Gel Coat Cracking
Date: November 13, 1997
From: Tim Cropley timwana@aol.com
Being a new endeavour owner ,I must assume the previous owner of my boat did a cosmetic deck job to sell the boat. Since purchasing it 8 weeks ago I am finding cracks, not spiderweb stress cracks , I'm talking cracks in the gel coat approx fingernail widththat is that I can fit the thickness of my finger nail into. Is this a prevalent problem with Endeavour, like that which practical sailor addresses or is my boat a freak?
If anyone has encountered the same problem please e-mail me with any insight you may care to share, and any info on how to repair this. I just pulled boat for the sailing season here on Ohio and found many blisters so I will be repairing the botttom this winter, that is removing gel coat and re applying west system epoxy in the spring after winter dry out. Thanks
Date: November 13, 1997
From: Dave and Carol Wright Dgw1@aol.com
I have an Endeavor 32, 1977 model and have the same situation on my boat. This appears to be somewhat common with the Endeavor. In fact, Practical Sailor mentions this problem in their review of the Endeavor 32. I have heard that as boats get older, the Gelcoat loses some of its flexibility which may contribute to the problem.
I have not attempted major repairs at this point, by that I mean grinding out the cracks, epoxying and re-gelcoating. What I have done is used a small tube of white gelcoat on isloated areas. On larger areas I have used Marine-Tex and smoothed it out after it cures. If I really had the money, I would probably have the hull and deck Awlgripped.
Please let me know if you find a more efficient method.
Date: November 14, 1997
From: Ed Yusis Yusise@aol.com
I have a 37 foot, minor spider types, but I do have a crack on the stern, that bothers me a little. Otherwise, no real problems. You did not state the year. That makes a difference. My boat is located in Florida.
Date: November 14, 1997
From: Tim Cropley timwana@aol.com
i appreciate this, i question this if this cracking is an ongoing problem. will coating over with awlgrip cure the problem or just cover over for a short term fix, i do not know thats why im inquiring , i want to do a long term fix but do not know what
Date: November 15, 1997
From: Tim Cropley timwana@aol.com
my boat is getting more of these all the time, these cracks are not the spider type i also have a transom crack , across the transom , i used a dremel tool , to open the crack then used west system epoxy to seal the crack till i deceide what to do , i now find that i will fill out with west epoxy w/ micro balloons then sand flush and paint using interlux 2 part poly...........as for my deck cracks i dont know as yet , for now im opening with the dremel and epoxy to seal out moisture for the winter here in ohio ., im not as lucky as you , in florada...............
Date: November 17, 1997
From: Dave and Carol Wright Dgw1@aol.com
Having not seen your boat, i can really tell how widespread it is. I would say mine is just in some isolated areas which receive a lot of stress. For example around the Davit mounting bases on the transom. What I have read is to grind out the crack a little than the crack itself, fill with expoxy, re-gelcoat and then apply a good marine wax.
Perhaps the best thing would be to consult with a boatyard service person or contact Practical Sailor.
Good luck and let me know if you find some info.
Date: November 19, 1997
From: Tim Cropley timwana@aol.com
Dave;
Thanks for the reply , your suggestion is about what ive attempted i thought this would get me thru the winter and in the spring i will try to make all cosmetically more appealing. You speak of davits, what type do you use and what do you own for a tender inflatable or hard ? Is the 32 a good boat for davits or would i be better to look into an inflatable and deck store?
On the previous paragraph, i refinished the deck on a catalina 25 i owned i used pettit easy poxy a 1 part polyurethane and used a non skid additive, on the non skid areas, seemed to work well i may try this in the spring, after opening the cracks and epoxing, any insight on this ill appreciate.......
Date: November 25, 1997
From: Dave and Carol Wright Dgw1@aol.com
Tim,
Thanks for the info on the gelcoat. I think the Endeavor 32 is ok-not great for davits. Mine are stainless steel-not sure what brand since I did not install them. The problem is that there is not much room on the transom to mount the base--I plan to put in L-shaped stainless supports since the base hangs over the end of the transom. Also, when heeling to any extent (25 degrees +) the dingy will drag one end in the water. I guess it depends on what kind of water and winds you plan to sail in. Cruising world most of the time recommends deck storage.
I have two dingys. An 8 foot hard called "The Dink" made in Charleston, SC and an 8 foot inflatable by Seaworthy-Boat US. for most purposes the inflatable is much more stable and easier to store on deck. Quite frankly, i usually tow mine.
Date: November 25, 1997
From: Tim Cropley timwana@aol.com
Is the hull on our Endeavour 32 solid fiberglass or cored?
Date: November 26, 1997
From:
Tim, I can speak from experience that on the E32, the hull below the water line is solid fiberglass. I'm not sure about the freeboard from the water line to the toe rail however. We had some work done to our port side several years ago when our 32 washed ashore and although we weren't holed, it was all glass as far as we could tell. The entire bow is solid glass all the way up to the deck, so if I had to guess I'd say that the entire hull is solid as well. This wasn't untypical for the era. It seems that in the past 10 yrs or so manufacturers have gone to coring the freeboard, more so on performance and coastal boats that offshore. I know also that the cabintop is plywood cored as we've installed solar vents in this area and found it.
