Use of Captain Tolley's on Horizontal Surfaces

[CampyTime]

Dear Fellow FGRV Friends,
I have read many posts on Captain Tolley's and plan on using it in the spring for some gelcoat cracks to the rear of the wheel well and above the front window in my Scamp 13er (2012). My Scamp had been in an accident and was repaired at the factory, so I am assuming these cracks are a remaining result of stress that showed up later, as all the major damage was seen to beautifully by Scamp.
I went to the Tolley's website and some wording for horizontal applications eludes me as I don't know what they mean by the following:

"Vertical cracks need to have 'swallow nests' of putty, clay or mastic to allow the product to penetrate sideways, or the cracks may be covered with masking tape.
Apply at 30 minute intervals until no more Creeping Crack Cure is absorbed. Check for wastage and protect surfaces liable to damage from the product. To ensure that the areas are
effectively sealed, repeat treatment after 24 hours."

Forgive me, but I'm not sure what they mean by swallow's nests. I'm picturing in my mind just using some type of putty along the length of the crack so it doesn't drip downward. Is that what they mean?

However, if I decided to use their masking tape method, does that mean you cover the area with masking tape strips after applying product, and then pull it off every 30 minutes to see if you can get more product into the crack?

I'm hoping to hear from anybody who has used this stuff for a horizontal application, so as to enlighten me on your experiences. Thank you, as always, for everything I learn here. What a goldmine of information!

Warmly,
Wendy (CampyTime)

[Alf S.]

Hi: CampyTime... I believe what the Capt'n is saying is you need to stick little troughs along the cracks to cup the Crack Cure till it soaks into the cracks. It's very hard to fill a vertical surface with a very thin liquid. Painting it in with a fine artist paint brush several times may do just as well to coat the cracks but the liquid shouldn't dry out till the cracks are well soaked. IMHO!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Raz]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Forgive me, but I'm not sure what they mean by swallow's nests. I'm picturing in my mind just using some type of putty along the length of the crack so it doesn't drip downward. Is that what they mean?
(CampyTime)

Hi Wendy. As Alf suggests Capt Tolleys is like water, very runny, so I think what you are picturing is correct. Swallows nest=putty dam. I used it to seal a few hairline cracks in the gel coat. My concern was water would get in, freeze, and expand the cracks. As I recall I put a drop or two at the top of the crack and let it flow down catching it with a rag. Atmospheric pressure pushed some into the crack and I mopped up the rest. The paint brush idea sounds good too. The cracks haven't gotten bigger so I assume the stuff worked. Good luck, Raz

[CampyTime]

Thank you for writing to me about the Tolley's gentlemen. Alf, I was wondering how you tell if the cracks are well soaked? If the stuff is a liquid, doesn't it just look wet every time? Some of the cracks on my trailer (the ones I'm concerned about) can be felt a bit when you run your hand across, (gel coat) and they run east to west. Other cracks are just those "spider" ones people talk about, where there's not really any separation of sorts to "fill."

Raz...as the cracks run east to west, as opposed to north and south, I'm not sure if the Tolley's would flow that way, as it sounds perhaps the way yours did in your posting (down toward the ground). Perhaps if I held the rag under where I was running the stuff, and just let the extra drip onto it? Or maybe the artist's brush would be good too. Since the cracks aren't deep (and I haven't used the product, so hard to visualize), I can't see how you would tell that they are soaked well. The literature for the product says to apply every 20 minutes...maybe I just need to do it to see it!

Thanks to you gentlemen, for helping me out and I hope to hear from you.

Warmly,
Wendy

[Alf S.]

Hi: CampyTime... Here's a pic. of the spider cracks on the noggin' dome of the roof of our 5.0. I was prepared to have the spot repaired by a local marine dealer, but Reace from Escape trailer saw the pic. and suggested to just keep it well coated with good wax. To date I haven't used the Captn's Crack Cure.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[CampyTime]

Hi Alf,
Here are a few pics of the spidey cracks (and others, perhaps) on my 2012 Scamp. The photos are from behind the passenger side wheelwell. I'll let you be the judge of whether the Cap'n is in order or not. As you can probably tell from all of my dumb posts, I am a full fledged "newbie." I often wonder what others think when they read my questions...I praise them for their patience!

I am trying to find the "button" for adding photos. Oh, I think I have it...is it add attachments? We'll see what happens here

[CampyTime]

I see that two of the pics I uploaded are just of the torn black trim...nevermind those. It's the darker ones that show the cracks. They look deeper than yours to me...

[D White]

Unless they are leaking, I would leave them alone...if they are leaking, they need to be repaired properly IMHO....Dave

[CampyTime]

Not leaking that I know of...they are below the inner wall of the camper (near wheel well). As I've mentioned previously, a couple of those lines may be felt with your fingers...hence my thoughts of the Captain Tolley's being in order. I do plan on keeping them heavily waxed, and I bought a tub of (is it called) Meguire's Paste Wax (ultimate gold or something like that). Is there a better wax out there that I should use?

