deck gelcoat cracks

[bschnur]

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.

 

[aistqm]

I do not have any cracks along my deck but have a few in the cockpit. They are located on the outside corners of the seats. My surveyor told me, for what it's worth, that they were most probably a result of the gel coat being to thick. He also was not concerned about them and commented that most older boats in the M38 catogory had them.

 

[gallagher805]

There are some cracks on our 384. The surveyor told us that they are from the deck being unsupported in some areas and that allowed it to flex slightly. He said that it was a philosophy in boat construction and not something to be worried about. If you look above the headliner at how some of the bulkheads are attached to the deck there is some space between the bulkhead and the deck. They are called floating bulkheads. While doing come repaired we "tabbed" some thick epoxy putty atop the bulkhead that attaches it the deck. It is not a constant attachment, but some advice I got said it might be better this way. Also this seams to have stopped some creaking in the deck in the same areas as the cracks. The cracking and creaking seam to be centered around the nav-station, galley, and on both sides of the v-berth just back from the start of the coach roof. As for the creaking in the cockpit, two people ( the surveyor and a woodworker) told me it was nothing to worry about. But if I was bent on fixing it to build up some FG support on the underside.

 

[balthazor]

I have a few cracks, mostly where angles are tight. Happens on most gel coat, I am told. Generally not a problem, but be aware that gel coat is there partly to keep water off the laminate. Anyway, to fix it, you have to ream out the crack (I used a dremmel tool on my last boat, the sharpened can opener never worked) then sand it and smooth it, then fill it (I used auto bondo because it is easy to work with and solid), and then sand and paint. The west system epoxy guys and surveyor Allan Vaitses' books talk about how to do this. Probably Dan Spurr's book on upgrading the cruising sailboat talks about how, too. Definitely, you cannot paint over the cracks without working on them and filling them or the cracks will quickly reappear. They might still, even with that, but after a much longer time. Good luck.

 

[corsaire]

I have cracks that run along the deck in places where the bulwark joins the deck. As I just purchased the boat, a 1982 M383, I brought these to the attention of the surveyor who said that it was no big deal. The prior owner said he suspected that temporary stress from the annual haul-out my have been a contributing factor. I also have a bit of cracking around the stanchions (seen on most boats) as well as one of the midship cleats. I haven't seen any cracks in the areas described around the coach roof. I plan to have the deck refinished in a few years and will have these taken care of then.

 

[bcarli]

<div>I've been in the boat buisness over 25yrs. I build them design them and make the molds for them. Gel cracks are usually the result of flexing. When the gelcoat is thick and the area has a tendency to flex the gelcoat may crack but the fiberglass underneath maybe ok. The first layer of fiberglass may also show some slight cracks. when gelcoats are thick the fiberglass can flex but not the gelcoat. If the gelcoat is a little thin it will flex with the fiberglass. Gelcoat is brittle when thick. You cannot gel over the cracked area. The cracks will probably come back. I sand the gel cracks down to the raw fiberglass then regel putting ona thinner layer then the factery did so the new gelcan flex with the fiberglass. Sanding down to fiberglass also tells me how serious the problem is. Most times the problem may not be serious. For the most part surveyers can tell. I hope this can help you out. Hull of a shine refinishing
N.Y. Long Island
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