What started off to be a very short video on how to clean and rinse a small boat with water and Dawn dishwashing liquid turned into more, much more. We spent a few minutes discussing gelcoat damage and the plethora of holes on the mighty Sunfish in the video that follows.
But first a few photos...and a discussion about gelcoat and fiberglass. When the Sunfish is made the first thing done is a layer of gelcoat is sprayed inside a mold, the gelcoat becomes the outer skin of the boat, protecting the fiberglass cloth and resin that are applied next. "Gel Coat is a specially formulated two-part polyester resin that is designed to be the first layer of resin applied in a mold when making a polyester or vinyl ester composite part. It is intended to create an opaque surface which will completely block glass pattern show-through." Gelcoat is also moisture and UV resistant, and gelcoat makes a boat look good.
Gelcoat can be sanded and polished if it gets damaged, but it is only so thick, measured in millimeters. Here's a spot on PHOENIX where the gelcoat has been sanded through, the fiberglass underneath is starting to show through. And a bit of Sunfish trivia, the stripes are sprayed first, then the rest of the deck mold.
Here are two more spots. The fiberglass is fine underneath, and a spot touch up could be done if desired.
Here's a spot where the block has rubbed the gelcoat and left some residue, a good scrub will remove that.
Gelcoat shrinks with age, and small stress cracks can form. It is not a structural concern but if the cracks expose fiberglass then that area should be repaired. A common area to find these small "spider cracks" is in the cockpit, there are 8 blobs of adhesive that bond the tub to the hull, and years of folks getting in and out of the boat flex and stress the gelcoat. The fiberglass underneath is fine, which can be verified with an air leak test.
Here's a gelcoat fracture caused by impact. The fiberglass underneath is still good, no leaks, but if there are bit of gelcoat gone and cloudy fiberglass underneath, the cloth/resin matrix is damaged and a repair should be made. These spots are routinely found on the corners of the boat, and if a sunburst shaped spider crack is found on the deck or hull, either the boat was dropped on something or vice versa. These areas can be gently probed with a finger or awl to make sure the fiberglass underneath is not soft, and an air leak test will confirm whether or not there is a leak.
PHOENIX just turned 40, she looks great. Wash your boat with care, for there are 30+ holes designed into the boat that can let water in, mentioned in the video. If you find damage on your boat that needs repair, post a comment and we can help you locate resources and materials to effect the repair.
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