When gelcoated fiberglass is bent with the gelcoat to the outside of the bend, at some point the tension on the outside of the gelcoat becomes more than the gelcoat can withstand. The result is fine cracks mostly parallel to each other something like 3/16 to 1/4 inch apart. These are known as stress cracks and are a sign the fiberglass was bent outward in that area. If there was a blow to one area from the inside of your canoe the fine cracks might more resemble a spider web with the center being the point of impact. As long as the fibers in the underlying composite (fiberglass or Kevlar etc.) are not protruding there will be no leaks and the damage is minimal. The area may be a little more flexible as the result of the gelcoat cracks and that is all. Nothing to worry about. Few fiberglass kayaks used in the surf don't sport a few of these. You can often see white streaks through the translucent glass laminate. That is where the gelcoat has pulled away from the glass. Again, no real problem. Odds are it will never get worse and won't cause you any further anxiety. If chips of gelcoat have flaked away you could try to match the gelcoat and fill in the area (good luck getting a perfect match is not easy even if the gelcoat came out of the same can as the original). Alternately, you could use a contrasting color to show off the damage. The suggestion later was not my idea. My brother once rammed a girlfriends kayak while playing in the surf and she had him repair it with a contrasting color (pink if I remember) and sign it in big gelcoat letters. Yakima used to make a magnetic device that mounted on your hood. The wind held it flat until you slowed way down and then it popped up to warn you there was something on your roof rack. I once got one for a girlfriend after the second time I straightened the tray on her bike rack back out (for the same reason you wrote). The bike would land behind the car when it sprung off. If I recall the bike survived the first time but the second time bent the frame. Matt Broze www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Mar 08 2005 - 17:43:19 PST
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