Spider cracks on swim platform (seadek prep) - concern?

[svana]

I briefly touched on it in the “what did you do today” thread, but we’ve been working on pulling off the old mat to lay down the seadek. While it all came up much more painlessly than most it seems, we came across a large amount of spider cracks and pocks in the gel coat about the size of a nail head. While I’m not worried about the aesthetic under the mat, I am worried if they’ll continue to travel past where the mat covers or if they’ll potentially introduce rot. So far the platform is very sturdy, no sign of sponginess or anything of the sort. Has anybody else encountered this or have any recommendations on how to proceed?

PS. Obviously it hasn’t been cleaned up yet, just wanted to get a course of action to limit my trips to the marina lol.

 

[mark_m]

I briefly touched on it in the “what did you do today” thread, but we’ve been working on pulling off the old mat to lay down the seadek. While it all came up much more painlessly than most it seems, we came across a large amount of spider cracks and pocks in the gel coat about the size of a nail head. While I’m not worried about the aesthetic under the mat, I am worried if they’ll continue to travel past where the mat covers or if they’ll potentially introduce rot. So far the platform is very sturdy, no sign of sponginess or anything of the sort. Has anybody else encountered this or have any recommendations on how to proceed?

PS. Obviously it hasn’t been cleaned up yet, just wanted to get a course of action to limit my trips to the marina lol.View attachment 140866View attachment 140867View attachment 140868View attachment 140869View attachment 140870View attachment 140871

I'm not sure I would sweat that. You could put down 5200 and maybe skim it over the cracks? I would check with @JetBoatPilot to make sure it won't mess with the adhesion of the SeaDeck.

 

[svana]

I'm not sure I would sweat that. You could put down 5200 and maybe skim it over the cracks? I would check with @JetBoatPilot to make sure it won't mess with the adhesion of the SeaDeck.

Thanks for the input, makes me feel a bit better. I know Will’s mentioned that the adhesive sticks better to flat surfaces vs the textured spots, but I’d like to believe the cracks won’t affect it too much. I’m more worried about water penetration. I’d like to believe that the seadek would seal those cracks/pocks, but I know that won’t be the case. Especially on textured surfaces. I’m just hoping to not have to skim the whole thing with epoxy or something nuts like that.

 

[mark_m]

Thanks for the input, makes me feel a bit better. I know Will’s mentioned that the adhesive sticks better to flat surfaces vs the textured spots, but I’d like to believe the cracks won’t affect it too much. I’m more worried about water penetration. I’d like to believe that the seadek would seal those cracks/pocks, but I know that won’t be the case. Especially on textured surfaces. I’m just hoping to not have to skim the whole thing with epoxy or something nuts like that.

I think the texture isn't a bad thing for the adhesion and in fact, the material itself will give you better protection than the stock mat because it is closed cell. You will absolutely love the SeaDeck, hands down favorite mod for the family. For me, the audio upgrade takes the top spot.

 

[svana]

I think the texture isn't a bad thing for the adhesion and in fact, the material itself will give you better protection than the stock mat because it is closed cell. You will absolutely love the SeaDeck, hands down favorite mod for the family. For me, the audio upgrade takes the top spot.

Ya, real excited to get it installed, especially the custom rear (of course on said questionable area lol). Surprisingly enough, the admiral completely unprovoked one day was like "hey, what do you think about adding speakers back here and upgrading the system?" so naturally I must oblige. Not sure if that'll happen this offseason though, gotta wrap up the depth finder/gps then pop in the VHF and fresh water shower before the Bimini trip (positive thinking that it'll materialize with all of the COVID business).

 

[Beachcampin]

Could put this on some of the bad ones.

2 oz. Crack Cure Sealant | West Marine

Check out our 2 oz. Crack Cure Sealant and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

 

[svana]

Could put this on some of the bad ones.

2 oz. Crack Cure Sealant | West Marine

Check out our 2 oz. Crack Cure Sealant and more from West Marine!

www.westmarine.com

Hmm...this stuff looks real interesting. Might give it a shot after I clean the deck up.

 

[tdonoughue]

I would clean it up first and then re-evaluate. Those cracks look pretty bad. I think I would be inclined to seal it with something before laying down the SeaDeck. The SeaDeck is closed foam, but the problem is that you are installing it on a textured surface. Water can migrate from the edge under and to lots of spots under there. As it will be covered, I would not worry about needing to make the sealant very pretty. There are lots of cheap, non-color-matched 'gelcoat repair' products in tubes available...

 

[mrcleanr6]

Short of actually fixing the cracking, you can mask off where the seadek goes then sand off the nonskid so its smooth then install the seadek. Some 80-120 grit on a sander will make quick work of it. the seadek will seal that to keep the water out of the cracks. Your seadek will also be stuck alot better on a smooth sirface

 

[tdonoughue]

With the extent of those spider cracks, I think I agree with @mrcleanr6 . Good idea.

 

[svana]

Oof. Would really not want to get rid of the gel coat there even if it’ll be sealed and covered vs running over the cracks with sealer. I suppose it may have to be a possibility though. Obviously if I hit it with the hose/eraser wheel and it starts flaking off then it’ll force my hand.

 

[mrcleanr6]

Your not stripping the gel. Just sanding it so its smooth this way the seadek can seal out the water. The best thing would be to sand until you have almost stripped it off then regel it but just smoothing it out and applying the seadek would be the next best thing. You really want to keep the water from sitting on those cracks and making its way into any wood core. On the bright side, those arent stress cracks. That is where the gel is failing most likely from years of heat and moisture under the hydroturf or just bad gel batch. This is a good thing because if i uad to take a guess, those dont go into the glass itself. Through the glass = rot

 

[svana]

Your not stripping the gel. Just sanding it so its smooth this way the seadek can seal out the water. The best thing would be to sand until you have almost stripped it off then regel it but just smoothing it out and applying the seadek would be the next best thing. You really want to keep the water from sitting on those cracks and making its way into any wood core. On the bright side, those arent stress cracks. That is where the gel is failing most likely from years of heat and moisture under the hydroturf or just bad gel batch. This is a good thing because if i uad to take a guess, those dont go into the glass itself. Through the glass = rot

Got it. I figured removing the textured bumps via sanding would expose the glass below.

 

[rad1026]

Superficial gel cracks. Cosmetic really. There are probably three to four layers of chop strand layups under there. I just finished a complete transom rebuild on my 1989 Chaparral 2100sx. Believe me, I have a good knowledge of fiberglass. What you are doing will last for a good long time.