Possible hull crack! Help!

[Motox811]

So I just noticed this "crack" on the side of my 2001 SN. It is right where the pin stripe seperates the white hull from the teal "swoosh" on the side. I know it is not jus the pin strippign pulling up the piece pulling away is thick and cracks when you push on it. Is my vintage off SN prone to this problem? Is this a section that is weak on the hull? I just purchased this boat not too long ago and never noticed it until now.

[BT]

I would guess the area had some previous damage and was patched with gelcoat repair. You can probably dig out the loose section and repair again and it will be fine. I doubt the hull is cracked as this would be extremely rare. It would probably be worth your while to get someone to repair it who is experience in gelcoat since it looks to be a fairly large area.

[Motox811]

Sounds good and thank you. I am hoping that is the case. If it was a repairt it had been done by someone who is very good as you cannot tell there was any sort of repair in that area. It is just wierd that it is only along the pin stripe and is fairly long.

[HS]

can a thin piece of metal like a gauge slip inside the crack? If so, how far does it penetrate and over what length of the crack you observed?

[Motox811]

Yes a feeler guage can/would slide in the crack. It goes about 3/16" max and the crack is about +/-14" long. The crack is deepest in the center and slowly fades away as it gets toward each end.

[TRBenj]

It seems awfully coincidental that a crack in the hull would occur precisely at the point where the gel lines come together. Based on that alone, I would guess it to be a problem in the gel only.

That being said, if the crack is really 3/16" deep, that may be a cause for concern. The gel should only be on the order of .020-.030" thick (3/16" = .1875"). That would imply that the crack does in fact extend into the fiberglass hull.

Just to be clear, this is a 2001 model year Ski Nautique, correct? Not a Ski Nautique 2001 (1982-1989)?

[Motox811]

Yes it is a model year 2001. The crack itself is not 3/16" deep. it is hard to discribe but I will try. So if you can imagine the white below the teal swoosh overlaps the teal. it is that "overlapping" part that appears to be cracking. The crack is like the top layer of white is pealing off of the base layer of teal where they meet. The more i looked at it (and pulled off a small chip), it looks like where to two colors meet is seperating. My fear is that this crack will spread with nothing to stop it.