[BraskyBoats]

Hi all,

Had a question about my 94 Talari and some hairline cracks I noticed on my transom the other day when pulling the drain plug. The cracks originate at the drain plug and are very fine, to the point that even your fingernail will barely catch them other than at one point on the far right. I'm not all that concerned about them presently, but if it's something that could cause problems down the road I'd like to take care of it. Anyways, is this something that I should fix, or just leave be?

Thanks in advance,

Brasky

[Firestone]

Great question. I have not seen this issue posted on the forum. Interest to see what people have to say.

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[GaryDoug]

That's a tough one. Most opinions on this will tell you to repair it like described here:
Gelcoat Repair On Boats - BoatUS Magazine

While following the instructions, you would take a close look at the underlying glass to see if the crack goes any deeper. Deeper is not good. One place you can't take chances with is the transom. But since it seems to have started at the drain plug hole, it's probably more like crazing and not serious. I wonder if they failed to countersink the hole edge when they drilled it. Or perhaps there was some sort of impact on the plug fitting at some time.

[sedwards07]

I've repaired gel coat on my 94 talari and it is definitely a learning process but don't let that discourage you. The nice thing about gel coat is that you can sand it off and start over fairly easily. If the transom was flexing much there would be way more cracking. If it were me I would take dremel and a milling bit that's rounded or pointed and etch out the crack. Once you have done that spread in your gel coat and let it dry. You can find everything you need for fiberglass and gel coat repair at Fibre Glast Developments Corp. | Fiberglass & Composite Materials and I mean everything.

When I repaired my gel coat I ordered the white gel coat and some black, red, and yellow pigment. These were mixed until I got the correct cream color for my boat. Just a couple of drops on the end of a toothpick go a long way. I actually had to repair some cracks that led to a deep gouge that was all the way down to the mat material. I first filled in the cracks and the gouge and then used a technique called hotpotting to spray a thin layer of gel coat over the repair and blend it with the rest of the boat. With hotpotting you basically mix your gel coat and hardener into a HVLP sprayer and the spray just like paint. You only have about 15-20 mins though before your gun is full of hardened gel coat so, you have to move fast but, the results can be spectacular.

[BraskyBoats]

Thanks for some great advice guys. I figured it was something that should be dealt with as it is below the water line but didn't want to go digging into the gel coat with a dremel (and possibly making things worse) before getting some feedback.

As far as the crack repair goes. What is the consensus on how far to take it? Should I start all the way at the drain plug where this crack originates, or, just dremel out the are on the far right that can be caught by my fingernail? The crack is so fine all the way up to that point that it is purely visible and not detected by touch.

Thanks again,

Brasky