I'm waiting to hear back from the local boat shop, but someone here probably has some good insight to the following: One 2 occasions, I've driven into the garage, having forgotten to take my canoe off first. I know I know; don't lecture me. It's a fiberglass (fiberlar?) Bell Wildfire. At first, it didn't appear to have any damage, like the boat had gotten squeezed, and had only received some nice paint streaks. Now I can tell there are almost symmetrical stress lines on both sides of the inside of the hull. On the outside of the hull, the gel coat is just barely cracked along parts of the stress lines. The hull does not leak. I don't know if I can just leave it alone until the gel coat gets more cracked/loose, or if it's just a gel coat thing to mess with, or if it's major glass work. Has anyone else had this happen and can give me an idea of how bad this might be? Thanks in advance. Bruce *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
My canoeing partner has a single outrigger with stress cracks along the sides of the seat. The current designs factory told him the stress cracks were not a problem, the hull isn't leaking and the fiberglass/carbon underneath appears to be okay. The gel coat cracks are from the hull flexing a little, not from any impacts. So there's a manufacturer claiming it's not a problem... As for ramming your boat into the garage, you simply need more gear in your garage so you can't park in it anymore. Kirk On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:43:35 -0600, "Bruce Stromberg" <bstromberg3_at_comcast.net> said: > One 2 occasions, I've driven into the garage, having forgotten to take > my canoe off first. I know I know; don't lecture me. > > It's a fiberglass (fiberlar?) Bell Wildfire. At first, it didn't appear > to have any damage, like the boat had gotten squeezed, and had only > received some nice paint streaks. Now I can tell there are almost > symmetrical stress lines on both sides of the inside of the hull. On the > outside of the hull, the gel coat is just barely cracked along parts of > the stress lines. The hull does not leak. > > I don't know if I can just leave it alone until the gel coat gets more > cracked/loose, or if it's just a gel coat thing to mess with, or if it's > major glass work. > > Has anyone else had this happen and can give me an idea of how bad this > might be? -- Kirk Olsen *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Kirk Olsen wrote: > As for ramming your boat into the garage, you simply need more gear in > your garage so you can't park in it anymore. I was thinking of mountin a mirror above the garage door, but yours is a much more elegant suggestion. -- Steve Cramer Athens, GA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Years ago I sold my old Wenonah Jensen 17 to a friend who hung it from her garage rafters and then one day drove into the garage with her ski rack on the car. The ski rack hit the canoe, which swung forward and broke the garage window. Then it swung back again, hit the ski rack, and ripped it off the car. Result: Several hundred dollars worth of repairs to the car and rack. The canoe, however, was fine. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This is similar to what I learned yesterday from one of the local shops. I'm going to monitor the stress lines and cracks in gel coat. It's not leaking at all. I feel like an idiot, although a lucky idiot. Kirk Olsen wrote: > My canoeing partner has a single outrigger with stress cracks along the > sides of the seat. The current designs factory told him the stress > cracks were not a problem, the hull isn't leaking and the > fiberglass/carbon underneath appears to be okay. The gel coat cracks > are from the hull flexing a little, not from any impacts. > > So there's a manufacturer claiming it's not a problem... > > As for ramming your boat into the garage, you simply need more gear in > your garage so you can't park in it anymore. > > Kirk > > On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:43:35 -0600, "Bruce Stromberg" > <bstromberg3_at_comcast.net> said: > > >>One 2 occasions, I've driven into the garage, having forgotten to take >>my canoe off first. I know I know; don't lecture me. >> >>It's a fiberglass (fiberlar?) Bell Wildfire. At first, it didn't appear >>to have any damage, like the boat had gotten squeezed, and had only >>received some nice paint streaks. Now I can tell there are almost >>symmetrical stress lines on both sides of the inside of the hull. On the >>outside of the hull, the gel coat is just barely cracked along parts of >>the stress lines. The hull does not leak. >> >>I don't know if I can just leave it alone until the gel coat gets more >>cracked/loose, or if it's just a gel coat thing to mess with, or if it's >>major glass work. >> >>Has anyone else had this happen and can give me an idea of how bad this >>might be? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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/ ***************************************************************************
Matt Broze wrote: >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. > > I use the full garage method myself. Many years ago (1970s) I knew a family that always owned VW vans, one after another. When they needed a 2nd car they bought a little station wagon. One day, Mom was coming home from work and swung in to park at the grocery store. The parking was nose-in to the side of the building. She had driven the VWs for so many years that she was used to parking with her body only about 3-4 feet from the wall. Unfortunately this day she was so preoccupied that she didn't realize she was in the little wagon, and she rammed the brick wall as she was aiming to park it withthe front bumber about 2-3 feet inside the wall. Ouch. True story. GaryJ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
One of my worst events was when in the summer of 1999 I was touring all along the West Coast demoing a water bicycle called Wavebike. I had it on top of a Ram Wagon. The hull was sitting over the roof rack and the light aluminum frame with handlebars, brakes and everything was standing straight and tall. It was an impressive device. I also had one of my kayaks, needed to follow the bike user and help him back in case of trouble. Started from Queretaro, crossed the border in Laredo. On the second day drove to Dallas, gave a demo, which implied unloading the stuff, showing it, towing the rider back against heavy wind, (since he could not stay upright and drifted) and loading the water bike and kayak back on the car. Then I drove to Oklahoma and had dinner at the famous bar in Guthrie where the great famous race took place, about a century or more ago, for the conquest of the lands of that State, by the Cimarron River. I was very excited for visiting such an historical place and so tired from all the day's activity and driving. I started looking for a hotel and all were full. It took me a couple of hours and some towns, and suddenly there was one that said "Vacancy" and the same car I had seen in other hotels rushing to get the place. So I entered quickly to get to the lobby parking before the other guy and there was this low roof and I smashed the bike frame against it. Nobody walked out and I saw that there was little damage to the hotel so I drove out happy that nobody claimed the harm done. Far away, I looked at the bike and the frame was bent and broken. The whole purpose of the trip was about to end. So, I finally found a hotel, went to (try to) sleep and rested some. I felt the most miserable living species in Earth. It is hard to give up something after several months planning and work, so, next morning I called my office and had my wife send, via DHL, another frame straight to Andrie Hurley's place in Port Townsend. That was where the demos along the Pacific Coast would start. When I arrived there after three more beautiful sight seeing but uneventful driving days, the frame had arrived, and I had no problem putting the thing back together. I remember that Matt Broze and Robert Livingston, among others, but known by paddlewisers tried the Wavebike and my kayak. I also remember that the demos occurred on Seattle on the fourth of July, and remember many kayakers and boaters on the lake watching the fireworks. Finally, the last funny comment was that in the Seattle hotel, I was assigned the room for people with disabilities that was by the lobby. I felt a little bit uncomfortable, but did not question the personnel decision. So I could be seen entering and leaving my room from all the sitting places around the lobby. The funny thing was that for two days morning and evening I exited or entered in shorts, booties, and holding in my hands paddle, and wet sprayskirt and PFD and you name it. I didn't know if I should smile to the watching people, or walk like limbed, or just look at the floor. That was a trip to remember, and the comments here awoke the memories. Best Regards, Rafael Mexico *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This is a great description. Thank you and thanks to all the other good replies given. What's sad/funny is the 2nd time I drove into the garage with the canoe. It was this past New Year's Day and I had been on the 19th annual paddle on the north branch of the Chicago River. Some other people had put the canoe on the Trooper and I didn't notice it was stern forward. So...not only do I have mirror images side to side, I have them front to back. :-( Thanks again. Bruce Matt Broze wrote: > 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. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:41 PDT