Cracks

[Moose]

Simple and Straight to the point question, this is
Are small cracks around the davits (delete as applicable) Not worth worrying about/Minor problem/Get it sorted out problem/Big problem/run for your lives this boat is about to sink problem? (I recommend not trying to run on water)
Also how do you repair them and what is the cost?
Thanks
Moose

 

[longjohnsilver]

I would suggest that these cracks mean that the davits are not sufficiently supported, probably no backing pads or if there are any then they're too small. Could also be that they've been carrying too much load or too much stress in rough weather.

Better to sort it out now rather than wait for the cracks to get worse!

 

[BarryH]

As LJS says " stress cracks" Its probably on the gel coat thats effected. That said I would look at the way the davits are mounted to the transom. The laminate should be OK as this will take flexing better than the gel coat. As to repair, you can do it but it is quiet involved what with all the raking out of the gel coat and matching in the colour. Get it looked at tho because they will creep if left to their own devices.

OK, to hell with it. Unbolt it and we'll use it as an anchor!

 

[ccscott49]

I agree with LJS, I would put bloody big backing pads behind the bolts anyway, even if they look big now I'd beef them up!

 

[andyball]

Several books about fibreglass boats reckon that cracks around fittings are never "only the gelcoat"..........but other writers clearly disagree,as I've just found here
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/StressCracking.htm


I recently watched a deep gouge in a hull get repaired....gelcoat wise it looked maybe 12" x1", once the gelcoat was removed, there was obvious damage (a change in colour,apparently) to a much,much larger area,requiring patching from inside and out. My point being that the "gelcoat is brittle and will crack before the laminate" argument doesn't always seem to hold water,as it were.



<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by andyball on 07/08/2002 08:52 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[boatone]

Your previous post asked about good surveyors - suggest you ask him this question cos that's what you will be paying him for!

Trouble with questions like this on the forums is that there is never enough information so you get rafts of answers ranging from 'not worth worrying about' to 'I wouldnt touch it with a barge pole'.

Now, if you'd put a digi pic on the boaters gallery so that we could SEE what you're asking about that would be much better!

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/mobochat> My P32 and Boaters Picture Gallery</A>

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Cracks round the davits eh? You need to see a specialist doctor for them

More seriously, as I was told recently,

"What do you want to fail, the hull or the davit?" I've taken the advice of overengineering the davit mountings (or to be precise having them overengineered) to avoid repetition of the deck being punched through by too small a pad.You might argue, as I did, that a hole in the deck is a bit of matting, resin and putty whereas a failed davit is specialist welding, I was reminded that broken davits don't leak...

FWIW

Two beers please, my friend is paying.

 

[BarryH]

Can't disagree there. But from what has been said, it sounds more like flexing than an impact. I've found from experience on my own boat, that the laminate is not normally effected. But as you say the only sure way is to have it check thoroughly. Now to determine wether its just a little stress or has the boat been reversed in to something at speed, and will the cracks creep all the way doen the transom. End result, the things gonna fall to bits!!!!! 8-O

OK, to hell with it. Unbolt it and we'll use it as an anchor!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

If they're just hairline cracks, then they're probably just gel coat cracks and not worth worrying about but take a look inside the hull and if you can see cracks in the laminate around the mounting then you have a problem.
You could get a surveyor in but cheaper to get a grp repair specialist to look at it