Hairline cracks in awl-grip pads

[Victor]

I am 'hunting' for a Passage 42. The one I am seriously considering has a problem I haven't seen before. There are several places on the grey awl-grip pads, particularly on the aft-starboard quarter, where sets of hairline cracks appear in the paint. If there was just one set, I would assume a weakness in the fiberglass, allowing flex, or possibly a heavy object dropped on the deck such as a Scuba tank. But there are at least half a dozen such spots over a large area. One of these appears on the cover which is one of the stern steps to the water. Lifting this cover reveals a rectangle of reinforcing material - fiberglass ? - on the underside. Numerous cracks appear around the perimeter of this rectangle.Has anyone seen this problem ? Is it damage specific to this boat or a manufacturing defect ? I am trying to determine if this is simply a cosmetic issue or a symptom of a deeper problem with the integrity of the deck.I look forward to joining you as a Hunter owner and will appreciate your input and shared experience.

 

[Eric]

Cracks

If you are talking about cracks around the perimeter of the non-skid, I have experienced the same problem with my Hunter. As best as I can figure out, Hunter puts in sections of coring instead of a complete core. For example, on my boat, if you feel underneath the liner you can detect a hump on the underside of the deck the just before the deck flange. There is solid glass from this hump to the flange. The cracks appear to run along the the edge between the cored and non-cored areas. I do not think that the non-cored decking is thick enough to stand the stresses without coring, especially if the lamination process was imperfect. I have also found dry delamination which I had to repair by injecting epoxy into the core and the deck. It sounded like cracking when walked on. IMO I find this construction technique to be undesirable.I do not know if the problem is critical to the strenghth of the boat but it has left me wondering about the overall quality. I am sure that other builders also have manged to provide their own version of quirky construction issues but it is a shame that Jim Bohart is no longer around to adress these kinds of concerns.

 

[Victor]

Yes, it creaks

Thanks for your input, Eric, and yes, I did mean the non-skid pads. I took a closer look and found dozens more fine cracks and some not so fine. Walking on the deck, I found two places that creak like the wooden floor of an old house. On closer inspection, water seems to be leaking into the head and cabin below these spots. Looks like a project boat.