Star cracks around stanchion mounts

[Mhvoiceuk]

I'm hauling my boat out next week for a quick overhaul and want to attend to some surface cracks around a couple of the stanchion mounts. I've been told that I can rake out the cracks with a hacksaw blade and then touch in with epoxy paint. Is this a good way to go about it? Also I want to try to match to the white GRP colour if I can. Anybody got any tips for colour matching epoxy white paint to white gelcoat. The boat is 30 years old so has probably discoloured a little. Decorators add drops of tea to small quantities of paint (to knock it down a tone) when matching to older paint.

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[seaesta]

I have found a mini drill (bit like a dremmel) with a dentists drill more controlable than a file tang. Why are the cracks there - overtight bolts? crew swinging on the stanchions? Probably work thinking about this. What class of boat is she?
Martin

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[oldsaltoz]

G'day Marcus

The cracking can be reduced by beefing up the underside of the stanchion with 4 or 5 strips of epoxy and suitable mat, this will reduce the amount of movement and thus reduce more cracking.

As for the repair to the existing cracks; they should be cleaned out and filled with epoxy filler then coated, trying to match the colour is all but impossible, because even if you get it dead right the first time, in a couple of months it will start to change and no longer match, leaving you with a highlighted mess indicating the cracks.

You can make this look a little more tidy by masking an area around the base of the stanchions an try to match it, but a contrasting colour works better.

I hope this helps.

Andavagoodweekend......



<hr width=100% size=1> Old Salt Oz /forums/images/icons/cool.gif Growing old is unavoidable. However, growing up is still optional.

 

[Mhvoiceuk]

Thanks for that. She's an old boat - an Islander 23 built in 1971. I think this is just wear and tear. The cracks are not major but hairline to the surface which have now discoloured. Quite probably they've been fallen against or somesuch a few times over the years. Thanks Oldsaltoz, I'll think about contrasting the colour - maybe make it match the non slip paint. Accessing the underside of the stanchions might be a pain as the lining of the the cabin is a second skin of fibreglass (for condensation). The boat is new to me and I can't remember if this fibreglass ceiling runs right to the edge of the deck or whether the manufacturer has left room around the edge to get to bolts for cleats, stanchions etc. (I have a feeling that they have - would be sensible wouldn't it?) I want to run in some new cables too and this will also very difficult. If you have any suggestions for dealing with a fibreglass headlining I'd be moe than grateful. Drilling holes through it for access would be rather unsightly.

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Mhvoiceuk on 23/04/2004 10:36 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[LORDNELSON]

My boat (a Southerly) has a one piece fibreglass headlining and at times one has to drill a hole for access to the recess behind. One can obtain plastic "corks" to fill the holes with a slightly domed top and the edges made as sort of legs to hold them in place. They do not look too bad. If you need a larger hole then itcan be covered with a neatly made wooden "tingle" patch stuck over the hole with contact adhesive round the edges. Have just done this with a piece of varnished teak and I think it looks OK. Hope this helps.

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