Hairline hull fractures Opinions please

[KeithSnedden]

Hello All:

My first post. We presently have a 1978 Sabre 28 and are looking at buying a 1990 Beneteau 35s5. Owner accepted our offer, deposit paid, survey conducted.
Overall the survey was good but did show the attached hairline fractures, both starboard and port sides. Owner suggests it was due to the stand placement when put on the hard. The broker says the model does not have bulkheads in the normal positioning and that this might well be the case.
Does anyone have any knowledge of this model Beneteau and any inherent fracture problems? (I cannot find any online). If it was the stands does this pose a significant problem going forward? Any advice welcome.
Thanks
Keith.

[JPA Cate]

The hull flexed more than it should have there (or there wouldn't be the cracks). Perhaps it is only the gelcoat, perhaps the fiberglass layup is also crushed. If the latter, then I would say that at the very least, you should enquire of a good fiberglass worker what is entailed in repairing it and the difficulties he or she would encounter, as well as the cost. After appropriate repair, it should be fine. I personally would not want to take the chance on it without the repair. Ymmv.

I'm old and grumpy, and I'd walk away; I'm in a phase of eliminating unnecessary hassles from my life now.

Ann

[Cheechako]

Can't see that very well but they appear to be impact cracks. ie: someone hit a piling or dock or etc. Often they are simply in the brittle gel coat which isn't reinforced. See if you can see the interior hull there. (or is it cored or painted there?) They almost look more like scratches than cracks... but hard to see.
Fiberglass will flex a lot unless it's cored, so the gel cracks without much damage to structure.
It's a 30+ year old boat...

[JimsCAL]

What did the surveyor say about the cracks? Did he say just gelcoat or more? Did he looke inside for signs of damage?

[wingssail]

Deflection of the hull can often cause this pattern of hairline cracks in the gellcoat or paint. Often this is just surface cracking. Frequently it is seen in the forward portions of the hull near or just above the waterline.

However it is serious if the underlying laminate is cracked or damaged.

Clearly if cracks are present inside the boat the hull is damaged.

If it is cored there is a possibility that the core is damaged or compressed.

This needs to be examined carefully by expert fiberglass workers before you accept the vessel. You are lucky that the survey mentioned it.

[KeithSnedden]

Thank you Ann, all noted.

[KeithSnedden]

Hi Jim, surveyor did not report anything from interior, but noted not all areas accessible (par for the course). Did say that hull would need to be sanded down to determine extent. Problem is we are in Canada and the boat in MD.

[KeithSnedden]

Hi Cheechako, I don’t think it’s impact. Agree with your other comments, thanks.

[KeithSnedden]

Hi Wingsail, thank you for your reply.

[KeithSnedden]

HULL: MOLDED FRP (FIBER REINFORCED PLASTIC) WITH ALTERNATE LAYERS OF WOVEN ROVING AND MAT WITH ORIGINAL GEL COAT.

[Clivevon]

Hi, depends how brave you are feeling. Any 30 year old boat will have issues of one sort or another. This damage is not nothing, but it might be not much or it might be very serious indeed.
As a buyer, you would be best advised to take a worst case view & proceed accordingly - either withdraw altogether or drastically reduce your offer to allow for the cost of entirely replacing both those 2 sections of damaged hull - grinding out until the cracks have entirely disappeared then rebuilding & regelcoating the area to match the rest of the hull - not at all easy to do. I would assume several thousand dollars. Get some quotes.

The seller then has a choice - accept your reduced offer so you can get the work done under proper surveyor supervision, or fix it himself (probably not properly) & sell it on to someone else.

I would not buy the boat unless I could have the work done myself under surveyor supervision & fully signed off.

[Clivevon]

"Owner suggests it was due to the stand placement when put on the hard. The broker says the model does not have bulkheads in the normal positioning and that this might well be the case."
Please note neither the owner of the broker are on your side - ignore them. What did your surveyor say? That is all that matters.
MY MAIN POINT: I have never seen stands erected against the topsides of a boat. They are always erected against the underwater part of the hull. I would seriously doubt what the owner & broker are telling you - sounds like BS to me. If you put stands against the topsides of the hull (above the waterline) you would run a big risk of scratching the hull - nobody does that (but there are idiots out there of course).

So the cracks are down to something else - over pressed fenders or other impact damage causing stress fractures maybe.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Clivevon

"[I]So the cracks are down to something else - over pressed fenders or other impact damage causing stress fractures maybe.

Certainly something odd to be on both sides, so perhaps not an allision . Keith are they in roughly the same position on both port and starboard?

I think I would want a good look at the inside surfaces, even if that meant dismantling furniture. The reason being is the GRP is probably translucent so with strong direct sun on the outside you can probably peer deep into the laminate. Certainly can on mine apart from the bilge which has been painted.

Still worth pursuing though, so hold your nerve and investigate a bit further, after all the rest of the survey is good.

Pete

[contrail]

Problem is that the OP said he is in Canada and the boat is in MD, and, of course, we all know that going back and forth is not easy, if even possible.


The best he can do is speak further with the surveyor, possibly get a second opinion from a fiberglasser (maybe the surveyor can suggest one), and then decide to proceed or not, or, as was mentioned, lower the offer to repair a worse case scenario. Many other options would exist, if he could personally be there, but that is the problem.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by KeithSnedden

HULL: MOLDED FRP (FIBER REINFORCED PLASTIC) WITH ALTERNATE LAYERS OF WOVEN ROVING AND MAT WITH ORIGINAL GEL COAT.

hmmm Well, unless the surveyor says it's a problem, I probably wouldn't let this issue stand in the way if you have a lot of time invested in finding and purchasing.
Look inside and out, gel cracks are not a significant issue and on most older boats you see if you look hard enough.
Looking down the hull sides... any lumps or bumps apparent? Especially at bulkheads. I think it was mentioned earlier that these are not at a bulkhead...?

There must be a Beneteau group out there to ask. I'd have to see more and closer to reject the boat on what I see from here...

Surveyors usually have a list of things that should be fixed right away.... are these on it?