I am looking at buying a 22 foot daysailer. It has some cracks in the cockpit gel coat (see photos). Boat is 30 years old and otherwise is in great shape. Should I be concerned about these? Photos show the worst cracks. Thanks! CD
Gel coat cracks
- Thread starter SailorDave5050
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Nothing major. They all crack ;-)
You can fix it or just leave it.
Just use that to bargain the price down
You can fix it or just leave it.
Just use that to bargain the price down
Sailor Dave, there is one other consideration and that is whether the cracks in the second photo have allowed water to enter the core beneath the cockpit floor. If that is the case, there could be considerable damage and it should be sounded for structural integrity by a professional. The first photo shows merely stress cracks that form when there is insufficient support at a juncture. Those shouldn't be a problem. Good luck and good sailing, Ron
Get some Capt Tolley's creeping crack cure!
http://www.captaintolley.com/
Otherwise you can speed a small fortune on ridding the boat of these cracks unless you can do the gel-coat repair yourself.
http://www.captaintolley.com/
Otherwise you can speed a small fortune on ridding the boat of these cracks unless you can do the gel-coat repair yourself.
Firstly, you must determine that there is no damage to the core by sounding and/or drilling a test hole to check for water damage. If there is none, the cracks need to be ground out in a v-shape with a dremel, filled with thickened epoxy, sanded and faired and then either painted or gel coated to finish. West Systems has an excellent guide you can obtain that will show you step by step what to do. Good luck and good sailing, Ron
Steve...the owner actually showed me the bottle of Capt Tolley's creeping crack cure that he has been using on the non-hairline cracks on a regular basis.
I agree with Steve. CTCCC is a great first start. Ya simply gotta ask the PO IF he ever USED the stuff. 
Don't overthink this issue if the cracks are small and thin.
Don't overthink this issue if the cracks are small and thin.
Cracks
The cracks in the second photo look a bit like the kind that develop when the fiberglass is flexing. Is the cockpit sole soft around there? If you're getting the boat for 500 bucks then no big deal, if 2000 then you might want to check it out more thoroughly.
The cracks in the second photo look a bit like the kind that develop when the fiberglass is flexing. Is the cockpit sole soft around there? If you're getting the boat for 500 bucks then no big deal, if 2000 then you might want to check it out more thoroughly.
Sailor Dave, one final thought based upon many of the comments and suggestions. If you are new to boat ownership, you must decide how well you choose to maintain your boat. There are many ways to skin a cat based upon your personality, commitment to the boat and time you're willing to devote to it. I have always preferred the "fix it right the first time" approach which always entails more time/labor but if done properly the issue should not have to be addressed again. Captain Trolley's is a good bandaid that will prevent egress of water until you have the time to fix it correctly. I do not believe it is an any way a proper solution or permanent fix to gelcoat cracks. Good luck and good sailing, ?Ron
Ron...good advice. I agree 100%. I'm glad to see that the owner has at least been using the bandaid vs. nothing. Thanks!!
Had those cracks professionally investigated. He said "they look worse in the pictures" and there is no damage below. Like some of you, he too recommended having them properly filled. That would also improve the overall appearance. Thanks all!!
Fixing gel coat cracks are an absolutely huge job, and when most of the time it doesn't effect the boats integrity, it makes it seem that much better. Those little cracks look like they would be bad, but in reality it just happens to old boats, if you have a newer boat then you should probably look at it. But in most old boats, you just do it to make the boat look better.
Having said that, if you plan to keep the boat for a while then why not, it in the end, it will only increase your love of your boat
Google "gel coat repair." Lots of boat owner's manuals include those instructions, too, I know my Catalina manual does. It's NOT that hard to do, especially with a white boat - matching more obscure colors is much more difficult.
Second Captn Tolley's CCC - good stuff for small cracks.
Second Captn Tolley's CCC - good stuff for small cracks.
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