www.iFourWinns.com

I have these little hair line stress cracks around the base of the port and starboard aft deck where the transom deck meets the rest of the boat frame. Is it worth patching these with the gelcoat patch or will they just come back again. The boat is a 1999 238 vista. They aren't really noticeable unless you look for them. I'm concerned about water entering them.

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Alexj



1995 Four Winns Horizon 190
OMC 5.0 RL

Can you post pictures? Preferably as up-close as possible, and then just a little further back so we can see the general area.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Please post a couple of pics. Stress cracks happen and most of the time they aren't worth fixing because they will come back. They are a cosmetic thing. If they are extensive then there is a problem. I have some small ones at the very base of the cabin door ( about 1" in length) as well as some in the far corners of the helm where all the gauges are.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

I'm just finishing a large portion of my esp. The prior owner must have backed into a piling. As well defined as they were I was surprised to see that the cracks didn't extend into the fiberglass underneath very much if at all. The key to the repair is grinding the crack out. It's must likely superficial. If you decide to do it check out spectrumcolor.com They guys here pointed me to them and I have to say the color match is damn near perfect!

I have the pics to be posted both for the stress cracks and my new swim platform but cannot get it posted. I have them loaded in the photo gallery but can't seem to copy them into the body of the text. I also need to delete a photo because I have exceeded my quota and can't get the close up of the cracks loaded. HELP!!

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Alexj



1995 Four Winns Horizon 190
OMC 5.0 RL

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Alexj



1995 Four Winns Horizon 190
OMC 5.0 RL

I don't know much about cruisers, but if it were me I'd be concerned about water entry there too. I'd think it could be fixed, but I'm not sure it's going to be a DIY project if you want it to be a permanent fix. I assume there's a bit of flex right in that area when you step near there. Some sort of reinforcement may have to be installed under the platform to keep the cracks from returning.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

Any ideas on the process of how I could patch these cracks?

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Alexj



1995 Four Winns Horizon 190
OMC 5.0 RL

I too have those kind of cracks on our funship. The entry door and where the bimini tops are. I would recommend venturing down there and look how supported it is, it it isn't then I recommend cutting out a piece of wood to size for extra support, but I would fiberglass it in, and then paint it. If you were to sell the boat and people see wood there you don't want it to look like you just put something there. Make it look professional. From the pics I don't think water entry will be a problem there unless it continues to expand. Also if you were to patch it it would be noticeable because (no offense) but from the pictures you gelcoat is oxidized.

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2000 Four Winns 214 Funship
Volvo Penta 5.0 SX
85 Hours
Bimini Top Extension
Full Camper
Full Mooring Cover

The gelcoat will be removed and the area re-coated. Gelcoat isn't flexible like figerglass. These types of cracks can happen may times where there is actually too much gel applied. You cn get them fixed. I'd make sure that someone who is experienced gets a look at it to make sure there is no structural issues. They may reappear even if there is no underlying cause.

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Jvalich
http://www.badcock.com

'04 FW 288 Vista "Mental Floss"

Thanks for the advice on the stress cracks. But I see that someone noticed that my gelcoat was oxidized. I heard that mentioned in other topic strings. I'm not sure what that is. How do you get it out?

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Alexj



1995 Four Winns Horizon 190
OMC 5.0 RL

Oxidation is where the UV rays of the sun take away the luster of the gelcoat. It makes it dry , brittle and flaky. This is why they make mooring covers so that the boat doesn't oxidize. For example, we bought an '89 Sear 180 BR in 1997 and kept it until 2000. The original owner had a mooring cover since day one and the gelcoat look liked it was from the factory. Currently our Funship is oxidized because we had the normal cover on. We recently got a mooring cover so I had to start buffing it out. To get it out I highly recommend 3M products. First clean the area, then use a buffer (like a Porter-Cable 7476) and a sheepskin cover (I think) and buff away using 3M . And thats it I'll post a whole new thread for everybody later.

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2000 Four Winns 214 Funship
Volvo Penta 5.0 SX
85 Hours
Bimini Top Extension
Full Camper
Full Mooring Cover

What particular 3m product do you use?

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Alexj



1995 Four Winns Horizon 190
OMC 5.0 RL

Opps. My bad. It's 3M Super Duty Rubbing Compound. It comes in a large clear bottle and in tannish. After you are satisfied, Finish it off with Finesse-It, and then I wax it using 3M Boat Wax with Scotchgard. Tomorrow (or later today) I might post up a thread about oxidation. Including steps and pictures, and pictures of the process.

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2000 Four Winns 214 Funship
Volvo Penta 5.0 SX
85 Hours
Bimini Top Extension
Full Camper
Full Mooring Cover