Polling on extent of gelcoat cracks on Jeanneaus...

[hgarant]

Hi everyone,

We have a 2 1/2 yr old 44i which has developed a number of gelcoat cracks since delivery. In total it probably would equate to 20 ft of gelcoat cracks with some being around one to two feet long and others being several inches long. All are on the deck and coachroof with a number of the longer ones being in regions where the deck has a transition from vertical to horizontal (crack typically running parallel to this transition). A number in the 1" to 6" range start at a fastener hole (e.g. where the grabrail is fastened to the deck). Some small ones are located in miscellaneous locations with no apparent rhyme or reason. I ground back the gelcoat on several of the cracks where self-tapping screws were used to install the wood grabrail and noted that several went pretty deep into the fiberglass (in some cases 1/4" or more) and in some instances found small voids in the layup or what appears to be unwetted fiberglass. Having not owned a new boat before I am looking for some feedback from other owners:

1) How much gelcoat cracking have others seen on boats during the first couple years of ownership?
2) How have others resolved such issues?
3) Any informed opinions on how typical small voids and unwetted glass is in the layup (and whether it is evidence of a problem)?

Thanks

[Trevor]

Hello Hgarant,

I am sorry to hear you are seeing gelcoat cracks on your 44i. I would not expect to see any gelcoat cracks in the first couple of years of ownership. It would be interesting to hear what the dealer thinks of this problem. My understanding (which is very rudimentary I must admit) is that if the gelcoat is too thick it may be prone to cracking as it is unable to flex at all and as it is brittle it cracks. In other words the gelcoat crack does not signify structural weakness but nevertheless is very disappointing.

I have read that the crack can be ground out and filled but I have never done that myself.

I am not sure about the voids you are seeing in the layup.

Good luck with this one. I would take it back to the dealer if possible and get their opinion on what you are seeing.

Regards,

Trevor

[SO 36i - Penelope]

Hello,

We have had several cracks in the gelcoat of our SO36i. The boat was delivered in 2009 and within one year several cracks were visible on the portside of the boat. In the deck as well as the side of the cabin and around the winches and in the gellcoat of the seating. Our dealer has contacted Jeanneau and they repaired all of the cracks.
The next year 2011 some of the old ones returned and new ones appeared. This time it took some time longer before Jeanneau had time to repair. But this was a good thing, as in 2012 more cracks became visible. In that year they worked for three weeks to repair all of the cracks fundamentally and no new ones have been seen so far.

So my advice would be contact your Jeanneau dealer and ask for repair of the cracks. Jeanneau have their own repairteam which travels to your location.

Good luck and regards,

Ewald

[sitara]

Just a few gelcoat cracks around one of the pushput mounting points but nothing major and not worth fixing. The SO36i is 18 months old. There was one void (about 1 cm diameter) in the cockpit gellcoat that had to be repaired so overall I am very happy with the quality of the hull.

[bombaysapphire]

Hi all

Purchase new 379 delivered December 2011 have had to have gel coat cracks repaired twice. One around the main cabin hatch and one around the deck cover to the halyards. Be repaired under warranty. I know of a new 409 that had extensive gelcaot cracking.

[Don Reaves]

My 2004 SO35 developed a few short (6 inch) cracks around the cockpit coamings in the first couple of years. Since then, there have been a few others, with the total maybe being 4 or 5 feet, with the longest being 2 feet or so.

I've kept the area clean, but not otherwise tried to fix the problem. It's not generally considered a structural problem, so it didn't seem to be worth the expense.

Don

[jdl01]

No cracking yet in gelcoat on 2012 SO379 but I do have burst gelcoat bubbles and the hatches are yellowing compared to the deck colour.