CONTINUOUSWAVE

I have a Dauntless 13 that's been neglected and baking in the Florida sun for several years. The gel coat has hundreds of cracks and crazing both above and below waterline. I have seen how some people have successfully repaired this. I'm concerned that the extent of these cracks could represent a structural defect, so before I attempt to repair the cracks I'd like some opinions whether this is a cosmetic defect or could be something more serious. I hope my concerns are unfounded, but to repair the cracks will be a major task, and I want some additional opinions from people who have dealt with this before. I welcome any input.


Fig. 1. Gel coat cracks


Fig. 2. Gel coat cracks


Fig. 3. Gel coat cracks

The thickness of the gel coat layer is perhaps only about 0.020-inch. Small surface scratches can often be eliminated with careful buffing. Cracks that penetrate the gel coat layer to the underlying laminate will need to be intentionally widened and then filled with new gel coat. This can be a tedious task if there are many cracks.

Figure 3 shows what appears to be porosity in the gel coat.

None of the illustrations show structural defects.

There are many good you tube videos on how to repair cracks and crazing.
Off topic but my first Whaler was from Killinger Marine.

Our first Boston Whaler was also sold to us by Killinger Marine. A 1999 Dauntless 16 with an Evinrude 115 HP FICHT engine. We continue to regret selling the Dauntless. After 10 years of use the gel coat never had any cracks. One of the first things we bought for the boat was a Carver Sunbrella cover.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm relived that it's all repairable and doesn't represent more serious underlying problems. I think I'm going to grind out the major cracks, then sand the smaller ones. I plan to paint the entire boat as the gelcoat is very weathered.

For a decent paint job, all the cracks will need to be ground out, filled in and fared. Prep work will take at least 20 hr or lots of $.

Before doing anything.

Test a 2'x2' section of the outside of the hull with 3M heavy duty compound on a wool bonnet attached to a buffer. Work the area for 20 minutes, applying more compound as it dries out and then wipe off residue.

Can you see your reflection? I bet you can. There is a good probability the hull just needs to be detailed.