Date: November 13, 1998
From: Tom Gilbert TGil95746@aol.com
My '80 E32 has THE CRACK on the stern along the top surface. My favored glass man says not to worry, they get that a lot. I have personally inspected the area and consider it a stress / age problem. P.S. The previous owner installed the LORAN and an AM/FM 6db antenna back there. duh. I removed them and will hit tthe crack in the Spring. I'll relocate the LORAN onto the rail and dump the AM/FM. I wired an antenna coupler to the AM/FM to use the 3db antenna at the mast top. Other gel coat crack appear as I spend time on the boat. Not unusual. Tom
Date: November 13, 1998
From: Paul Uhl endvr32@endeavourowners.com
Our 1981 E32 has the same crack in the same place. We've tried to fix it a number of different ways and it still comes back. Our glass-man says the same thing. They get that alot and not to worry about it.
Date: November 14, 1998
From: Steve Glick boatsri@cyberzone.net
My 33 does not have and sort of cracks with the exception of some "spiderwebs" at stress points. I did, however, have occasion to look at another 33 with what I would consider "serious" cracks. Serious to me means that they can lead to de-lamination. I am assuming that the 32 and 33 are constructed in the same manner, Glass, apx. 1/8" 3/4" plywood and another 1/8" of glass. If the deck cracks (the vessel I saw had cracks radiating outward from the mast collar-some three or more feet long) are deep enough to allow water to migrate into the plywood, de-lamination will occur and then you have serious trouble. On the boat I saw, the cracks were ground out, as others have suggested and filled properly. The way to really tell-either deck or hull (hull is cored to the waterline) is with a moisture meter which any surveyor should have-maybe even your boatyard. This will give you the extent of the problem. Just for your info, I got an estimate on the boat I looked at to do a complete "deck job" to solve the problem and it came to $5,500. I did not buy the boat. Good luck
Date: September 29, 1999
From: Chris Berry berrycook@primary.net
There was one other thing I failed to mention on the Owner's Forum Signup about Glass Slipper, alot of so called "cosmetic" gelcoat cracks over the coach roof area. We have a copy of a marine survey that was done in 1985 for a previous owner that noted their presence as a seemingly cosmetic thing only. And when we had the survey done last year before we bought her it also indicated the cracks were cosmetic and that they should be watched due to the moisture meter's detection of random areas of higher than normal readings but that the structural integrity of the topside was fine. I understand this also is a common thing. What "warning" signs should I be watching for, and is there a preventative (or in this case stabilizing) maintanence product that can be used. The cracks vary in size from hairline to slightly larger but appear to be very superficial. The topside was reawlgrip painted some time ago by a previous owner and most of the cracks appear to be that paint thickness' deep. I should also note that the area immediately beneath and within 12" of the mast plate all around appears to be very clear. We had a guy at our marina cut several large holes chasing moisture on his boat this spring and ended up having to get a professional glass man to repair it...not me!
Date: September 29, 1999
From: Paul Uhl endvr32@endeavourowners.com
I'm not an expert on this by any means but I'll do two things: 1) offer my opinion, and 2) send out your query to the group. However, take the comments with a grain of salt and talk to a professional.
Crazing is a very common occurance on older boats. Our E32 is a 1982 and we have them. They are generally caused by two sources: stress or impacts. We have both. They are usualyy a cosmetic thing but as you can imagine over time water can seep into the, trapping moisture. The bad part is when the moisture penetrates the variouis layers and stays there. We've tried to reglass some of them only to have them come back a year or two later but I feel it's important to at least monitor them for any sign of change. The lack of stress cracks near the mast is a very good sign of the structure of your boat. Crazing is most often found near the bases of the stanchions and standing rigging (ie: chain plates), or where one of your guests dropped that winch handle (g).
Best advice would be to buy a book on the subject and talk to a good glass man.
If the repair work is below th water line (ie: blisters) the average person can effect a good repair. Above the water line, the finished appearance becomes more important. I've fixed small chips, etc. and it's not that hard. I first tried it on my dinghy and then the boat. If you do try, you need to mask out an area and let the gelcoat build up above the original surface, snad it down, and using buffing compound, polish it.
Start small.
Date: Thursday, September 30, 1999 9:16:21 AM
From: Bradd Wilson marina@portcolborne.com
Hi Chris
The thing you should be worried about from these cracks is that water gets into the plywood core of the coach roof and delaminates the wood. It can be detected by a "hollow or punky" sound when tapped with a wooden hammer or from a cracking noise when you step on an affected area. It will also be seen as red or rusty stains anywhere on the interior. These stains may not be anywhere close to the leak as the water will migrate through the plywood and interior skin of the coach roof. A preventative measure may be a product called Capt Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure available at West Marine. This may fix it if the cracks are small. Good luck.
Date: February 22, 2000
From: Doug Lovejoy lovejoy@pcola.gulf.net
Good Evening. I'm having a E37 surveyed for purchase. During my inspection I noticed a crack that ran the width of the stern. The crack did not seem deep and from the inside there was no evidence of deck-hull joint movement. The crack was about 1 inch below the uppermost deck surface and not very defined, more spider-crack like. Please put this out to our members for comment.
Date: February 23, 2000
From: Pete Doddato lapdog@olsusa.com
I had the gelcoat crack on the stern of my 32. It appears to be a stress crack caused by the back stay chainplate. I dremeled the crack out and filled it with new gelcoat. Looks good as new now and it hasn't reappeared in several months of sailing.
Date: February 26, 2000
From: Paul Uhl endvr32@endeavourowners.com
Doug,
We had the same "stress crack" in the same location on our E32. We dug it out and fixed it only to have it return a year later. It's been checked by a surveyor who said not to worry about it. It's been fine for 7 years now and hasn't changed or migrated.
