GRP shelf life

[MystyBlue2]

Does anybody know if a GRP boat hull can weaken/soften over time?

Does a moulded GRP hull keep its structural integrity for the life of the boat?

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

Bertram, Hatteras, Chris Craft, Magnum in good maintenance from the sixties are still going strong in the USA and beyond. So 50 plus years is confirmed.

What weakens first if the boat is left unattended is the gelcoat.

 

[MystyBlue2]

Brilliant so whats the best practice to keep gelcoat in tip top condition apart from the obvious clean, wax and polish?

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

The above, then if its start to weaken to much respray with Imron type paint. Dupont, Awlcraft, or Alexseal are the most popular.

 

[NBs]

I think there are two reasons for grp "soft" or problem. Osmosis blisters and sandwich grp that has got water in a crack or screw. Almost every boat deck and cabin have a sandwich grp and some boats in Hull, usually just above the waterline. The filling is balsa or foam of various plastics.

NBs

 

[Jim@sea]

I once read (on this forum) about a Quicksilver boat whose hull had become soft having been left on a mooring for a long time but the listing vanished.