[Raz]

Mine are quite minor compared to yours. I was concerned with sealing against water getting in and freezing causing further damage. The Capt. Tolley's seemed like a permanent solution. Be aware that it does leave a stain. I have a off color area around each crack from where it entered the gel coat. Unless I showed you where it was you wouldn't notice but it is there. As far as wax is concerned Meguires seems to be the most recommended. Raz

[D White]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Not leaking that I know of...they are below the inner wall of the camper (near wheel well). As I've mentioned previously, a couple of those lines may be felt with your fingers...hence my thoughts of the Captain Tolley's being in order. I do plan on keeping them heavily waxed, and I bought a tub of (is it called) Meguire's Paste Wax (ultimate gold or something like that). Is there a better wax out there that I should use?

Fiberglass stress cracks won't leak if they aren't leaking (I know sounds weird) if the "stress" on the panel is no longer there (like getting hit or otherwise damaged, or too much weight in a cabinet, etc.) it will NOT deteriorate any further with any sort of freeze thaw cycle like regular SOB trailers...it's one of the many benefits of molded trailers. Leave them alone. Wax choice is personal, many excellent choices...Dave

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Not leaking that I know of...they are below the inner wall of the camper (near wheel well). As I've mentioned previously, a couple of those lines may be felt with your fingers...hence my thoughts of the Captain Tolley's being in order. I do plan on keeping them heavily waxed, and I bought a tub of (is it called) Meguire's Paste Wax (ultimate gold or something like that). Is there a better wax out there that I should use?

Hi: CampyTime... I'd do the wax thing for a couple of years to see what hapens!!! Just don't buff it all off vigorously. I think the kind of cracks we all have are just surface ones and the wax will repel the water just fine.
As Reace said "Sometimes not doing more is better in the end".
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[CampyTime]

Hi Everybody,
Thank you for all of your thoughtful replies! I really appreciate it. I think the photos make worse of the situation...the area looks huge in the pics, but is only about 8" long by 4" wide total.
The pic I have that is not very good at showing is the one above the radius of the front window. There are five cracks there, all starting at the black trim around the window. None more than 1" long, very fine. However, they're not the spider type, "flare outs" that you see in the other pics I posted. Just five, distinct little cracks, none separated or anything like that. Must have been residual from the accident the trailer had (mentioned in my first post). I'm surprised Scamp didn't catch those, unless they appeared after their repairs.

[Donna D.]

Can you still put in a claim on the insurance? I'm guess this was covered because of an accident of some sort... But, IMHO the others are right. leave well enough alone. Wax will fill in small divets. I'm visual, so I can imagine this bugs you a bit. But don't worry... be happy and go camping!

[Mike Magee]

Captain Tolley's sounds like work. I think I'll stick to Captain Morgan.

[charliej]

Arrrrrrrhhhhh

[CampyTime]

Hi Donna,
You betcha I'll keep on waxing it! The accident occurred with the previous owner, so it wouldn't be under my insurance. I drove a long way to pick her up, and to be honest, I am such a "newb" I only noticed the hairline cracks over the radius of the window. I could see inside that it hadn't been leaking (I hope). Again, only in gelcoat. The wheel well...now that's another story. Call me dumb, but in my excitement I only noticed the tear in the black vinyl trim along the base of the trailer.
I did call a boat repairman the other day, just to see what he thought, and sent some pics (name is "Dr. Gelcoat"). Nice to live here around Lake Ontario for that reason. He says around $500 to fix the whole thing, but would only guarantee the hairline cracks above the radius of the window if we took the window off, as they probably run under the moulding. Donna, do you know if when you take that moulding off, you need to have new on hand, or being that the trailer is a 2012, should it be in decent enough shape to put back on? Further, isn't the window on the front of Scamps plexiglass or no?

Cheers!

Wendy (CampyTime)

[CampyTime]

Captain Morgan over Tolley's anyday Mike. Sounds like a plan!

[Donna D.]

Yes, the front window in your Scamp is plexi. Now, whether to replace the gasket material.... It would depend on the condition. It needs to be really rubbery/flexible.. not the least bit hard. This is something you'll need to determine. If it were me, I'd ask the repair place to guarantee a leak free window, that may help determine the condition of the gasket material!

Best of luck.

[CampyTime]

Hi Donna D.,
I hope you are well today! I think I am coming to some resolution on this. Right now, my gut is telling me "less is more." So....the boat guy's given me his price, but I think I'm just going to hand paint in the Tolley's with an artist's fine brush (vertical surface, trying to avoid runs), and then keep her waxed like heck. I have Meguiar's Past Wax (I think Ultimate Gold), but I'm hearing great things about the Flagship Marine Wax liquid stuff...easy on, easy off. Although I have no oxidation (trailer is a 2012), I think it may be better stuff than what I bought.
WOW...does the learning ever stop at this place?