Cracks - superficial or a problem?

[magicol]

Hello
I am new to this Forum, new in fact to sailing small cruisers. But as a retired dinghy sailor I have promised myself a second hand cruiser of around 23-27 feet. I have seen one good clean boat that appears to have been well looked after but on close inspection, I found one area under floorboards where there are small cracks on the inside of the hull. These are just visible in the photograph. I could not find anything similar elsewhere in the boat. I am tempted by this boat but does anyone have any advice? I will commission a survey but should I save even this expense and look elsewhere?
Any advice will be gratefully received.

 

[CaptainBob]

Superficial cracks in very thick paint IMO.

But

What is the paint hiding!?

 

[Greenwichman]

Welcome to forum ...

Hello, not really sufficient information in your post, but I had similar cracks in part of the bilge in my last boat, which proved to be superficial and responded to DIY tidying up .... Of course, there is a chance that yours are covering some kind of earlier damage, but without tapping the area and chipping to look underneath it's hard to tell.

It is encouraging that the bonded wiring looks reasonable; on the other hand, the tatty piece of line holding back the hose needs replacing with something more professional and durable.

If the boat is otherwise clean and well maintained and looks right for your type of sailing, I would suggest going ahead with the survey. Definitely not worth proceeding without one.

 

[Lakesailor]

Yes. that is the coating that has cracked. Probably just painted it so it looked smart a few years ago. On an old cruiser I'd be more concerned about the sails and engine and the cost of replacing them. It may add up to be a big proportion of the price you are going to pay.
Probably worth a survey. Your insurance will probably want one anyway.

 

[Searush]

They look random, cos serious cracks will follow a joint or highlight a weakness. Impact cracks typically radiate out from a crater or other damage indication.

You could ask the seller if he minds you scraping it back a bit. When buying a boat I like to think about the seller as much as the boat. Does he seem genuine? Don't answer that, just think about it!

 

[Seajet]

I think you need a serious look at this, scraping the inside and a really good look on the outside; and as already mentioned, a good surveyor seems essential.

I've found surveyors and their fees vary enormously, a local sailing club may be able to give an opinion, though whether it's unbiased one way or the other is pot luck.

 

[magicol]

Thanks for the very helpful replies. It looks like the advice of a surveyor who can dig deeper into the problem is essential. In any event, I am looking at other boats this weekend - but this one is still on the short list! Somehow it just felt good to be on board!

 

[GrahamM376]

Thanks for the very helpful replies. It looks like the advice of a surveyor who can dig deeper into the problem is essential. In any event, I am looking at other boats this weekend - but this one is still on the short list! Somehow it just felt good to be on board!

I would suggest you find a local surveyor who is willing, for a reasonable payment, to go and look at this specific problem before committing yourself to an expensive full survey. If it's good news then go ahead with proper survey.

 

[Tranona]

Looks like cracks in the flowcoat. The part of the boat is not under any stress and if there was impact damage from the outside the cracks would likely radiate from a centre rather than the random pattern in the photo. Grinding out and filling should tidy it up.

 

[Seajet]

A friend recently had his boat settle on her sinker eye ( seems a new chain format has scoured the covering mud away ) - inside the boat was a black slightly thicker than hairline 'L' shaped crack in the white flowcoat, just seeping.

When the boat was lifted the whole segment inside the L was pushed in, the surrounding hull almost overlapping; she must have been within a mm of being sunk.

I was surprised, but there were no radiating cracks at all, just the actual damage.

 

[CaptainBob]

...this one is still on the short list! Somehow it just felt good to be on board!

Hehe, I know that feeling. You will buy that boat