Pinholes of light shining through the hull

[el Timador]

Good Day,
I am seeking your collective wisdom once more, I thank you in advance for any comments.

I looked under the fore berth with the boat on the trailer and in the dark, I could see light coming through in multiple places in the side of the hull. See pictures attached. I don't think it is leaking but is this normal? I can't see anything on the outside, just a but disconcerting. Please replay with any comments.

Thanks.

Hull Pix2.jpg

Hull Pix1.jpg

[Jimmyt]

Fiberglass is transparent to translucent, depending on how it's done. Gelcoat is thin. I'm not surprised that you can see light through it. Pinpoint light areas could be nicks in the gelcoat, transmitting more light. But, I might repeat that view with a grease pencil, crayon, or painters tape; and mark a few of the pinpoint areas for a closer look. Could be a void, so, check inside and out.

If it's not leaking, that's a good sign. It's probably not anything difficult to address in any event.

[pleb222]

I've worked a lot with fiberglass. Vinyl-Esther is actually a pretty translucent polymer. I've had a one inch thick piece of fiberglass for a bulkhead, and it was still translucent with 3 coats of paint on top.

A pinhole could mean an air bubble, but I would be quicker to attribute it to a thin layer of gelcoat. I wouldn't lose much sleep over it

[Jeff]

el Timador, I have a similar spot on my 2006 M, I have been all thru my boat and only have one spot like the multitude I see in your pictures. Mine is due to a deep scratch in the gelcoat. I plan to repair the deep scratch in the gelcoat and then also reinforce the spot from inside the hull as well. It makes me nervous because the glass seems really thin at the spot where the light is brightest, hence my desire to do more than just fill the gelcoat scratch. You should see if you have gelcoat scratches outside where all the light is coming through, then have someone cover the spots with their finger or tape & see if the light goes away. Even though I’m nervous, my scratch happened while the boat was in the water during Tropical Storm Cristobol last June in Pensacola. One of my lines broke & the boat rubbed against a rough mooring post before I could re-secure the line. The scratch is just below the water line, I sailed for four more days after the storm & it never leaked, but I imagine another scrape in the same spot & I may not be so lucky. Maybe yours is just air bubbles in the glass as other poster suggested, but that many bright spots I’d be really checking the gelcoat. Gelcoat scratches even deep ones are pretty easy to repair yourself.

[Catigale]

It’s the free star show option

That is the constellation Aquarius

[el Timador]

Ha ha. Funny but not helpful.

[dlandersson]

Yet another feature!!!

It’s the free star show option

That is the constellation Aquarius

[kmclemore]

I've worked a lot with (...) Vinyl-Esther....

Sorry... I just couldn’t resist.

(I think you meant vinyl ester. )