are superficial cracks in my gel coat an issue? they are on the deck, and the fibreglass is intact underneath… Does this need to be fixed? or are they structurally ok?
Cosmetic…
Gelcoat can crack for all sorts of reasons, including age, stress, and oxidation. Stress fractures are mostly cosmetic flaws. Bubbles and raised/soft areas, on the other hand, can indicate delamination of the fiberglass below the gelcoat. If you only have little thin cracks, there’s probably no reason to mess with it unless it bothers you. Repairing gelcoat is quite an adventure should you decide to do so.
Gelcoat cracks
These are not usually a problem as long as they are superficial and not due to a direct blow to that area.
Good Luck,
Alan
Gel Cracks
We suggest picking the broken gel out, cleaning w/ acetone, re-gelling and sanding from 120-2000 grit before buffing.
I am so in love with my plastic boat!!!
My plastic boat is so great!!! I read posts like this, and love my Pamlico even more!! It’s the bestest!!!
Oh, never mind… I don’t own a Pamlico… but there are upsides to plastic boats… 
(downsides too!)
I fixed mine
Keep an eye one them. They can spread all the way down the kayak.
If you decide to re gell, order the gel coat from the manufacturer if you can for exact match. If it’s white no prob with any gel.
When applying, you will need multiple coats to build it up. Let the first two coats dry (mix proper amount hardener, MTK or whatever it’s called) let it cure until it’s just tacky enough to leave a finger print, then slap on the next coat with a brush. On the final coat use mold release gel, that can be applied with a brush also.
then sand it down with the sand paper, use some card board as a bock, or a sponge, or block, then work your way down to 1000 grit. the 1000 grit is more like a polish. then polish. your done.
trust me, i put a lot of research into this, and trial and error. don’t use plastic that will create bubbles. get the mold release gel. it’s cheep.
build it up above what you will sand and be careful not to sand too much of the surrounding area.
you can use a dremal tool to excavate a groove out of the gel coat down to the fiberglass. be careful. you want a nice grove. or you can do an entire area.
you can do a google search for gel coat repair but most won’t tell you about letting it set up until tacky to a fingerprint (it works!) then hit it with the next coat.
love is blind_NM
Rotomolded bennies
One of the great, and often undervalued, benefits of rotomolded kayaks is the inherent weight workout hogging that 60 lb entity up to the roof rack, off the rack and down to water, then the reverse. Of course, the extra drag from the hull flutes needed to keep those puppies semi rigid add to your workout [Portages are extra benefits.]
Hefting a 12- 20 lb watercraft that is fair and stiff certainly minimizes ones weight workout, but it’s lots more fun.
My granddad Charlie always maintained it was better to get the very best. He claimed it would piss you off less than any other option. I’ve always agreed.