What is the lifespan of a fiberglass pool? Can you put on a new gel coat?

[USBB]

I just bought a house that has a fiberglass pool. It was put in about 1993. I have spider cracking in the gel coat all along the edge, and several repairs on the bottom. All repairs are holding. I am going to have to break the concrete and fix the leaking underground return lines because they used spa flex pipe. Just wondering how long the pool will last as I approach the invasive repair

I have a return at each end of the pool.

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[Texas Splash]

That's a tough one to answer. FB pool shells are designed to hold-up for many, many years. As long as there hasn't been a significant amount of stress placed on the shell from local ground movement, the shell could remain intact for decades. The decorative gelcoat however is different as it is subjected to the chemicals and sun that over time can take its toll. If the shell is still solid, even after previous repairs, the pool could have many more decades ahead. Add to that a fresh gel coating, and you could conceivably have a new pool. The biggest "unknowns" really are the ground stability (to include potentially high water table) and how well the base was prepared to accept the pool when it was installed. The spider cracking and previous repairs are indicative of "some" movement, but we'd have no way of knowing if that may have compromised the longevity of the shell itself. Maybe a local pool company could take a look and give you thoughts on what they've seen to be acceptable in that area?