in the fiberglass casing around the stringer, just aft of the h2o heater. is this serious? the crack goes half way around. my surveyor must have missed this one!

 

[Ed]

Cracked Stringer

I think the fiberglass IS the stringer. I would glass it over, matching the thickness of the original. The recommended minimum distance to go on either side of the crack is 12 times the thickness of the cracked member. One good thing is it sounds as though the repair would be out of sight.

 

[Steve Dion]

Call the Surveyor!

John:I would call the suveyor and ask him to look at the fracture. This may be as simple a crack in the gel coat.

 

[John]

Thank you

Thank you for the response, I think I will call the surveyor he should of seen this! the crack is through the glass up one side & 1/2 way across the top of the sringer. The glass repair sounds like the answer.I wonder if I have any recourse with the surveyor?

 

[Steve Dion]

I doubt it, but....

your surveyor may be different. I think that they usually have some small print in their contracts that relieves them of ANY responsibility. If it just a matter of laying some glass and resin over the crack, it may not be worth the effort. Regardless, I would have him look at it and give you some satisfaction as to the extent of the problem.

 

[Jerry Keto]

Cause of crack

Stiking the keel against something hard will momentarily push the aft end of the keel up enough to flex and crack the inner pan at base of the stringer. This is not a structural issue unless you find flexing cracks in the hull itself. You should remove bottom paint in the same area to examine hull glass for stress cracks.