Stressed crack in GRP hull

   I have discovered a 4-inch crack under the gunwale of my Flying Fifteen. I think it came about from the boat's weight being borne on the short trailer support -- perhaps coming up the slipway or on the road.
What's best to fill it with? I'm tempted to use epoxy for its hardness, but worried it might crack. Is there something more flexible I could use?

(I'm not too concerned with aesthetics, as it's barely visible under the lip.)

Any advice greatly appreciated! 

Author	Message Share Topic Printable Version Delicious Digg Facebook Furl Google MySpace Newsvine reddit StumbleUpon Translate Twitter Windows Live Yahoo Bookmarks Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic
Wobble Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 26 Jul 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 44	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wobble Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Stressed crack in GRP hull Posted: 23 Oct 15 at 5:32pm
	I have discovered a 4-inch crack under the gunwale of my Flying Fifteen. I think it came about from the boat's weight being borne on the short trailer support -- perhaps coming up the slipway or on the road. What's best to fill it with? I'm tempted to use epoxy for its hardness, but worried it might crack. Is there something more flexible I could use? (I'm not too concerned with aesthetics, as it's barely visible under the lip.) Any advice greatly appreciated!

Paramedic Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 27 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 929	Post Options Post Reply Quote Paramedic Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Oct 15 at 8:17pm
	How bad is the crack? If it's only a hairline stress crack i'd leave alone. You could spend ages fixing it for it to come back weeks later.

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6644	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 24 Oct 15 at 8:49pm
	Hairline gel coat cracks are almost inevitable on older glass fibre boats. Its often not worth worrying. Edited by JimC - 24 Oct 15 at 8:49pm

Wobble Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 26 Jul 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 44	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wobble Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 26 Oct 15 at 11:23am
	Took another look at it... small enough to cover with duct tape, but more a lateral hole than a crack, and 6 inches long, not four. Looks like a full-on GRP repair job.

Paramedic Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 27 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 929	Post Options Post Reply Quote Paramedic Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 26 Oct 15 at 8:26pm
	may just be a void