TOPIC: small cracks

I have recently become the owner of a '79 Aristocraft Nineteen. The boat was my dads and is in relatively good shape. The deck has a number of very small cracks that I would like to fill. There is not an area with many cracks as I see in many of the pictures on the forum but perhaps 30-50 cracks located around fasteners that are less than 1/4 inch long. The deck nor hull require painting as they clean up nicely. Any suggestions for filling these little cracks?
Thanks,
Ed

edcotter,

WELCOME ABOARD.

I'm sure that one of the EXPERTS here will have the solution.
(I'm NOT an expert. I'm a "putterer".)

yours, satx

Nice 19 Ed. Keeping it in the family is a great thing, IMHO.

A pix of the type of cracks you're referring to may be of help too. W/ something as a size reference in the pix too. An overhead of a cleat that might show the crack, then a closer shot that shows the cracks radiating from the fasteners, would be perfect.

An Aristocrat expert may be along shortly to confirm or correct, but I 'think' that you have a wood-free deck (floor) and wood-free stringers, so except for the transom there is very little hidden wood/plywood in your dad's boat.

In the 1 pix, it looks like it's been well maintained & kept covered. All those windows look to be intact.

Ed,

That's a nice looking boat. Since the boat can be buffed out nicely, the safest thing to do with the cracks is to ignore them. These cracks are superficial, and limited to the layer of gelcoat covering the fiberglass. They are referred to as Spider Cracks or Stress Cracks. Gelcoat is very hard, and it often does not flex as well as the fiberglass underneath it. These blemishes are common on old boats, and unless severe, aren't seen as a problem. It is very likely that attempting to repair the cracks will result in a horrible mess. Cracks must be sanded all the way down to clean fiberglass, and matching the decades-old gelcoat will prove to be nearly impossible. Most collectors know that stress / spider cracks are simply part of the "patina" of an original boat.

Hope this helps

Bruce

Thanks for the feedback. Just as a reference I am attaching a few pics. Obviously one has a hole where I believe the snap was originally. I assume he moved it due to the crack.

Bruce Gerard wrote:

Ed,

That's a nice looking boat. Since the boat can be buffed out nicely, the safest thing to do with the cracks is to ignore them. These cracks are superficial, and limited to the layer of gelcoat covering the fiberglass. They are referred to as Spider Cracks or Stress Cracks. Gelcoat is very hard, and it often does not flex as well as the fiberglass underneath it. These blemishes are common on old boats, and unless severe, aren't seen as a problem. It is very likely that attempting to repair the cracks will result in a horrible mess. Cracks must be sanded all the way down to clean fiberglass, and matching the decades-old gelcoat will prove to be nearly impossible. Most collectors know that stress / spider cracks are simply part of the "patina" of an original boat.

Hope this helps

Bruce

Based on the pix you posted Ed, I agree w/ Bruce, entirely...

I have similar age spots on my '67 Glastron Futura and minimized their appearance wet sanding with 500/1000 grit, compounding, and waxing... There is a great tutorial in the research section...