1993 MONTAUK 17: Vertical Cracks in Gel Coat near Transom

[johnsmith]

I am thinking of buying a 1993 Montauk 17, with a clean hull and deck. Only problem I see are 4 to 5 vertical cracks in the gel coat, on both sides of the side, near the transom, but none on the transom itself. The cracks start at the top of the hull, do not reach the bottom of the deadrise, and are confined to about 8 inches on either side. Any thoughts on the cause and repairs?

[flymo]

Although I'm not sure I completely sure what location you are describing, if there are no cracks elsewhere on the boat and these are on both sides, it seems likely the hull was exposed to some stress that caused them. I would be careful moving forward with this.

I have only seen the term "deadrise" used to describe the sharpness of a boat's keel angle - I don't know what you mean when you use it to refer to a part of the hull.

Flymo

[johnsmith]

Thank you for your reply. I refer to the part of the hull at the back that is vertical, before the hull starts angling. I also noticed a small repair at the corner where the transom meets the port side, about three inches long along the corner. I think the stress may have been a collision, but it does not explain why the vertical cracks are on both sides, unless the docking involved hitting the dock repeatedly. If there had been heavy torque on the transom it should have produced at some hairline cracks at the transom, but there are absolutely no cracks, spidering, crazing, or other damage anywhere on the transom, both inside and out.

[Perichbrothers]

Hi. Do you think [the cause of the vertical cracks in the hull near the transom of the MONTAUK 17] could have been [from lifting the boat with] a hoist strap? Some [boating] areas don't have ramps and use pivoting cranes.--TP