question about cracks around front pylon...

i found one or two small cracks about a half an inch long around the pylon. any thoughts on whether this is serious or not? if so, any suggestions on how to fix it? thanks.

When you say around the pylon, do you mean on the aluminum pylon itself or do you mean on the deck in the vicinity of the pylon?

If the cracks are actually in the pylon, that might be cause for concern. One thing that you could do would be to drill a small hole at the ends of the crack to stop it's progress. I guess fill the hole with silicone caulk to seal it afterwards. I did this on a front crossbar and it stopped the crack. As long as the crack dosen't grow, you're probably ok.

If the crack is in the deck it may or may not be a worry (it's probably not). I would guess that it's just a crack in the gelcoat. Push down on the deck in the area of the crack to see if it flexes at all. If it's solid, there's probably no problem. If you're really worried about it, you would have to sand/grid away the gelcoat around the crack to see if it goes into the glass.

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it's in the glass right where it ends and the pylon begins. thanks again for the advice.

Some small cracks around the pylon are somewhat typical and do not suggest a failure issue in my experience. The area is VERY thick in glass structure and may also have been too thick in gel coat which sometimes then cracks.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)