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Q1: where can written or audio-visual motion picture step-by-step instructions be found for repair of cracks in the gel coat of older Boston Whaler boats?

BACK STORY
I may buy a 1989 GUARDIAN 18 Red Dot hull. The deck and the hull have cracks all over. The stern face of the transom has cracks. I am aware that this boat will require significant repair if I were to purchase it. My skill level las a boat mechanic and fiberglass repairman is about 6 on a scale of 10.

Gradywhaler wrote:Q1: where can written or audio-visual motion picture step-by-step instructions be found for repair of cracks in the gel coat of older Boston Whaler boats?

Written instructions for the repair of cracks in the gel coat layer of a Boston Whaler boat can be found in an article pinned at the top of this forum. See

Advice on the repair of Unibond hulls
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... f=6&t=9254

A motion picture with audio narrations that shows repair of cracks in the gel coat layer of a Boston Whaler boat can be found on youTube. See the link in the pinned article at the top of this forum:

Repair of Extensive Spider Cracks
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... =6&t=10055

ASIDE
Generally all boats sold under the GUARDIAN model designation will have strengthened laminate construction and will exhibit the "red dot" marking. Unfortunately, boats purchased as GUARDIAN models were generally owned by military, government, or municipal agencies. Boats used in those sorts of services often experienced severe use and not particularly careful maintenance and care, which could produce cracks in the gel coat or the laminate. You need to carefully assess if the cracks you are seeing in the 1989 GUARDIAN 18 hull are just cosmetic damage to the gel coat layer or are cracks in the actual fiberglass laminate structure of the hull.

Boats owned by government agencies are often sold at auctions under the general concept of "property disposal." The term "disposal" can be a good description for some boats being sold in that manner by those previous owners.

Unless you think that making extensive repairs to a boat is part of the joy of boat ownership, you may want to continue looking for an 18-footer whose hull condition is more reflective of moderate and careful use. A 1989 Boston Whaler Unibond hull can still be in near-factory new condition if it has been properly cared for and not abused.

It is possible to repair an individual spider crack, but when a hull has extensive spider cracking, the best approach is to abandon any hope of preserving the existing gel coat layer, repair all cracks in one long operation, and apply an entirely new top coat to the hull, usually by spraying on a paint product, possibly a two-part paint formulation, and abandoning the idea of spraying a new layer of gel coat resin onto the hull surface.