Gelcoat missing!

[Jmod86]

I have a 2016 Gt207. I took it out of storage to get some warranty work done. Speedo not working, trim under dash falling off, walk thru window hinge sliding down and damaging gelcoat. Mostly minor. As I inspected everything to make sure I didn't miss anything I noticed under the boat by the impeller shaft gelcoat missing. I know I didn't see this when I bought the boat. The dealer was shocked to see it when I brought it to them. After a couple days they sent an email from glastron saying this is normal for this boat and that's the way it came. Anyone else have this damage?

 

[genwrx]

Doesn't look normal to me, out of town right now, but I'll definitely check mine when I get back in a week or so. I'll be taking it to the dealer for an oil change too

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I'm not a Glastron guy but.... that shouldn't be that way. Maybe they are saying that Glastron accepts that all boats do that because of a flaw?

I would get it fixed because you do not want water infiltrating the fiberglass that is under the now broken and cracked gel coat.

 

[Bruce]

I would guess that is some kind of impact damage.

@Glassman, what do you think about repairing this with the Spectrum paste?

 

[Jmod86]

It's not impact damage. It's an area protected by the gate. They said 3 other boats in for service had the same thing and wanted me to come look. I don't believe this is ok. I know it wasn't this way when I got it new. I bought it towards the end of the season last year. Only 20 hrs on the boat. I'm concerned it'll only get worse. Or if I try to sell it nobody will believe this is the way it's built. Glastron replied that it's not structural damage and has no impact on the boat overall. I just got the email. I called the dealer to let them know I won't accept their answer, this isn't the way I bought it and it needs to be fixed. I'll update this when I know more. Just wondering if anyone else has the same issue that's supposedly common on every glastron gt207.

 

[Jmod86]

It's under full fa

Doesn't look normal to me, out of town right now, but I'll definitely check mine when I get back in a week or so. I'll be taking it to the dealer for an oil change too

Please let me know if yours is similar. Thanks

 

[Murf'n'surf]

What is the black material we see exposed under the missing gel?

 

[swatski]

What is the black material we see exposed under the missing gel?

I was thinking the same thing... Looks like a void to me.

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[Jmod86]

I was thinking the same thing... Looks like a void to
This is part of the email they sent. It didn't make me feel any better

"All of these models have the same exact “lack” of gelcoat in this area due to how this model sits and is pulled out of the mold…


The lack of gelcoat in this area will not affect the structural integrity of the boat as everything else surrounding this area is laminate….No long term damages should occur. I have been assured of this by our production engineers."

 

[swatski]

How can they not worry about exposed laminate? Sorry, but that just sounds downright ignorant... If the mold is not perfect - so what? Finish it by hand. Even exposed fiberglass/FRP is bound to deteriorate from water exposure, laminate is worse.
Especially if you wet slip - I would definitely want that addressed or you will have a lot of DE-lamination going on.

EDIT: BTW - Yamaha hulls tend to hatch the sealant ring from around the exhaust openings in the stern - exposing unprotected raw fiberglass edges (inside edge of the cut-outs), which need to be epoxied for protection.
Kind of the same deal, really.

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[Jmod86]

How can they not worry about exposed laminate? Sorry, but that just sounds downright ignorant... If the mold is not perfect - so what? Finish it by hand. Even exposed fiberglass/FRP is bound to deteriorate from water exposure, laminate is worse.
Especially if you wet slip - I would definitely want that addressed or you will have a lot of DE-lamination going on.

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That's my concern. If you look at the pic. There is a red line going around the missing gelcoat. The red line is where it's cracking breaking away more. I believe this will only get worse. If I try to sell it, how can I explain this is how the boat is made? I wouldnt, and don't by it. I inspected the whole boat before I drove it out of the dealership noting to them any imperfections. This wasn't the way it was when I drove away that day. How can this be ok? The fact they say no long term damages "Should" occur, isn't very reassuring to me. I want it fixed. This was an expensive purchase for me and my wife. We bought new to avoid any hidden issues and for the warranty/reliability of a new boat. This isn't a finish product to me.

