Cracks on a new Boat( Photos attached )

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Karnic

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During washing my garaged boat after 3 months in sea noticed these cracks ( Photos attached A1 A2 A3 and A4 ). Boat is new and cracks are at the deck where console meets deck ( Photo B1 blue circle attached ). Aesthetically they are not much of an eye sore but im worried about 2 issues > 1 : Will Cracks continue to expand and further damage would be done? 2 : Are they normal on new boats and should i worry that boat is structurally defective? Thanks for your input Guys. Seems that after buying this new boat after a big sacrifice economically , there is always something to worry about:confused::confused:
View attachment 62210 More photos are on the reply of the thread.View attachment 62211View attachment 62212View attachment 62213 Blue circle is where are the cracksView attachment 62214
 
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Yes it is a new boat. 1 year old. 3 months at sea and 9 months in my Garage. Disappointed and worried. Sent Dealer an Email waiting for his reply. will have to wait and see.
 
I'm not sure boat ownership is for you - you seem to worry about every little thing that may or may not happen.

I've yet to see a boat that hasn't got crazing and stress cracks on it. Whether this should happen on a new boat is open for discussion but like all the issues you've had - speak to Yellow Penguin about them - that's what the dealer is for.
 
Karnic said:
Yes it is a new boat. 1 year old. 3 months at sea and 9 months in my Garage. Disappointed and worried. Sent Dealer an Email waiting for his reply. will have to wait and see.
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OK, so new to you but not "brand new" (whatever that arbitrary statement actually means :confused:). I would expect one or two minor cracks to appear in a first year of use, but yours seem significantly more than that. A ruler or idea of scale in the pics would help.
I am not an expert (see all my threads and posts on YBW forums :o!!) but I would think that warranty remedial work should be in order - a one-year warranty is nothing out of the ordinary these days.

I feel sorry for you; our "pride and joy" and significant financial burden should not be a cause for worry, especially in its first year of life.
Take it up with the dealer. Good luck.

PS I suppose the boat hasn't been dropped off a lorry or whatever? (Not meant to be a facetious remark)
 
DrSpock said:
I'm not sure boat ownership is for you - you seem to worry about every little thing that may or may not happen.

I've yet to see a boat that hasn't got crazing and stress cracks on it. Whether this should happen on a new boat is open for discussion but like all the issues you've had - speak to Yellow Penguin about them - that's what the dealer is for.
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Dear Dr Spock. Appreciate your feedback but you have also to understand my Concerns. It is true that maybe i worry but i think everyone would be worried if they buy something new and these issues arise. Would you be ok if you buy a new boat and after a year multiple cracks would appear? i doubt it. To be honest with you i am quite let down by these issues and my previous concerns. Also i post here just to have , value, and appreciate the opinions of others. I bought a new boat to start from scratch otherwise would have gone for second hand. Had a second hand boat ( American built ) and never had crazing of gelcoat after 15 years. So i think i should be worried that after 1 season i discover this crazing.
 
Robert Wilson said:
OK, so new to you but not "brand new" (whatever that arbitrary statement actually means :confused:). I would expect one or two minor cracks to appear in a first year of use, but yours seem significantly more than that. A ruler or idea of scale in the pics would help.
I am not an expert (see all my threads and posts on YBW forums :o!!) but I would think that warranty remedial work should be in order - a one-year warranty is nothing out of the ordinary these days.

I feel sorry for you; our "pride and joy" and significant financial burden should not be a cause for worry, especially in its first year of life.
Take it up with the dealer. Good luck.

PS I suppose the boat hasn't been dropped off a lorry or whatever? (Not meant to be a facetious remark)
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Thanks Mate. You understood exactly my concern. I bought a new boat with the significant financial burden to be free from defects. Otherwise would have owned a second hand boat. Owned second hand boat before ( American built) with 15 years of service and never had these type of cracks. Nor i im not an expert thats why i post here to value the opinions of others. Thanks again Mate.
 
In answer to your question, yes you may find that they continue to appear as I expect they are a result of stress in that area. To be honest, I often see it on boats transported by trailer which would appear to be due to the vibration generated by the road surface.

The good news is that they are easily repaired provided they are ground out although they may reappear. I would be looking for the rear of the area to be reinforced with some further layers of GRP for a decent distance from the corner to try and prevent the cracking from continuing.

