Just got my 1981 CP, first sailboat

[Northface25]

Here is a pic http://i51.tinypic.com/25s7rqt.jpg



It looks good from a far but as you get close you see little cracks in the fiberglass.  There is 1 big crack in the cockpit bench http://i54.tinypic.com/wqx5ax.jpg



Is there any quick fix to this?  I was thinking about caulking it or just putting some plaster over it and smoothing it out.

I paid 3,700 and it came with an outboard motor.  Its my first boat so I really went by the prices of CP 16 that i have seen sold on www.sailingtexas.com

[RCAN]

Lets see what some of the more knowledgeable Association members have to say.

For now, my first question would be whether the cracks are just superficial or whether, if water got on them the water would filter through to the inside of the boat. If it filters through, you have more than a cosmetic problem. You could have serious water damage if you get rain or even worse, a wave come over the side.

If the crack is superficial to the gel coat only, but the fiber glass under it is sound, then its up to you. You might live with it with some cockpit cushions.

I'm sure there are many others here who can advise you on possible ways to repair this, but certainly not with caulking.

Good luck.

[millsy]

Northface,

It's hard to tell from the photo exactly where the crack is in the cockpit and how it is oriented.  It could something as simple as a factory hollow or defect (improper bubble busting, too-thick gelcoat or similar).  Or it could be a crack at a hard point (where the fiberglass panel sections are flexing along either side of this point). Or impact from above, or simple surface flex.  Or it could be an earlier gelcoat repair popping loose.  Only way to tell for sure would be to remove the gelcoat and check the laminate below.   How about some additional photos?  So many questions! 


Regards,
Chris
C-23 Dolce

[Northface25]

I took some better pics with my real camera.  The crack is at the back of the bench it goes all the way through.







im no handman and dont have a lot of money, so Im kinda just looking for the fastest cheapest most effective way to fix it.  Duct tape???

[RCAN]

Try going to the home page on the Association web site and in the search box enter the words "fiber glass repair" or "gel coat repair".

You will see many previous conversations with these key words in them. Some will be useful, some will not, but you will have to read through and sort through them. There is a wealth of knowledge that the members have shared with one another in the past.

When you're short on cash, you'll have to learn to become "handy". I've learned to do many repairs to my boat and have gotten much satisfaction from doing so myself.

Just be persistent.

Good luck.

Robert

[Salty19]

+1 from RCAN.

Congrats on your first boat!  You chose a great one to start with.

That crack doesn't look too good.  Could be structural. Does the area flex a lot?  When you say all the way through, do you see daylight from inside the boat?

If so...you need to grind out and re-glass/re gelcoat the entire area.  Do it right and you wont have to mess with it again.

Do a search on utube for fiberglass repair and gelcoat repair. There are several west systems videos that will be REAL helpful.

This is the first time I've seen a crack in this area.  Is the large block foam under the footwell still there?  Does it fully support the footwell?
If the foam is gone, you NEED to reinforce the footwell with wood to keep from flexing down with weight aboard. Otherwise that crack will just get bigger and bigger or form other cracks. Even if you repair it correctly, no foam underneath will make it crack again.  If there is a gap between foam and fiberglass, fill the gap.

I presume you were kidding about duct tape.  Obviously all that will do is cover it up (for a while).  It won't do a thing for structural soundness.
Duct tape only has a few uses on sailboats..mostly chafe protection, covering the end of a line when cutting with a hot knife and for emergency uses.

Good luck and have fun.

[millsy]

Aha!

It looks to me as though someone earlier tried to repair some hinge effect gelocat cracks inside the radius with polyester putty (bondo).  As Salty said, are you sure the crack goes all the way through the laminate or is it only the bondo/gelcoat that is cracking?  If it is just the bondo/gelcoat this is just a cosmetic issue, but either way you will probably need to lay some fiberglass in there to stop it from cracking again.  If you can get to the back side of this area it would be easy enough to apply a fiberglass doubler to reinforce it.
Chris
Dolce CP-23

[bmiller]

Here's a solution:
I have all the supplies needed to do the job. And it's a pretty simple fix. You buy me a plane ticket to FL come winter when it's bone chillin cold here and I'll fix it for FREE!

[Bob23]

That Bill...what a guy!
It appears to be on the port side cockpit seat where it meets the coaming. Strange place for a gouge this size.
North:
   Fix it right. If you don't, none of us will ever speak to you again. Well, yes we will. But A) your Compac is worthy of a correct fix. B) Anything less than a correct fix will come back to bite you in the ass in the future. Don't ask me how I know this.
Bob23
(ps: Your boat looks really clean...congrats again.)

[Northface25]

"It appears to be on the port side cockpit seat where it meets the coaming. Strange place for a gouge this size."

Yes thats where it is.  I found a guy who is going to help me out with it at the Marina.

PS I was joking about the Duct Tape.

[skip1930]

Grind out the crack, so there is very little loose stuff. Don't go clean through to nothing, and from the inside lay up one resin impregnated piece of cloth.
And then from the top side, fill in with resin. Sand. She'll need to be painted if you don't want it to be so noticeable.

And remember, 'A little Lace and a Little Paint Will Make Her What She Ain't."
Try A Hobby Lobby store for the suplies.

LOL skip.

[Bob23]

For temporary repairs, you can't beat duct tape. Not the cheap stuff, but the real, honest-to-goodness duct tape. Hey, they hold Formula One car bodies together with it, right?
Keep up posted on your adventurs, North.
Bob23

[skip1930]

Have you watched a Formula One race lately?
What's with this electric momentary boost?
Rockets on wheels. All carbon fiber.

'Hundred mile an hour duck tape' was used in Vietnam to cover over AK-47 holes on the Constellations that regularly brought folks to and from the 'World'.

skip.