Spider cracks in Gel-Coat
- Thread starter Codger2
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FF
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Glue down phony teak, glue down Nautalux , glue down carper , paint , or if venturing offshore use Treadmaster.
Pgitug
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what_barnacles
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Now thats an awesome product.
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When I saw the video, I thought due it its apparent low viscosity, it might work fine on a horizontal surface, but maybe not so great on a vertical one. Could that be the difference between the two results?
what_barnacles
Guru
well thats a shame that it doesnt work all the time. Could be horizontal is it for the product.
West marine sells the crack cure stuff, CAPTAIN TOLLEYS Crack Cure Sealant, 2 OZ. | West Marine
Ive seen super glue or maybe it was gorilla glue thats penetrating too.
West marine sells the crack cure stuff, CAPTAIN TOLLEYS Crack Cure Sealant, 2 OZ. | West Marine
Ive seen super glue or maybe it was gorilla glue thats penetrating too.
OP
OP
Codger2
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I tried it on a horizontal surface but I may have rushed things a bit. I reviewed the video again & will try it once more tomorrow.
My dash, on the other hand, was varnished with a gloss finish 3 days ago and IT came out great! I'm trying to get the OA back to "like new" condition.
Meanwhile, I've hired a guy to patch some pimples & warts (chips and deep scratches) that I know MagicEzy will never repair. I'm also ordering a tackle center from an outfit in Pennsylvania that will be mounted in the cockpit.
Free Standing Storage Station with 4 Drawers and 7 Plano Trays
When I sold SeaHorse II, I really wanted a late model Mikelson 43 but my wife preferred the OA 42 as the guest set up is much better. So, the Ocean Alex is a compromise but I'm doing my best to make a "fisher" out of it.
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There are what you all are calling spider cracks, which sound like what I know as stress cracks, and there is eggshelling, which is is a very fine, tight network of tiny gelcoat cracks caused, as I understand it, by UV and weather deterioration of the gelcoat.
Stress cracks are just that, and if one wants to try to fix them they can be filled and then re-gelcoated or painted, but unless the source of the stress is eliminated, they will eventually come back or become visible again. Sometimes the stress has nothing to do with the activity occurring on the boat (Spy dropping his downrigger weights for example) but is simply a stress that was initiated in the molding process or that is induced by the slight flexing of the structure.
Eggshelling is a whole different deal. From a friend who used to be the chief engineer at Uniflite, the cure is to sand down the gelcoat until the egshelling is gone and then prep and paint the surface. Or one can re-gelcoat the surface but this is hellaciously expensive compared to painting, and if surface problems occur or recur later one is stuck with having to re-gelocat again. Where painting is much easier and less expensive or time-consuming to spot repair.
Our PNW cabin cruiser is has a lot of eggshelling as a result of spending the first 25 years of its life in the California sun. Someday we'd like to paint the boat but we need more time available before we can tackle that. There are, however, almost no stress cracks in the surface. Just one, actually, that we're aware of.
Stress cracks are just that, and if one wants to try to fix them they can be filled and then re-gelcoated or painted, but unless the source of the stress is eliminated, they will eventually come back or become visible again. Sometimes the stress has nothing to do with the activity occurring on the boat (Spy dropping his downrigger weights for example) but is simply a stress that was initiated in the molding process or that is induced by the slight flexing of the structure.
Eggshelling is a whole different deal. From a friend who used to be the chief engineer at Uniflite, the cure is to sand down the gelcoat until the egshelling is gone and then prep and paint the surface. Or one can re-gelcoat the surface but this is hellaciously expensive compared to painting, and if surface problems occur or recur later one is stuck with having to re-gelocat again. Where painting is much easier and less expensive or time-consuming to spot repair.
Our PNW cabin cruiser is has a lot of eggshelling as a result of spending the first 25 years of its life in the California sun. Someday we'd like to paint the boat but we need more time available before we can tackle that. There are, however, almost no stress cracks in the surface. Just one, actually, that we're aware of.
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