Cracks In Fiberglass Boat Floor

In most cases this is true however it is important to seal them correctly otherwise water may penetrate into the fiberglass and cause more serious damage.

Cracks in fiberglass boat floor. This can range from small defects that need a little patching up to major damage that affects the overall shape of the surface. This damage is often caused by slight flexing of the hull. Once your new flooring is complete secure it to the boat and begin placing the fiberglass cloth over it. This will facilitate repair and guard the fiberglass from cracks which tend to weaken the floor further.

Fiberglass boats are usually waxed and you must remove the wax before you can repair. These hairline fractures also occur in boats of the mid 1970 s vintage which often had thicker gel coat layers than newer boats. Sand and grit and dirt in the bottom of your boat can over time badly scratch and discolor the floor of your boat. Bevel around the hole with a 36 grit disc.

Step 3 now once you ve removed all hardware toerails and other paraphernalia that. Spider cracks are non structural damage to the gel coat of a boat. The fiberglass can take a lot of that flexing and twisting but the gel coat is so brittle it sort of wants to just well snap. This won t repair major dents and chips or add much strength to the floor.

Step 2 then toughen the laminate that contains the crack or cracks by solidifying it either by thickening with more fiberglass replacing coring materials or adding structure. 61 2 9533 5470 email. Wash the area with a solvent to get rid of the wax. Often you can spruce it up quickly with just a new layer of gelcoat.

Be sure to use a good amount of fiberglass as the decking will need to be strong enough to support people walking over it. The extra layer of gelcoat will also increase the. Ever wanted to fix a crack or hole in a fibreglass boat. This thicker gel coat cannot stand any flexing without showing cracks.

If you don t do this new cracks will most likely appear probably not too long after you ve just finished fixing the old ones. Wipe the area with a rag. When that happens the gelcoat can t flex with the fiberglass it just cracks. Hairline cracks stress cracks or spider cracks star cracks that occur in gelcoat surfaces on fiberglass boats or other water craft are often seen as a cosmetic issue.

These fiberglass cracks can be purely cosmetic or can severely degrade the boat s ability to stay afloat. In this short video i take a minute to fix up an old bad repair. Step 3 sand.