RE: [Paddlewise] Spider cracks in my new Romany

It is sometimes very hard to tell mold cracks (that print through to the
boat) from the real thing. They even often look like "innies" rather than
"outies". Flex the kayak a bit in that area if you can and look very closely
(maybe with a magnifying glass). Do the cracks open up or closes slightly on
flexing. Are they big enough to slip the corner of a sheet of paper into (or
the finest automobile "feeler gauge"). If so they are really cracks but
probably still of no consequence. Odds are even a professional fiberglass
repair job wouldn't be able to match the gelcoat color perfectly or would
leave a visible repair. Since the overwhelming odds are that the cracks are
strictly superficial I'd not mess with them. Just make sure the dealer knows
and has acknowledged you have told him of the problem on the slim chance
this might be a gelcoat problem that could get worse (where it was put on
way too thick and cracked because it got real hot and shrank more than the
fiberglass beneath it). Still not anything but a cosmetic problem but you
are right at resale time it might be hard to convince a nervous buyer of the
lack of any problem. Feel free to give them my phone number if this happens
and I'll be happy to talk to them about how insignificant this kind of thing
usually is even if it is the result of a hard blow (if you don't see any
broken fiberglass below it on the inside it is superficial damage).
Matt Broze
http://www.marinerkayaks.com



> -----Original Message-----
> From: M. Lenon [mailto:lenonm_at_milwaukee.tec.wi.us]
> Sent: Monday, June 12, 2000 2:35 PM
> To: Matt Broze; PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net
> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Spider cracks in my new Romany
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Matt Broze <matt_at_marinerkayaks.com>
>
>
> > >
> > > M. Lenon <lenonm_at_milwaukee.tec.wi.us> wrote:
> > >
> > > Last night I found some spider cracks in the gelcoat of my
> > > fiberglass NDK Romany
> > > Explorer.
>
> > No, not unless they have taken a hard blow or a sustained
> deforming pressure
> > on the side of the laminate opposite of the gelcoat. Did you
> jamb or wedge
> > any "one last thing" into the hatch that might have pushed out
> against that
> > area?
>
> Nope. The boat has never been loaded with much of anything, save
> for the odd pair of
> running shoes and a towel, and occasionally some snacks. It's
> been paddled empty,
> essentially, for all of it's brief and easy life.
>
> > Are you sure they are really cracks? Any chance that it has
> been there since
> > the kayak was new and you hadn't noticed it until they got dirty?
>
> Ahhh... Hope springs eternal in the human breast. I leaped from
> my chair on reading
> this, Matt, and ran to the garage to check! No joy. :-(
>
> It looks cracked, for real.
>
> > >
> > > Should I be concerned?
> >
> > No, don't worry, be happy!
>
> Even if they really *are* cracks?
>
> I'm struggling with both of those at the moment. I don't know
> that I can ever be
> happy about this just because of the doubts it raises. Not only
> in *my* mind, but the
> minds of potential buyers should I someday decide to sell this
> boat. I wouldn't buy
> this boat used, unless the owner offered a massive discount off
> the fair market
> value. A local NDK dealer who was closing his business not long
> ago had an Explorer
> on his floor that had even bigger cracks running along the rear
> deck, as I recall.
> Nobody, including me, wanted to buy that one either. He
> eventually sold it, but I
> wonder what kind of sacrifice he had to make to unload it.
>
> Quite apart from whether there is actually any durability
> problem, and ignoring the
> aesthetic issues, I believe the resale value has been seriously
> diminished. I think
> most folks would take a look at these cracks, and move along to
> the next boat,
> preferring not to take any chances. Who could blame them? And
> buyers *would* see it,
> because I'd make a point of showing it to them. I'd never try to
> hide something I
> thought might be a potential problem.
>
> I guess it's time to take it up with Rutabaga.
>
> I appreciate your help, Matt. Thanks.
>
> Regards,
>
> Bruce
>

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