spiderweb like cracks on fiberglass surface

[jondsw]

hi folks,
i recently bought my scamp and i see these hairline cracks in several areas. what is the best corrective action?

if there is a thread covering this (i'm sure it has come up many times) i'd appreciate being directed there.

thanks,
jondsw

[RogerDat]

Pictures would help. Go to user CP link top left corner of the page, albums and pictures link in the CP (Control Panel) upload the picture, copy the link from under the picture after it uploads and paste link in your post.

Don't know the age of your camper but the outer white gel coat gets stiffer than the fiberglass with age and can get tiny surface cracks due to the fiberglass underneth flexing more than the gel coat surface can. These are cosmetic. If the cracks go down into the structure of the FG or clear through that is more of an issue.

You might find page 5 of this pdf of use, has drawings of the different types of cracks and what typically causes the pattern of cracking diagramed.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/assets/HowTo-Publications/Fiberglass-Boat-Repair-and-Maintenance.pdf


Even cosmetic surface cracks it's a good idea to at least coat with a wax or polish and try to seal to keep water out of the crack, don't know if you have to deal with freezing temps but water in the tiny crack that freezes makes the crack get bigger over time.

[Cam A]

I have not used this product, but am considering it:Capt. Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure

[RogerDat]

I have not tried the creeping crack cure but several people on the forum have. Worth checking out and investigation on that basis alone.

What is needed really depends on how deep the crack goes, gel coat surface is cosmetic, all the way through or into the fiberglass sub strata is of greater concern.

It also might make a some difference what caused it. E.G cracks around hinge bolts vs where something hit fiberglass. Those hinge bolt cracks are going to get worse until the fiberglass breaks. Impact damage not so much.

[melissab]

I dont know how old your trailer is but I picked up my brand new Scamp 13 from the factory last yr. By the time I got it back home to Florida it had Spider cracks on both front corners from the belly band all the way to the bottom. Kent (owner of Scamp) had never seen that happen to a new Scamp before. He offered to pay to have it fixed locally but since it was a brand spankin new trailer I wanted to be confident in the repair so I returned to the factory this past summer. Plus it's such a beautiful area to vacation in I didnt mind one bit. The cracks were not just in the gelcoat and they never did decide what was the cause. They re-fiberglassed over the area, sanded it, polished it etc and it looks good as new. If you run your hand down the trailer you can feel where they had to build it up but if you dont know it's there you'd probably never be able to pick it out. I'm not sure how they determined the cracks were not just surface but wanted to let you know if may not be just cosmetic no matter how new your trailer is.

[Ervin2022 scamp]

Originally Posted by melissab

I dont know how old your trailer is but I picked up my brand new Scamp 13 from the factory last yr. By the time I got it back home to Florida it had Spider cracks on both front corners from the belly band all the way to the bottom. Kent (owner of Scamp) had never seen that happen to a new Scamp before. He offered to pay to have it fixed locally but since it was a brand spankin new trailer I wanted to be confident in the repair so I returned to the factory this past summer. Plus it's such a beautiful area to vacation in I didnt mind one bit. The cracks were not just in the gelcoat and they never did decide what was the cause. They re-fiberglassed over the area, sanded it, polished it etc and it looks good as new. If you run your hand down the trailer you can feel where they had to build it up but if you dont know it's there you'd probably never be able to pick it out. I'm not sure how they determined the cracks were not just surface but wanted to let you know if may not be just cosmetic no matter how new your trailer is.

I bought a brand new 2022 13’ scamp and had them deliver. I didn’t notice when I got her but after 1 month of staring at her every day I noticed there where cracks in the gel coat. They are located in the front lower corner. I feel they shouldn’t be there on a new trailer.

[ShelbyM]

What did Scamp have to say about it?

[Ervin2022 scamp]

Originally Posted by ShelbyM

What did Scamp have to say about it?

I just emailed them now, I hope they do something about it. I guess I hadn’t reached out because there warranty says it doesn’t cover spider cracks. I have no other complaints, everything is functioning as it should and she is beautiful. I get about 50people coming over to see it everywhere I go.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Ervin2022 scamp

I just emailed them now, I hope they do something about it. I guess I hadn’t reached out because there warranty says it doesn’t cover spider cracks. I have no other complaints, everything is functioning as it should and she is beautiful. I get about 50people coming over to see it everywhere I go.

Light spider cracks are not structural and can often be obscured with a good coat of wax followed with gelgloss.