i have a 3 week old gp1300r with 9.2hrs on it. my registration numbers came in this weekend so i walked out to wipe off the surface and put on my stickers before i had planned to put in the lake and ride. to my dismay, there was a 6-7" crack about 2" above the rubber bumper on the gas cap side of the ski. i am extremely meticulous and would have noticed something like this before now if it was there. i have yet to bump into anything with any considerable ammount of force. the most chop i have had the ski in is maybe 1.5-2' It has obviously not been run into anything as there are no scuff marks or scratchs in the vicinity of the crack. its not deep at all - its a hairline crack and appears to just be the gel coating. however, i don't see why a brand new ski that hasn't been ridden hard yet (and under warranty) should be cracking. could this be a stress crack? i called the dealer and told them i would be bringing it by after work today. he said that they would have to take a look at it before he would say ANYTHING, stating he doesn't want to "open a can of worms" before he sees it. should they give me any crap about making it right - or can they even "make it right" so to speak. also, if they don't take care of this, if it is only the gelcoat, what is the worst that can happen in such a situation? will it get worse? will it cause more serious problems down the road? any help will be greatly appreciated, as i would like to sound as educated as possible on the subject before i head down there after work today. thanks you guys!

I would be shocked if that was a stress crack. It sounds like it is just a light surface scratch in the gelcoat. Can you see behind it? Take out the storage bin and use a flashlight to see if it is on the other side. If not, my guess (without seeing pictures) is that it's just a sruface scratch in the gelcoat. Sh*t happens no matter how careful you are!

If you have a good dealer, he might fix it for you. More than likely, he is just going to say it must have been your fault. If he does fix it, it should be fine. But I don't see why your gelcoat should be cracking unless something did it to it.

i've taken a flashlight. if you shine it from the top, you can clearly see that its a crack. i've been hesitant of trying to see how deep it is with my finger nail, but i can clearly hang my finger nail in it if i was to try. you say that if they fix it, it should be fine. what if they don't fix it. if it is just a thin crack in the gelcoat, what is the worst that can happen if gone untreated?

If it is a crack and it's all the way through, your dealer should fix/ replace it for you!! But don't let them know if you have been riding in the surf. They might try to blame it on you jumping waves.

If it is a crack in the gelcoat, if you leave it untreated it will spider web eventually.

i ran the ski by the service department yesterday after work. after one of their employees and the service dept mgr checked it over, they both agreed that the ski had not been hit in any way and that the crack must be a stress fracture. the mgr is calling yamaha today to make sure they will cover it under warranty. i should be getting a call today sometime with the news.

yamaha is covering my cracked hull under warranty.

Are they giving you a new ski, fixing the crack, or replacing the hull?

yamaha is covering "whatever it takes" for a local marine fiberglass and repair place, that everyone here uses to fix their jacked boats/skis, to fix the crack. i'm going to run another tank of gas through it and take it in for its tuneup. while its there, they are going to take it to the fiberglass repair shop and have them take care of the crack. when its ready to rock, i should be getting a call.

Sounds like Yamaha is taking good care of you. Just wondering how much you paid for your used GP13r. I've been thinking of selling mine. I just got from Yamaha after my original one seized .. my replacement has 0 hrs on it.

sorry i'm of no use, but i got my new from the dealer. i paid close to retail - i know i got ripped