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Author Topic: Spider Cracks?  (Read 2441 times)

Offline Easygoing

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Spider Cracks?
« on: January 22, 2013, 03:38:05 PM »
Perhaps this has been covered before, if so, I'm sorry...I just haven't found the post yet.  A lot of production boats have developed spider cracks over the years.  I realize most of them have gelcoats, and perhaps this is what is cracking??  My main question here is do the stitch and glue boats ever develop any signs of cracks in them?  Or does the epoxy, fiberglass, wood, and paint all flex to a small degree preventing spider cracks?  I am gathering from most testimonials that the Tolmans and other similar boats will last a long, long time, which is what I want.  I don't want a production boat that will show signs of failure in 10 years.
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Offline luk diver

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Re: Spider Cracks?
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2013, 08:02:03 PM »
 Launched in 2003 (Jumbo- stretched- heavy) and app. have put on 2000 engine hrs. since then Ocean here not too nice and we don't exactly baby the boat. NO signs of stress cracks anywhere I can find. Have some delamination in the gunnel where we boltup the crabpot puller but that's my fault for not sealing the holes with epoxy. At some point we junk the o/b as it's 12yrs old in saltwater and #2500 hrs. and go another. That's likely to carry us to the end as far as our lifespans we spend on the water. The boat we don't worry about, it will out last us (IF we don't plant it on the rocks). B & B
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Offline Easygoing

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Re: Spider Cracks?
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2013, 08:49:26 PM »
Thanks for the response, Bob.  I'm thinking the materials these boats are made out of just don't subject themselves to such aforementioned fate.
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Offline SmokinFletch

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Re: Spider Cracks?
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2013, 05:02:08 PM »
I looked, can't find any!
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Offline tolman_paul

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Re: Spider Cracks?
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2013, 06:17:15 PM »
Haven't seen any spider cracks on my boat.  I did find out that you should build the framing for the openings on the hatches in the cuddy and pilothouse on the beefy side as I did break a few 1X's and I probably should have used 1/2" ply vs. 3/8"ply.  But that's not structural and I have a couple of co-workers and friends that are on the heavy size, so if you bounce a couple of 200+# adults over waves, make sure the seating is on the stout side.
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