PH Top Crack

[salivan]

I just discovered a hair-line crack in my PH top. It's really small, but I would like to know how concerned I should be and if it needs immediate repair .... and if so, how best to repair it.

The images of the crack are too big to be attached to this post, so I posted them in my gallery

Thanks.

[Ford_6L_E350]

First, if it is a hairline crack, it is probably just in the gelcoat and not a structural problem. It could, however, allow water to get into the top and damage the wood structure.

I don't know fiberglass well enough to suggest a solution. Either someone else will come up with a brilliant solution, or you can contact a boat repair facility that deals with fiberglass.

Second, if you can put a photo in your gallery, you can put it into a post. Open your gallery, find the photo and note the number of that photo. Click on 'photo' while making a post and put that number between the brackets. Done.

Mike

[salivan]

Thanks ... here is one of the photos.

[daveb]

Of all the places for a crack, that's not a good spot. Not that it's gonna leak but I'd beware. The bolts run thru the top and can be a spot where water can enter. It's possible that the crack doesn't lead to the bolt but my best guess is it does. Waxing it on a regular basis might help but I agree with Mike...have a fiberglass expert look it over. They might be able to re gel-coat the area to deal with it.

Are the bolts part of the tie downs?

You should check to see if the bolts are being sucked down so tight that they are causing the cracks.

I had gel-coat cracks all over my top at one time, most of which posed no problems as far as I know but I decided to have SMB contract a company to spray on the Raptor linning. I hope it solved the problem...time will tell.

At a minimum I'd E-mail SMB and ask. They're the experts and if trouble comes up down the road you have a paper trail.

Dave

[salivan]

Thank for the concern and advise. I have emailed Sportsmobile West (Fresno) with photos. The bolt with the crack is the 4th, of 5, back from the front on the driver's side. It's the front left corner of the 4 bolts that hold down the rear lift bars. I see no leakage, but have not disassembled the PH to see what's happening under the bolt, but nothing evident at this time on the underneath parts that I can see. At this time it's appears minor, but I would at least think it should get an epoxy seal.

[witoke]

It's so small it is probably gelcoat but that can still allow water to soak into the mat over time. I would remove the bolt, grind the crack open a little, drill a small hole at the far end to relieve any stress and fill it with thickened epoxy resin overlapping the margins a bit. Fair it in, then paint over it. Unless it turns out to go through the mat and would therefore be structural, it will probably not need any reinforcing with additional glass. If it appears to go through the mat when you open it up, ask again. A really good resource with tons of solid DIY information and tech tips is the Gougeon Bros. (West Systems Epoxy) website: <http://www.westsystem.com/ss/>

It's what I would do if I were worried about it, which I honestly would not be, it's not like a boat hull that is completely immersed in water. Unless you live in Seattle that is.