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Step 4 As soon as the crack has been channeled out wipe it clean with a solvent like acetone and using a plastic putty knife flush-fill it with gelcoat matched to the color of the surrounding area if the channel isnt too deep. Sealants come in a variety of colors to match your hull.
You dont always have to have a.
How to repair spider cracks in gelcoat. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. Learn how in this tutorial with Andrew Price. BoatUS Magazines Mark Corke shows you how to easily repair those pesky spider cracks that show up in your boats fiberglass gelcoat.
While this may seem lik. How to fix spider cracks in Gelcoat we will repair the spider cracks and make an attempt at color matching. Building the Explorer Episode 29.
If you choose to do a DIY gelcoat repair you can seal hairline cracks using a DIY repair solution kit. The solution applies easily and will seal most cracks. Sealants come in a variety of colors to match your hull.
They provide a smooth streamlined look that restores your boats surface. Mix in a 1-12 ratio of MEK-P Catalyst into the putty and mix it properly. Use a putty knife to fill in the spider cracks.
Once dry sand the surface to a smooth finish. You can apply gelcoat to match the color of your boat over the repair or you can use our pigments to tint the gelcoat putty and complete the repair all at once. The instructions direct you to clean the cracks out with a fine needle and then to wash rinse and dry.
Although slightly tedious the needle step is very important. Do not attempt to widen the crack-the Fix will seep into very thin cracks. They then direct you to carefully fill level and wipe around the crack.
Note that I have started to route out the hairlinespider cracks emanating from the hole. To repair these cracks and have the repair last IMHO you need to route out the gelcoat down to the glass and provide enough surface area for the new gelcoat to adhere. If you dont get down to the bottom of the crack the crack will telegraph and reappear.
Repairing Spider Cracks. The good news about these cracks is that theyre largely cosmetic problems. This means you can apply a simple cosmetic fix.
Move your boat to a safe workplace. First get your boat to a well-ventilated area where it can be sheltered overnight. Clean the crack area with acetone.
To repair this type of cracking remove the gelcoat from the area and inspect the fiberglass for deeper cracks. Simply wipe the area with a wet cloth so the cracks or fractured fiberglass will appear as white lines in the laminate. Continue until the fractured laminate is removed then do a traditional fiberglass repair following these steps.
Step 4 As soon as the crack has been channeled out wipe it clean with a solvent like acetone and using a plastic putty knife flush-fill it with gelcoat matched to the color of the surrounding area if the channel isnt too deep. Polyester filler if the channel is of medium depth. Or polyester resin and fiberglass strands if the channel is very deep and wide.
Its a good idea by the way to mix up a couple of small batches of gelcoat. Brush a thin layer of gelcoat onto the sanded area feathering it out a bit onto the surrounding fiberglass surface. Step 9 Allow the gelcoat to sit for three hours then spray it.
The instructions direct you to clean the cracks out with a fine needle and then to wash rinse and dry. Although slightly tedious the needle step is very important. Do not attempt to widen the.
What causes spider cracks in gelcoat. Spider cracks can indicate impact damage or serious structural problems that will need to be addressed to prevent spreading but most often they result from relatively inflexible gelcoat that is too thick. Stress by thermal expansion or when bulkheads and liners were installed can cause minor flexing.
The process of fixing a hairline crack differs from that of a spider crack. Heres how to fix a Gelcoat hairline crack. First drill two holes on the ends of the crack to prevent its front from extending further during the repairing process.
Grind the cracks out and pay attention to gelcoat thickness and the general binding of the gelcoat to the fiberglass layup. Also look for failure in the fiberglass. The problem with opening up stress cracks and repairing them is that it will more than likely be a cosmetic problem due to excessive gelcoat.
I agree 100 with what CFCAJUN said. Especially about the grinderpad combo. It works much better than a random orbital buffer.
It will make minor spider cracks disappear. This is actually something you should do to your boat yearly anyway. If the spider cracks are still visible then you may wish to repair the gel coat.
The other repair for spider cracks involves a little more work. Start by wiping down the area with acetone and sanding the damaged gel-coat down to the fiberglass. Try not to remove any of the fiberglass resin or cloth.
Next wipe down the area with acetone again. However you may still want to contact a pool crack repair specialist and address the problem before it becomes worse. What causes gelcoat cracks.
Spider cracks on gelcoat surfaces are usually the result of applying strong pressure in a portion of the gelcoat. Gelcoat is generally flexible but when the pressure is too heavy even gelcoats will start to crack. These undue pressure can be caused by a variety of sources.
For instance improper handling can exert pressure on the gelcoat. Boat gelcoat stress cracks are a common problem within the marine world when it comes to fiberglass gelcoat boats aka. You dont always have to have a.
Using the highest speed possible bits turning at lower speeds tend to grab and rip the gelcoat causing chips and splinters instead of a smoothly ground surface start at one end of each remaining crack and grind all the way to its other end.