One thing I've noticed about the few M382 and M383's I've been
aboard is that they often seem to have long cracks in the gelcoat
around the deckhouse and along other areas of the deck. I assume
that this is fairly common to most Morgan 38X's(???). My own
boat, hull #179, has many of these same cracks, but no one,
including surveyors, seems concerned about them. These long
cracks don't seem to go any deeper than the gelcoat, but I'm not
totally sure about that. I've heard various educated guesses
about the cause of the cracks, varying from shrinkage problems
with the gel (most frequent guess) to thin deck sections (least
often expressed), but does anyone really know the cause of the
cracks? I'm considering having the topsides and deck areas of my
boat faired and painted with LP, but if the cracks are going to
reappear, then I may not do it. Any information will be
appreciated.
aboard is that they often seem to have long cracks in the gelcoat
around the deckhouse and along other areas of the deck. I assume
that this is fairly common to most Morgan 38X's(???). My own
boat, hull #179, has many of these same cracks, but no one,
including surveyors, seems concerned about them. These long
cracks don't seem to go any deeper than the gelcoat, but I'm not
totally sure about that. I've heard various educated guesses
about the cause of the cracks, varying from shrinkage problems
with the gel (most frequent guess) to thin deck sections (least
often expressed), but does anyone really know the cause of the
cracks? I'm considering having the topsides and deck areas of my
boat faired and painted with LP, but if the cracks are going to
reappear, then I may not do it. Any information will be
appreciated.