Cracks in the Bow and Stern

[Garry Funk]

After a recent thorough cleanup of our boat after our first ocean trip I noticed some disturbing cracks under the bow (you have too look up from the u bolt where the trailer strap hooks on the boat to the area under the lip of the deck). These cracks extended about 4" back from the bow and looked pretty ugly to me (however I'm new at this). I've also noticed some smaller cracks around the area where the bottom of the rudder mounts to the transom of the boat. These cracks are only about 2" long and fairly narrow (can't stick a finger nail in them). They are located where the vertical transom meets the topside of the bottom of the boat (there is a lip here if you know what I mean).We have been fairly certain that no water is migrating into the bilge from these cracks.My questions are:1) How do you classify the severity of the cracking? Is it possible this is just a gel coat fracturing or is it a serious structural defect?2) Where can I get some instructions on how to repair these cracks once I understand their severity?Thanx in advance.Garry

[Dave Condon]

Garry;The area you speak of is the hull to deck joint. Although it looks ugly and you are not getting any water in, it is easy to fix this simple pbroblem. Simply remove or gouge out the marine filler and clean using acetone(be careful not to touch bottom paint with the acetone)that area you are repairing.Then refill using marine filler, sanding and regeling the area with white Hunter exterior gel coat. IF the cracks are longer, then fiberglassing might come into play but it doesn/t appear in this situation. Hopefully, this will answer your problem