For your information, flo coat is nothing more than normal gelcoat with styrene wax added. Personally I don't like using a flo coat for visible repairs, preferring to use just gelcoat and resin proof tape but that is just my opinion.
 
:) You do worry a lot though and that is understandable. I believe the comment was made more in terms of that may get in the way of enjoying the boat to it's fullest extent rather than a condemnation. I would certainly speak to the dealer if for no other reason if they say that it's minor / wont deteriorate further, you have record and proof that you showed due diligence etc in time before the problem worsened / fell out of warranty. Other than that I would relax a bit and enjoy the boat to it's fullest. :encouragement:
 
P4Paul said:
In answer to your question, yes you may find that they continue to appear as I expect they are a result of stress in that area. To be honest, I often see it on boats transported by trailer which would appear to be due to the vibration generated by the road surface.

The good news is that they are easily repaired provided they are ground out although they may reappear. I would be looking for the rear of the area to be reinforced with some further layers of GRP for a decent distance from the corner to try and prevent the cracking from continuing.

For your information, flo coat is nothing more than normal gelcoat with styrene wax added. Personally I don't like using a flo coat for visible repairs, preferring to use just gelcoat and resin proof tape but that is just my opinion.
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BruceK said:
:) You do worry a lot though and that is understandable. I believe the comment was made more in terms of that may get in the way of enjoying the boat to it's fullest extent rather than a condemnation. I would certainly speak to the dealer if for no other reason if they say that it's minor / wont deteriorate further, you have record and proof that you showed due diligence etc in time before the problem worsened / fell out of warranty. Other than that I would relax a bit and enjoy the boat to it's fullest. :encouragement:
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:encouragement::encouragement::encouragement:
 
On my very new boat there are plenty of gelcoat cracks and crazing. But it's not a panic situation, the dealer is happy to fix it, all be it a bit slow. Usually where there is stress there are cracks especially in areas such as where the railings are screwed into the gelcoat. This is best rectified on construction when they should counter sink the holes properly but when you lean on the rails it puts huge forces into the deck and toerail. Gelcoat repair is not a black art, plenty of people can do perfect invisible repairs and with a little practice you can get quite good at it. As others say relax about your boating a lot worse can happen at sea.:encouragement:
 
Oddly, I was reading only yesterday about the potential for gelcoat cracks to be caused as a consequence of relatively light boats being transported in cradles and on trailers designed and set up for significantly heavier boats. Obviously, no idea if this has any relevance here.
 
benjenbav said:
Oddly, I was reading only yesterday about the potential for gelcoat cracks to be caused as a consequence of relatively light boats being transported in cradles and on trailers designed and set up for significantly heavier boats. Obviously, no idea if this has any relevance here.
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Purely my take on things but I seem to see more on dry stored boats with thin or tall centre consoles and I put it down to vibration from road and/or air resistance when being towed.
It is not unusual on the M3 to see ribs and fishers on trailers being towed at 70mph (or more)!
 
Nothing to worry about as regards using the boat, but you should get dealer to fix that. It is normal practice for a dealer to fix hairline cracks / airbubbles on a new boat - pretty common actually. A perfectly good invisible repair can be done easily, with gelcoat not flowcoat.

The cracks suggest that the laminate is a bit too thin, which is a hazard of modern life because everyone tries to cut costs. It would be nice if the laminate could be beefed up but access might be impossible in which case you have to live with it.

Note that (almost certainly) only the gelcoat has cracked, not the underlying laminate. As you bend a GRP moulding, the gelcoat cracks before the underlying laminate
 
I once had a new boat that after a period of time suffered cracks on the corner of the cuddy. I engaged a well known local grp repair man to come and fix it for me. I thought he would reinforce inside the cuddy then repair the exterior but no he ground out the cracks ( as soon as I saw the grinder I left :nonchalance:) reinforced on the outside then gel coated etc etc. When I returned I was amazed as no matter how hard I looked or polished then looked I could see no evidence of him being there. The reason he gave for reinforcing externally was that the cuddy had a fleck finish on the inside and he didn't do that.

Anyways that proved to me a good trades person can almost achieve miracles but don't tell them that or it may just cost more :) oh and the cracks never reappeared.

Go and see your dealer and have them repair it within warranty
 
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