Cracks in Gelcoat

I have a 2019 Craz purchased new in '19 from Southtown Water Sports in Raleigh, NC. I noticed 3 separate ~6" cracks in the gelcoat coming from the surf tabs on the back of the boat (2 cracks on the starboard side and 1 on the port). They each seem to be coming from one of the screws that secures the tabs to the transom. Took it to the dealer and they said it was out of warranty (I only get 1 year on the gelcoat). They told me it doesn't qualify as a hull warranty claim. Cost is ~$2k to fix.

Anybody ever seen this issue?
Any thoughts or advice on reaching out to Skiers Choice to see if they will cover this? I'm concerned even if I do fix this it will crack again as this really shouldn't happen on a 2 year old boat with 150hrs (less than 1/4 of that is surfing). I do have some pictures. Dealer said it doesn't appear structural but I personally haven't looked at the inside of the hull.

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I'd reach out to skiers directly if dealer is no-go. based on where they originate, likely something that was developing under warranty but didn't telegraph enough until this year and not somewhere that most would notice right away.

be surprised if there is any structural concerns. transom is pretty thick.

That is BS if they won’t cover that in my opinion. I would highly doubt that is structural. Most likely they didn’t prep the screw hole correctly and the spider crack has just kept growing. I would call Skiers choice for sure. Not sure who quoted you $2k to fix it either. That sounds crazy! I just fixed a 6” scrape out of my gelcoat in the bottom of the boat. I have no idea how it even got there. Pretty sure I didn’t hit anything, so I wonder if it didn’t happen putting it on the trailer. Since it was on the bottom of the boat I bought the color match gel coat patch kit from Spectrum. It turned out really good. Since yours is on the back of the boat under the swim platform, you may consider fixing it your self vs. spending $2k. Just a thought.


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I've got a couple small ones too and no one locally could work it in before summer and my warranty will be out by the end of summer (1 year BS)
What sucks is they said no to documenting it and fixing it this winter which makes no sense to me. The crack is there now and it's under warranty, but no one can do the work without me missing my summer. Seems logical to take some pictures and then have it fixed whenever the available appointment is but they are saying no so I'll just do it myself this winter.



IMO that's pretty obviously a factory issue, they didn't predrill the hole large enough for the screw and it cracked as a result.

I get the shorter warranty on gel because they don't know the conditions you're using your boat in. You could be jumping it 3 feet out of the water or running through 3' chop at 40mph. That being said it still sucks to have cracks in a new boat.

I reached out to Skier's Choice today to see if they would help. I'll update my post when I hear back.

On another note, my dealer could do the repair next week (I'm sure there's lots of margin in that $2k). I'm not gonna pay $2k to fix that so plan B is finding someone cheaper (I don't know many places that do this), doing it myself or just letting it be.

Any issues if I just leave this alone and not repair it?

Anyone tried to repair black gelcoat? Online videos don't look crazy hard for anyone reasonably handy. Seems main concern is color matching (not sure how hard it is to match black). At least its at the back of the boat under the swim platform and not readily visible. And if I did a piss poor job I know where I can get it fixed for $2k.

Any comments from smart people who have been there and done that???

fixed a few gel repairs. black will be hard to match but again under the boat i'd take that on all day long. even if it doesn't come out perfect it's on the back.
spectrum sells the gel coat and they will have a match for you. only 2 years old fading should be very minimal.
if skiers choice doesn't assist, personally, I'd try it myself before coughing up some coin to get it done.

right now boats and boating labor are at a premium. might find a better deal during winter if you end up not happy with the repair.

That crack will spread and can be fast. It may not move for 6 months and then the right pressure/temp change/full boat day etc it will shoot 2 inches.

It for sure will not stop on it’s own.


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Any updates on skiers choice response?
Got a ‘19 Makai that has been doing this since day 1…
Submitted another claim recently for a bunch of cracks that occurred over the winter while the boat was in storage that was denied.
Waiting for a response to an email I sent to the warranty dept today…

I just had mine covered, they actually did honor it after documenting it (see above).
I think it all depends on your dealer and how good they are.

The dealer here has been good about the gelcoat repairs...just cant keep up with them!
The cracks that occurred last summer are being covered by SC even though the gelcoat warranty has expired. Much appreciated for sure. The boat is in the shop now and being fixed.
What sucks is SC is denying coverage of 6 additional cracks that developed while being stored this winter to the tune of $2500. Two of the additional cracks are in excess of 30" long and don't appear to have started where a screw or any hardware is mounted.
Needless to say, I am concerned about the integrity of the gelcoat itself.
I have had an experience like this in the past with another boat...the cracking never stopped. The only solution was to get out of the boat in that instance.
So depressing to think I am going down the same road

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Originally Posted by Nerickson

The dealer here has been good about the gelcoat repairs...just cant keep up with them!
The cracks that occurred last summer are being covered by SC even though the gelcoat warranty has expired. Much appreciated for sure. The boat is in the shop now and being fixed.
What sucks is SC is denying coverage of 6 additional cracks that developed while being stored this winter to the tune of $2500. Two of the additional cracks are in excess of 30" long and don't appear to have started where a screw or any hardware is mounted.
Needless to say, I am concerned about the integrity of the gelcoat itself.
I have had an experience like this in the past with another boat...the cracking never stopped. The only solution was to get out of the boat in that instance.
So depressing to think I am going down the same road

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Uy that does suck.

