Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

[mahones]

Hi Folks

So I bought an old 1988 Sunray for $2500. It has a considerable number of very thin cracks in the hull which I believe are gel-coat cracking due to the age of the boat. In the photos, they look much worse than they are due to the staining and grime from being in the water. Most of these cracks I can barely feel with my fingernail. If I scrub the grime down to white they become hardly visible. These cracks are all over the hull mostly below the waterline. The boat does not leak at all, floor seems solid and without rot.

I would really appreciate some oppinions and advice from some seasoned restorers on here as to what I'm looking it and what the best path forward would be to get a few good years out of this boat.

Thanks for your help!

 

[mahones]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

Anyone? Could really use some advice on this one...

Thanks

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

I would look for another boat ..

YD.

 

[mahones]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

YD, can you elaborate a bit on why you feel this boat is a lost cause?

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

YD, can you elaborate a bit on why you feel this boat is a lost cause?

I think the gelcoat/skin coat window was missed .. you may have a turtle shell boat that does not have skin to it.

The hull/glass might be fine and dandy .. but the gelcoat is poppin all over the place where it should not ( every 3-4-6" 's ).

I think your gel is poppin off of the boat. .. NO way to fix this unless its stripped down to glass and re-glassed/faired/gelled ( and/or painted with an epoxy barrier coating(s))

Way too much time and effort IMO .. Way too much Cracking ( not even from screw holes ) .. just cracking along the length of the boat .. but cracking on the beam of the hull is not good.

YD.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

Gel coat will crack from age only if something isn't right, it can last indefinitely with no cracking when everything is done correctly.

You need to do some further investigation and find out what the issue is. Thick gel coat will crack like that and except for the cosmetics it isn't that much of an issue, but if the hull is flexing from poor construction or rotten wood, then you have much bigger problems.

 

[mrdjflores]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

take YD's advice....to fix it correctly, you are looking at grinding out all the gelcoat, down to the actual glass, and re-gelcoating the entire thing...the damage may also be much worse...if that cracking is through the glass or some appears on the inside of the boat, this could be a sign of stringer / transom failures and rot, allowing the boat to flex so much that it, well...cracks.

you might want to look for another donor boat, or a boat with a good hull and use all that you can on this boat to put into another.

but the bottom line is that it is your boat, and you can tackle the repair jobs how you see fit, and we will all be here to help you along the way to repair it correctly and safely. And the typical consensus that you will find on here is that there are no band-aid fixes...a person's safety is no. 1 priority

 

[outdoorsman1962]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

I believe that if you open up the floor and look at the stringers and the wood under it, you will find expanded, wet wood looking for a way out.
I helped re-do a old Glastron that was beat up by being overpowered and the cracks would exand when in the water and it took its toll on a very solid boat. Not to take the wind out of your sails but, it was not nearly as bad as yours pictured.... I would pass it on

 

[mahones]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

Thanks for all of your comments guys. It's pretty upsetting to know that this boat might be junk. I was hoping to get a few years of casual use out of it until I could afford to buy something nicer but if it's not safe, I can't put my kids in it. I guess I'll have to dig deeper to see how bad the stringers/transom are...or just sell it for parts and cut my losses.

Thanks again for your help folks....buyer beware I guess..

 

[mahones]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

If I wanted to take a peek at the stringers to see if there's rot under the floor, is there a way to do this without having to cut a hole in the floor?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

If I wanted to take a peek at the stringers to see if there's rot under the floor, is there a way to do this without having to cut a hole in the floor?

W/out knowledge of the boats interior, or pix, I couldn't say for sure, but are there any hatches or ski lockers, built in/permanent fuel tank covers etc in the deck (floor)? Are there seat bottom cushions that are removable, that allow you to look & feel around in and under them? In the back port & starboard corners at the transom, under the splashwell, feel/poke all along the hull~deck joint. I'd use an awl, or long thin flat blade screwdriver to firmly, but gently probe all the areas you can access. Probe up & along the transom, top to bottom, left to right (port to starboard) along the edges & out in the center of the transom. Around the battery tray, the fuel tanks if they are portables. If the seats are front to back seats that unfold into a lounge, there is a box for storage under them, check all interior & exterior surfaces.

This should not be considered as a safe alternative to actually removing the entire deck of the boat & physically examining all the under deck surfaces & wood structures when there are significant indicators of other problems with a hull or boat

All of that^^^ is probably best to be used for future reference. YD has pretty well covered the likelihood that the gelcoat work required for this boat, although possible, is probably beyond what most, novice, 1st time project owners should be attempting, and will require a significant investment in time, materials & tools. Most, if not all, of which will not be inexpensive. And ultimately the costs would far outweigh the sales value of the end product.

Does the motor run? Is the trailer in good shape? Those certainly have value. Depending on their size, HP & shaft length on the motor, overall length of the trailer, boats w/ out functional motors & trailers are fairly plentiful on craigslist. If you don't mind a project, you may one in better overall condition then this Sunray.

There are also more water ready boats for sale on CL as well, that may have blown motors, and could also be a better alternatives to the Sunray.

Best of luck

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

just came across this thread although it is a few weeks old . . .

From the pictures, I would agree with "the get another boat" comments. Just from the looks of the hull and the gelcoat cracks, probably not much worth saving. There seems to be strong evidence of a structurally insufficient hull underneath that gelcoat. Your effort and $$$$ is probably better directed towards another boat, sorry to say.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

Take off everything you can sell,bury it in the yard down to the waterline,the kids will have a pretty cool "fort" to play in!

 

[m casey stock]

Re: Are these hull cracks serious? Need advice on how to fix these - PHOTOS

I hate that, My son has a Four Winns, and it looks great from the outside. Someone let water stand in it for years and now the stringers are rotten. Looks like a new boat from the outside, what a shame and a waste. It's sometimes hard to let something like that go because of it being so nice in all other areas, but the cost of repairs just makes it tough to do, especially with the number of hulls out there that you could repower and refit with what you have. You could always spend some money and have the Hull inspected (survey) by a professional and if you are told that the cracks are cosmetic and not unsafe, then you could do a barrier and bottom coat like salt water hulls have done and seal everything up. might get the few years you are looking for that way?