Surface Repair/Sealing

[TomAnderson20619]

During the recent survey of our new boat (1985 Albin 43 Trunk Trawler), surface stress cracks and gelcoat crazing were found. In an effort to prevent moisture getting into the laminate, the surveyor recommends filling and sealing. A lot of these are at the junction of the hull side and deck.

What would you recommend to seal these cracks? Most are very narrow (really just cracks), but tend to be long. Note that there is no delamination and moisture levels are currently normal.

 

[lwarden]

Some pics would be helpful.
If they are just in the gelcoat then often they can be opened up with a sharp chisel carefully by creating a V notch, cleaned out thoroughly with acetone and filled with gelcoat, sanded and polished. Chances are they will open up again though, especially if it's an area of thick gelcoat or if it's a place where you have flexing.

 

[DDW]

The gel coat is more brittle than the laminate underneath, and will crack from flexing or even thermal cycling. They usually aren't a structural problem in the areas you describe. You can groove and fill them, but expect them to come back over time. The only long term solution seems to be to sand it off and paint with polyurethane, which is thinner and much more flexible.