crack next to my cleat

Should I worry about this? I'm not sure if they go all the way through, or how they happened. I haven't done anything to the boat that could have caused this. How do I go about fixing these cracks?

It's just a gel coat crack, not a structural problem purely cosmetic. You probably have some at your tower mounts too

what should I do to keep it from spreading? Epoxy?

not sure, those things are kind of inevitable in boats that are actually used. You will see pristine boats that people have because they just sit around and drink on the lake or tube or something. But generally people who wakeboard alot or tie up alot will get gel coat cracks at the points where the tower mounts or around the cleats.

Just deal with it IMO, if you really hate it you can pay to get it redone, probably a few hundred bucks. They wont spread very far.

Had to double check I was on the right forum when I saw the title, you wouldn't want to be dyslexic typing that.

It looks like it comes down from where the screw/bolt go through the gelcoat/hull. This is somewhat normal. I would get in habit of using your rear lift rings and front lift ring for tying your boat up. I would only use your cleats for hanging fenders and maybe for a spring line.

You actually have two cracks. One at the screw hole and one coming off the tip.

As frustrating as spider cracks are they seem to be a reality. I would keep an eye on it and see if it spreads. If it does, then there is continued stress on the area starting the crack.

You could remove the cleat, clean up the holes to releave the stress and fix the gelcoat cracks. The biggest problem is that it is going through multiple colors making it tougher to fix.

i don't know what the comment "boats that are used this happens" comes from. none on my 05. what brand boat is that and where is the cleat located

Yup. Two cracks. I'll keep an eye on them to see if they spread. This is an 2001 Sanger. I use the cleats to tie mooring lines to but only briefly while the trailer is being brought down to the ramp. There was one time when we boated to a camp site and tied the boat off overnight. I suppose there could have been some water movement through the night that caused lines to come tight and put stress on the cleats but I think I would have noticed them earlier because that was early this spring. Who knows.

Are there certain gel coat repair products out there that are recommended? What about procedures? I know that I should drill out the end of the crack and fill the hole but I'm not sure how big of a drill bit is needed or how deep to drill or even what to fill it with...

Thanks for all of the help. I'm glad no one seems to consider this a serious problem

Spectrum color is a well regarded gelcoat color matcher. They can come very close if not be perfect. I have looked into the process, but can't give you an specific advice.