Spiderweb Cracks

[jeffc]

I have a 2005 Tournament 185 and I am experiencing some spiderweb cracking in the gel coat around the stern side interior corners of the dual consoles. Is this something I should expect with an ageing boat or something I should take action to address? Appreciate any feedback. Thanks, Jeff

 

[IBeGrady'd]

Is this something I should expect with an ageing boat...

Well, I'm into my 4th season with my 2007 and I have had a few develop on both gunwales. While I've had great success dealing with the inevitable chips/cracks myself, what I've read as to spiderwebs suggests that some underlying glass work may be required to prevent recurrence so I handed that job over to the pros. A bit pricey that way but they're gone right along with their annoyance factor.

Anyway, you're not alone ;-)

 

[DennisG01]

Spider cracking is a somewhat normal occurrence on boats and often occurs in areas where the gelcoat was put on too thick or allowed to "pool" and corner areas. As long as yours is not from hitting something, I wouldn't be too worried. 99% of the time they are strictly cosmetic. As noted above, they're not always the easiest thing to fix. While the underlying fiberglass is not directly affected by stress cracks, the repair does involve grinding down to glass and actually making the crack bigger before it can be fixed. My opinion: Just keep an eye on it and make sure the cracks don't WIDEN.