Hull/Fiberglass problems?

[bluewavecaptain]

Hey everyone. I'm new to this forum and I love all the information on here. I am a 6 year owner of a 1976 Carver Santa Cruz 25 foot. It has a Ford 302 mated to a Volvo Penta 280 I/O. I inherited this boat from my grandfather when he passed away in 2006. I have started the boat and we used the boat frequently before he passed. Unfortunately, he rarely kept up on maintenance and preservation. I pressure the boat on a regular basis and cleaned it out from top to bottom. I've been reading many of the boat restoration threads on this site. I'm wondering if there is anything specific I need to look at as far as the stringers or hull as far as construction defects/weaknesses. There's two things I noticed that worry me. One, on the transom, where the cap meets the top of the transom, there seems to be a gap forming of about a 1/2 inch. I'm not sure what is causing it. Second, for those familiar with the Santa Cruz models, there is a teak "ledge" on the rear part of the hull at the waterline. When we had the boat in the water for the season, these teak ledges were usually underwater. Is that normal or should I be looking at some rot/water or weight issues going on. Sorry to dump this all out at once. Thanks in advance.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Hull/Fiberglass problems?

Welcome to iBoats.

the ledge sounds like a swim platform. Those should be above the water. So, it may indicate that your boat is retaining water, probably in the structure or foam somewhere. With that come rot. The gap at the transom seems troubling also. Time to post some pictures and do some poking around yourself below in the structure . See if you can get an ice pick to easily puncture areas of the structure, transom, etc.