It will live on a mooring so I would epoxy and antifoul but I wondered if they are more sinister than aestheticIf it had been antifouled previously you wouldn't even know they existed...
Use it as a negotiating stick to beat the seller up. If it's going to live on a trailer I wouldn't even worry about it.
You could sand and two pack the hull if it bothered you. Or just stick a coat of antifoul on it before you come to sell it. Which is what the seller should have done.
Agree. But this is otherwise in very good condition, much better than most 20yr old RIBs. And anything else has many more problems so if this is aesthetic only I’d still buy it.Find one without cracks .
See my post #8Agree. But this is otherwise in very good condition, much better than most 20yr old RIBs. And anything else has many more problems so if this is aesthetic only I’d still buy it.
That's why I said "If the boat isn’t ... otherwise very attractive, "Agree. But this is otherwise in very good condition, much better than most 20yr old RIBs. And anything else has many more problems so if this is aesthetic only I’d still buy it.
See my post #8
Quite possible that it us be the gel that is cracked
Thanks for your response. The reply is that everything else seems rock solid. The floor underfoot is extremely firm but I can see into the hull. What could I look for or tap for?'Expansion cracks', my furry butt. That's a LOT of stress cracks, a long way from any obvious point of loading (i.e. trailer supports): that means slamming damage, which means the entire panel has been flexing. If you take another look at her, I would strongly suggest investigating under the attachment of the buoyancy tube, both on the exterior of the hull and inside, because that's where the real loading goes.
How can I tell if they are only gel coat cracks? What would a surveyor look at or do?That's why I said "If the boat isn’t ... otherwise very attractive, "
The cracks are likely just in the gelcoat layer as others have said, but they may not be. The GRP system uses gelcoat that cracks before the underlying composite fibreglass, so when the thing is stressed the gelcoat first cracks while the underlying material is ok. Serves as a warning. Of course it is possible the underlying GRP is cracked too, but it's impossible to tell from your pictures other than to observe that you have A LOT of cracks going on and it looks a bit worrying to me. If you're sure they are gelcoat cracks only (no one here can know) and the boat is otherwise great then of course buy it.
How can I tell if they are only gel coat cracks? What would a surveyor look at or do?
The cracks will probably show through the anti fouling.If the OP doesn’t buy the boat surely the owner will antifoul it to cover the gelcoat cracks and the next buyer will be none the wiser…