Gelcoat cracking on floor 21ft Ranger Tug

[Newf]

Last year I started to notice hairline cracking in the floor Gelcoat. I don’t know anything about fibreglass and was wondering what would cause this? Worst location is shown in the photo near the front left engine mount. Not looking to rip the floor out but wondering if there is a coating I could roll or brush on that would slow water/ moisture ingress?

 

[Newf]

Forgot to mention that it’s a 2014.

 

[Tight Roll]

Suggest Ozempic

 

[terrin]

Last year I started to notice hairline cracking in the floor Gelcoat. I don’t know anything about fibreglass and was wondering what would cause this? Worst location is shown in the photo near the front left engine mount. Not looking to rip the floor out but wondering if there is a coating I could roll or brush on that would slow water/ moisture ingress?

If you roll or brush anything on it you will not be able to monitor any change. Leave as is and keep an eye on it.

 

[Newf]

If you roll or brush anything on it you will not be able to monitor any change. Leave as is and keep an eye on it.

OK. Will do. Thanks

 

[Bill 310]

Did you reach out to Ranger Tugs? They seem to be a stand up company. A phone call or an email is the lowest cost option

Contact Us | Ranger Tugs

At Ranger Tugs we strive for excellence in all that we do. If you have any questions or comments about our boats or our website, please feel free to contact us.

www.rangertugs.com

 

[Newf]

Did you reach out to Ranger Tugs? They seem to be a stand up company. A phone call or an email is the lowest cost option

Contact Us | Ranger Tugs

At Ranger Tugs we strive for excellence in all that we do. If you have any questions or comments about our boats or our website, please feel free to contact us.

www.rangertugs.com

View attachment 115119

I have not. I didn’t bother as the boat is over 10 years old and the warranty on the hull was only 5yrs I believe. Probably a good idea to though to see if they have seen this before or had a recommendation of what to do. Thanks. I will reach out to them.

 

[Newf]

I have not. I didn’t bother as the boat is over 10 years old and the warranty on the hull was only 5yrs I believe. Probably a good idea to though to see if they have seen this before or had a recommendation of what to do. Thanks. I will reach out to them.

Did you reach out to Ranger Tugs? They seem to be a stand up company. A phone call or an email is the lowest cost option

Contact Us | Ranger Tugs

At Ranger Tugs we strive for excellence in all that we do. If you have any questions or comments about our boats or our website, please feel free to contact us.

www.rangertugs.com

View attachment 115119

A year late reply to your suggestion but I did follow-up with Ranger Tug and they basically said that this was normal for a boat of this age. More of a brush off answer I think because I then followed up on a Ranger Tug forum "Tugnuts" and no one had ever seen this type of cracking in the gelcoat on their boats, many which are much older than mine. Most of them don't have anywhere near the hours on theirs as I do on mine as they use the boat as a day/weekend cruiser which was the original design purpose.

Given that I use the boat strictly for fishing, the floor is wet most of the time so I would like to coat the floor with something that is flexible and durable with good adhesion to gelcoat and basically cover/hide the cracking. I know there's lots of folks on here knowledgable with respect to fibreglass so if you were to coat the floor, what product would you use, keeping in mind the 3 parameters I mentioned?

@terrin had suggested to leave as is and monitor. It's pretty much everywhere on the floor so probably too much vibration/flexing from the 3 banger when at low idle all the time. Or maybe it's the halibut pounding on the floor. I just want it covered if I can.

 

[easydoesit]

I didn’t have cracking problems but had a lot of wear so I had it painted and have repainted it myself a couple of times. Easy prep, easy job.

You could also go with a custom foam flooring job aka faux teak. These look very nice…..

 

[Newf]

I didn’t have cracking problems but had a lot of wear so I had it painted and have repainted it myself a couple of times. Easy prep, easy job.

You could also go with a custom foam flooring job aka faux teak. These look very nice…..

Thanks for the reply. I’m basically looking for something to cover and seal the cracking. A guy at Industrial Plastics recommended adding another layer of Gelcoat. Did that in one area and it starting cracking after a few trips. I’m guessing painting unless it’s somewhat flexible will do the same.
The floor has that non slip textured so the water will seep under any type of matting. I use a rubber matting material now and it’s always wet under it. I don’t know if water does any harm to the fiberglass under the Gelcoat or not but would rather coat the entire floor and seal it if I can. I’ve read online about Kiwigrip and Ultra Tuff products but I have no first hand experience with any of this stuff. I’m not worried about it being “pretty” but as already mentioned I want something with good adhesion, flexible and durable. Thanks again for your reply.

 

[SpringFever2359]

A year late reply to your suggestion but I did follow-up with Ranger Tug and they basically said that this was normal for a boat of this age. More of a brush off answer I think because I then followed up on a Ranger Tug forum "Tugnuts" and no one had ever seen this type of cracking in the gelcoat on their boats, many which are much older than mine. Most of them don't have anywhere near the hours on theirs as I do on mine as they use the boat as a day/weekend cruiser which was the original design purpose.

Given that I use the boat strictly for fishing, the floor is wet most of the time so I would like to coat the floor with something that is flexible and durable with good adhesion to gelcoat and basically cover/hide the cracking. I know there's lots of folks on here knowledgable with respect to fibreglass so if you were to coat the floor, what product would you use, keeping in mind the 3 parameters I mentioned?

