What Could Have Caused This Crack?

[Julie Mor]

This is at the bow. The crack is on a bulkhead that is facing forward.

[rwidman]

Has the boat been hauled out lately? Blocked?

[a64pilot]

Beleive that is a laminate glued to a piece of plywood?
I think you need to inspect the plywood to determine in there is a structural issue or not, but you are correct to be concerned, the cracked laminate may point to an uderlieing structural issue, or it could well be just the laminate that is cracked

[Roy M]

That crack appears to be in the interior surface liner (notice how straight the vertical line to the right?). It's probably in the Formica. If you have been in heavy weather, it may be that the frame, holding the door to the anchor locker (I assume) has shifted, pinching the Formica liner and causing it to crack. If the boat has been in calm conditions, is there a possibility that someone hit it from the inside? Maybe a large,clumsy person? Open the door (to the right) and see if you can slip your fingers behind the Formica panel to see if there is a gap between the hull and the panel.

At any rate, rather than replace the whole panel, there are repair gels that can be applied to reduce the obviousness of the crack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf3voZ4J1gg

[UNCIVILIZED]

Maybe there was some microscopic cracks in the Formica before it was mounted, & the stresses from that rack caused them to evolve into full sized cracks? What's the bulkheads purpose & location, & also, does it get stressed much/carry much load?

[Suijin]

As noted it might be just the laminate that is cracked, and there can be a couple of reasons for that. Formica is a fairly brittle material and cracks relatively easily, particularly if there is lateral stress on it. So, it might just be some binding of the laminate against the perpendicular butted surface, or it could be the result of flexing of the bulkhead due to impact, blocking, sea cycles, etc.

Did the crack start small and grow, or did it just appear one day in it's entirety? If the former, then that's a clue that it is possibly the result of some repeated stress cycles vs. a one-time event.

[Bohemian17]

Is.there a locker foeward of.the bulkhead? Did someone throw a heavy object against the bilkhead? Anchor? Empty propane bottle? Very strange indeed

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[Julie Mor]

On the other side of the bulkhead is the anchor locker. The door is on the starboard side and opens to a small cabinet. This is on a boat we saw over the weekend so we don't have access to it or know when or how the crack occurred.

[neilpride]

What kind of boat, Brand? is a catamarán?

[Julie Mor]

Originally Posted by neilpride

What kind of boat, Brand? is a catamarán?

Oyster 485. I think there's a sacrificial bow on it. That crack could mean it's been compromised.

[Cheechako]

Just looks like a laminate crack to me. Check the back side.

[neilpride]

As others posters say, could be just the formica, the 485 is a doublé headsail rig, if the chainplate in the inner furler is fitted to this bulkhead, excesive tensión can cause some strees in the bulkhead , but i doubt, prior collision in the bow could be another theory, i dont think so is any kind of flexion or structural failure in the bow area in a 485, they are really well made there ... removing the formica can show if there is any visible crack in the bulkhead...

[Boatyarddog]

Probably just the Formica , it gets brittle after years and due to expansion rates cracked.
It's possible that a hard landing may have flexed the hull/bulkhead there.
Look behind it if you can.


Sent from my iPad SV Cloud Duster

[a64pilot]

See I think it could be as simple as formica type of laminates being very brittle as noted, but glued very well with like a 3M type of contact cement to a plywood or wood backing, the wood can absorb moisture and swell just a tiny bit and crack the laminate.
Or there could be major structural damage behind that crack. Doubt it, but it's possible.

Oysters have formica type of laminate? I would not have thought that.

[jongleur]

The crack is on a bulkhead that is facing forward.

If you are looking aft at the crack, wouldn't the
door in the picture be on the port side? Or, are you
saying that the crack is on the aft side of a bulkhead
and you must look forward to see it?