SC denied my claim and stuck to their guns that it wasn’t reported within 1 yr. They did offer to take care of materials which was nothing compared to labor. Not happy. At least it’s under the swim platform and I don’t have to stare at it every time we hit the lake


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by bteeter

SC denied my claim and stuck to their guns that it wasn’t reported within 1 yr. They did offer to take care of materials which was nothing compared to labor. Not happy. At least it’s under the swim platform and I don’t have to stare at it every time we hit the lake


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At least it's something.

When I had transom work done, the gel was $250 per color. I had three colors. That was 4-5 years ago. All our of my pocket.

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Now I have anxiety pulling the cover off this spring.


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I am seeing the same thing. Spider cracks on the back transom and a couple long ones by the port side window. My dealer says its being covered but nothing has happened yet. I dropped off my boat in October and it's still there. This is obviously a manufacture issue. I'm within a year, but it does give me concern that there are bigger issues or that other cracks will appear this next season that may not be covered.

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Originally Posted by Buckeye

I am seeing the same thing. Spider cracks on the back transom and a couple long ones by the port side window. My dealer says its being covered but nothing has happened yet. I dropped off my boat in October and it's still there. This is obviously a manufacture issue. I'm within a year, but it does give me concern that there are bigger issues or that other cracks will appear this next season that may not be covered.

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We have a 2019 Max with 18hrs and have those same cracks just above the surf tabs as well. Now I noticed a 6" crack about mid-boat above the wheel well on the starboard side. The boat goes into the dealer next Friday to have them look at them and assess the situation. Based on what I just read in this thread, I am not feeling good about the outcome of that visit. This was our first nice boat of this type and size. although I like the boat, not super impressed with this issue and the quality of the seat cushions and vinyl. Hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

My dealer was pretty good about repairing the cracks last spring. The process is a pain in that they have to document it, send to SC and SC has to approve. My dealer is 3 hrs. away. So, I have to leave it and make two trips. With 18 hrs. I cannot see them declining. But I have had additional cracks appear on the bottom. I'm now 1 1/2 yrs. since purchase, so I'm worried, but hopeful that SC will cover when I take it in for winterization.

Just following up on my previous post...
SC took the boat over the offseason for evaluation of the cracks and "repair or replacement"
After the evaluation, they decided that the only solution was to replace both the Deck and Hull which they did.
I haven't put to many hours on since so time will tell it this issue is going to develop on this hull as well.
Props to SC for going to bat like that for me, that is how you run a successful business.

Hey crew.

What is the timeline for these gel cracks on warranty.


2003 Outback
2007 LSV
2016 Craz

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the warrenty for gel coat is 1 year. SC just denied my second claim even though the cracks are obviously an extention of the original cracks. If my understanding is correct, cracks in gelcoat are a result of thin spots in the fiberglass, which means its a structural issue. It's very disappointing that they do not warranty or cover beyond a year. you would think that would fall under the hull warranty which is 5 years. But the have a carve out on the gelcoat. Which means they know it can be an issue. You would think for a $100k boat, this would not be an issue. very disappointing

Hull warranty is lifetime.

If it's truly a structural defect, SC will cover it.

Gel coat cracks aren't necessarily structure related, and are mostly cosmetic.

When doing the SC tour, they were in process of replacing the hull on an early 2000's Supra.

They have all the molds for Supra and moombas.


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I understand that the cracks themselves are cosmetic and not structural. I guess my question is: What causes the gel coat to crack? Is the cause a structural issue?

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Originally Posted by Buckeye

I understand that the cracks themselves are cosmetic and not structural. I guess my question is: What causes the gel coat to crack? Is the cause a structural issue?

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There are several causes for a gel coat crack. It could be a single cause or compounding issue. As mentioned they are typically cosmetic, albeit not anything someone wants to have happen to their boat, I get it. That being said, many boat manufacturers don’t warranty gel coat beyond a year. At least not in this price segment and while $100k+ boats are certainly not inexpensive, they are still cheaper when you compare a wake boat to say the larger vessels out there (center consoles, big ass cruisers and boats made for the ocean lol.

Here’s a long page about gel coat cracks and repairs. It goes over some of the main causes including temperature swings and flexural stresses (think rough water impacts). https://www.epoxyworks.com/index.php...xural%20stress.

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Originally Posted by Nerickson

Just following up on my previous post...
SC took the boat over the offseason for evaluation of the cracks and "repair or replacement"
After the evaluation, they decided that the only solution was to replace both the Deck and Hull which they did.
I haven't put to many hours on since so time will tell it this issue is going to develop on this hull as well.
Props to SC for going to bat like that for me, that is how you run a successful business.

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Wow, that's an invasive repair job. For sure props to Skiers.

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