Hairline cracking in Gelcoat on cockpit floor

[Newf]

2014 R21EC. Started to see cracking in the floor Gelcoat about 2 years ago but seems to be accelerating this past year. The photo shows the worst location which is adjacent to the left front engine mount. What typically is the cause of this type of cracking? Is there something preventive that I can do to prevent water ingress into the cracking? Is there a compound that I could roll or brush on entire floor that would help? Is there any wood or other material besides Fiberglas in the floor?

 

[Newf]

I was hoping for some guidance on what could have caused this and what I could do to prevent it from getting worse. But,,,,, I guess not.

 

[ConnorDietz]

Hello,

These cracks are pretty normal on fiberglass boats. Especially with the age of your boat. Normally they are cosmetic stress cracks in high stress areas. It can also be caused by sun damage too. To repair this, you would need to grind out all stress cracks and fill them with gelcoat. You could also install the foam decking on the non skid. If you aren't worried about the looks, you can put a high strength sealant to keep them from spreading.

Here is a link to the crack sealant that you could try out!

https://www.amazon.com/Captain-Tolleys-Creeping-Crack-Bottle/dp/B00JQ6XHWC/ref=asc_df_B00JQ6XHWC?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79989522877323&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583589101785905&psc=1

 

[Newf]

While I don't agree with your assessment of "Normally they are cosmetic stress cracks in high stress areas." or "It can also be caused by sun damage too.", I do appreciate your feed back.

These are in the middle of the floor and not near corners or what would be considered "high stress locations". If a flat floor location is a high stress area then I would think that it's a design issue and due to inadequate or no support under the floor. With respect to sun damage I have had a full bimini since day one so unlikely to be the issue. I posted the photo on a R21 Facebook forum and no one reported having this type of, or degree of cracking in the floor area like mine. Many owners have much older boats than mine. Note: I have more hours on my boat compared to most folks so maybe it's a fatigue issue from high use. In any case it is what it is so I won't argue over what caused it.

Does the floor have a wood core or all fiberglass? There are way too many cracks to grind out individually so I was wondering if there was a product that would bond to the non slip deck that I could roll or brush on to keep water/moisture out of the cracks? Not overly concerned with the cosmetics.

Again, thanks for your previous response.

 

[ConnorDietz]

It should be nidacore and not wood in the floor. The sealant I posted on the previous comment should work for this!

Thank you

 

[Newf]

Thank you. I will give the sealant a try.