Cracks in fiberglass - big problem???

Bob,

I re read what I wrote & think I came on to strong on taking advise from fellow C-Brats. Much of the advise here & especially from you can be taken to the bank. I just wanted to point out to Pete in this particular case it appeared the factory had caused a similar defect with the boat he was considering & mine & that it didn't turn out to be a major for me. Your right in that it would be best for me to repair it or have it repaired. The reason I have not is mainly lack of knowledge to do a proper repair & I live in a isolated area where finding someone I trust to do it is difficult. As time passed & I made trip after trip north on rough roads with the boat on a single axle trailer to Alaska & considerable rough water use while there, without any further increase in defect, it appeared even more so to me, that it wasn't a structural defect, which would only worsen if not repaired, so it started out & stayed a non issue to me. I have no doubt you would have done a quality repair before ever putting the boat in the water. :thup
 
Jay,
Not at all too strong. We all have different thoughts about what is going on in our boats. The only problem I might see with your cracks, is if you wash down the cabin floor, or spray out the interior (and I don't know if you do that) water may get in under the platform (and probably will run back out).
After this last summer and about a month on Powell, I hosed down the interior of my 22 to get that fine red dust out. One of the beauties of this boat!

I don't know for certain if this "bulkhead" takes any flexion load on the hull, but I suspect it does to some degree. The C Dory is relitatively free of bulkheads, and I suspect that the hull flexes a bit. None of this is a structural issue which would cause any problems with running the boat.

The 25 I rebuilt did have some of the tabbing on the V berth which had come loose. I attributed that to the boat having been run hard into chop. But there were not cracks in the floor pan.

I am sure that all of the boats can take more than any of us can!
 
Does this boat have an open back or does it have an Alaska bulkhead with a door? Reason I ask is, having owned an 07 22' Angler with the door, I always felt that the bulkhead return sections from the gunnel to the door jambs served as a diaphragm and thusly imparted at least some resistance to hull flexing. Without these returns, any other bulkheads on the boat would presumably be under more stress. Mind you, I'm neither a naval architect nor an engineer. Delamination due to water intrusion, if present as the dealer states, is a potentially serious matter in a boat with a balsa core. I would personally have it checked out by an expert prior to purchase, to get a handle on what it's going to cost to repair properly. Best, Mike.
 
If the cracks are in a similar location to those on Jay's boat, they are where the fiberglass component that makes the V-berth is tabbed/connected to the cored sole. Jay's don't look like they create cracks into the sole itself and like Jay, I view those as a non-issue that's mostly cosmetic.
 
I agree that these cracks pictured do not run any risk of water getting into the core. This tabbing is above the inner glass over the core--and this is an area where there is a transition from a cored bottom to a solid bottom.

I doubt that these cracks were caused by "delamination due to water".
 
In my case I thought the same as Roger & Bob about the possible intrusion of water into the core from the cracks, but not being 100% sure of the boat construction in this area was very glad to have it confirmed by a couple of C-brats in who's opinions, I have a very high regard.
 
It might be useful at some C Brat gatherings to have someone who is familiar with Ultrasonic measurement devices check out some of these laminates. Sort of do a mini survey of areas where folks have questions.

The cost of ultrasonic devices has come way down in the last few years.
 
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