 

[swatski]

@Jmod86 I feel your frustration! These days boats are not built the way they once were, but that unfortunately goes back at last 15-20 years now, nothing new. An it applies to pretty much all manufacturers in the mass market.
In your pic, it does not look like impact damage to me - so I'm kind of inclined to believe what the dealer is telling you... sad as it is. I would think this might had looked a lot less conspicuous when new and was easy to overlook. If you can get them to fix it - it would be great.

Here is something - a quote from @McMark that I really like, which kind of stuck with me when I first read it:

All boats have issues when new. Its just the nature of boating. There's no such thing as a new boat. They all have repairs right out of the factory. It's unfortunate that we have to deal with trivial things like Yamaha not taking time to countersink holes. If there's enough time to do it once there's enough time to do it right.

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[Jmod86]

@Jmod86 I feel your frustration! These days boats are not built the way they once were, but that unfortunately goes back at last 15-20 years now, nothing new. An it applies to pretty much all manufacturers in the mass market.
In your pic, it does not look like impact damage to me - so I'm kind of inclined to believe what the dealer is telling you... sad as it is. I would think this might had looked a lot less conspicuous when new and was easy to overlook. If you can get them to fix it - it would be great.

Here is something - a quote from @McMark that I really like, which kind of stuck with me when I first read it:



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I agree with that. I love the boat and just want it repaired. I wasn't worried with the speedo stopped working, the trim falling down, the window hinge sliding out, or the swim ladder strap breaking. I knew they would fix all that under warranty. I know all boats have issues, but It's under warranty, less than 1 year old. I live in Michigan and bought the boat last August. It's been in storage more than not so far. My concern is they don't seem to want to fix it. By the way, I know what boat stands for."Bust out another thousand". That shouldn't be the case though with a boat less than 1 year old and around 20hrs.

 

[MrMoose]

@Jmod86, I have felt your pain, and although they're not all jumping out of the woodwork to comment, I'd bet that the rest of the forum members have also.
If I were in your position, the first thing that I would do is have Glastron explain to you why the issue is not a problem in terms of long term structural reliability and further cosmetic degradation, in detail, and in writing. If their formal response makes sense to you, this will be useful to have when you sell the boat. If it does not make sense to you, then the ball is in your court to seek an assessment from a qualified marine fiberglass repair shop who is approved by Glastron for warranty repair work (not the dealer that you've been working with). When you bring your boat to them, do not do it on the basis of a warranty repair. Do this independently of Glastron. Bring it to them for their assessment with the understanding that you'll pay for the repair. I know that this takes up your time, but it will enable you to get a clear view of the situation.
You're lucky in that the problem can be inspected without significant labor investment.
To make you feel better, when I first purchased my boat, after striking out with the dealer that I purchased the boat from, I approached another dealer to get some leaks fixed, but because the root cause analysis phase was labor intensive, I had to agree to pay, in case Yamaha did not step up, even before the new dealership would touch the boat. I got the sense that they've been burned in the past where they spent days looking for something to fix that will stop the leak and they never found it, so no repair = no reimbursement from Yamaha.

Is there a way that you can determine whether water is leaking into the boat from this spot?

 

[Jmod86]

This is right from their website. I'll give them a couple more days to respond back. Hopefully they just stand behind their warranty and get this corrected so I can get on the water!

 

[MrMoose]

Another thought. If anybody is at a dealership and sees a new Glastron, take a look to see if it has this problem, and let @Jmod86 know what you see. Maybe take a pic.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Looking closer at the OP's pic on a bigger screen... I now wonder if this is caused by vibration AND cavitation. Cavitation of gel coat often looks like Swiss cheese --- I see some small voids being formed in the edge of the gel.

I really would like to know what's in that black area....void? Metal?

 

[Briwhy]

I have a 2015 glastron GTS207. I'll go out into my carport and look at mine right now.

 

[Briwhy]

Looks to be that way from the factory. I felt mine and it's all smooth and not chipped away though.

 

[Briwhy]

Looking closer at the OP's pic on a bigger screen... I now wonder if this is caused by vibration AND cavitation. Cavitation of gel coat often looks like Swiss cheese --- I see some small voids being formed in the edge of the gel.

I really would like to know what's in that black area....void? Metal?

The black area seems like hard smooth fiberglass when I looked at mine and felt it.