@terrin had suggested to leave as is and monitor. It's pretty much everywhere on the floor so probably too much vibration/flexing from the 3 banger when at low idle all the time. Or maybe it's the halibut pounding on the floor. I just want it covered if I can.

@Sttr has to have Ron's #

 

[Squire]

Thanks for the reply. I’m basically looking for something to cover and seal the cracking. A guy at Industrial Plastics recommended adding another layer of Gelcoat. Did that in one area and it starting cracking after a few trips. I’m guessing painting unless it’s somewhat flexible will do the same.
The floor has that non slip textured so the water will seep under any type of matting. I use a rubber matting material now and it’s always wet under it. I don’t know if water does any harm to the fiberglass under the Gelcoat or not but would rather coat the entire floor and seal it if I can. I’ve read online about Kiwigrip and Ultra Tuff products but I have no first hand experience with any of this stuff. I’m not worried about it being “pretty” but as already mentioned I want something with good adhesion, flexible and durable. Thanks again for your reply.

You could belt-sand the non-slip texture down flat, seal with gel coat or an appropriate marine paint, then add a EVA foam flooring product to keep the water out. Big job but it might be the best solution. As well as the popular but expensive Ultradeck and Seadek there are a lot of product choices for the DIYer now on Amazon that provide both function and good looks.

 

[scott craven]

Unless it really bothers you, I would leave it. 12 year old gel coat subject to UV rays and weather
will develop spider cracks. I have them on my 38 year old hull.
Often what looks like a simple repair will morph into a very expensive big project.
JMHO.

 

[Rain City]

Did you tap it? Looks delaminated. My commander had this in a couple areas and seemed like it was where one of the previous owners had laid rubber floor mats down. Both areas tapped hollow. I fixed it with new floor mats.

 

[Newf]

Thanks @scott craven and @Squire. I have added a couple more photos to show the location and type of cracking. It is down both sides of the doghouse but the highest degree of cracking is adjacent to the engine mounts which is why I think it's due to the engine vibration, especially at low idle when trolling. Not sure if those in the photos class as spider cracks or not. This is the side where I recoated with Gelcoat and it started re-cracking in a matter of a couple of weeks.

Scott,,,,I would not be opposed to leave as is. The floor appears to be1/4" to 5/6" thick with no wood that I can see when looking underneath with mirror and camera. I have no knowledge of fibreglass so was concerned that water/moisture in the cracks could cause them to grow and extend down into the fibreglass layers itself. If this is unlikely then I would not be as concerned. I have watched videos of repairs to spider cracks online and as you stated this would morph into something that I am not willing to take on. There are just too many cracks. Online research show that there are many paint or roll-on products for decks. I just need something that will not dry "hard" as it will just crack as well.

Squire,,, Someone recommended EVA foam to me before but I was concerned that it would absorb water, blood, other crap and smell and in the end just peel off. Also easy to clean would be desireable. I have since read online that it does not absorb water or at least some types don't. If I decide to go that way I would definitely sand down the non-slip first so that it would have more surface area to bond with.

Just read in another post where a member redid his floor with Kiwigrip. I'm going to pop into Trotac tomorrow. They seem to have some great folks working there so maybe they'll have a suggestion on a product that would suit what I'm looking for.

 

[Newf]

Did you tap it? Looks delaminated. My commander had this in a couple areas and seemed like it was where one of the previous owners had laid rubber floor mats down. Both areas tapped hollow. I fixed it with new floor mats.

Just went out and did this. On the side that I recoated with Gelcoat there are a couple of small spots (1") where it sounded different but all sounded Ok on the side that I didn't recoat so I'm thinking it's poor bonding spots from my poor prep work.

 

[Rain City]

Just went out and did this. On the side that I recoated with Gelcoat there are a couple of small spots (1") where it sounded different but all sounded Ok on the side that I didn't recoat so I'm thinking it's poor bonding spots from my poor prep work.

I'm no gelcoat expert but I do think that perhaps someone had some kind of mats down at some point and the moisture that sits underneath does cause some kind of freeze thaw process that can weaken the bond between the non skid and the glass. Mine was exactly like this but literally in the shape of a small rubber mat. Maybe grinding and Eva foam application is a more permanent "hide" of the problem. If the glass is solid underneath you can be confident that it's not a structural issue. But at least you won't have to look at it or worry about expensive gelcoat repairs.

 

[Newf]

I'm no gelcoat expert but I do think that perhaps someone had some kind of mats down at some point and the moisture that sits underneath does cause some kind of freeze thaw process that can weaken the bond between the non skid and the glass. Mine was exactly like this but literally in the shape of a small rubber mat. Maybe grinding and Eva foam application is a more permanent "hide" of the problem. If the glass is solid underneath you can be confident that it's not a structural issue. But at least you won't have to look at it or worry about expensive gelcoat repairs.

That someone would be me. I bought the boat new in 2014. I started using mats after about 5 years when the Gelcoat started to show heavy wear in the radius at the floor to side wall areas. The more I look online I think I will just go with some brush or roll on product. Several say they are non slip and flexible so if it bonds well it will as you say “Hide” it from my sight.