Bad Stress Cracks in CCP Floor – Need Input on the source

[Hibrass]

Gang,
I am considering purchasing a 1985 20 CCP from a fellow down in Florida.  I have not personally inspected the boat yet and am trying to decide whether to go down and see the boat in person or not.  I need some help from you experts on these things.......

I spoke to the owner on this and he says it was like this when he purchased it.  He inspected the floor then pulled the tank cover.  He said the wood/glass lay-up on the tank cover was weak so he replaced the plywood and glass.  Other than that he claims the boat is solid as a rock.

But look at these photos .........I have never seen a floor stress crack like this.  It is widespread in the bow area.  I've searched this forum and found info on CCP's that varies.  Apprently the front floor on these models contains no wood and is un-supported underneath.  This leads to a slight sag in the floor under the coffin box.  Could it lead to this though?  One person suggests that the stringers might be shot or that the boat was used in heavy seas with a bunch of weight in the coffin box quite regularly.  The owner of this boat claims he had the coffin box out and inspected the underside of the deck through the 8" plug in the floor beneath the coffin box.  He says there is no rot, no delaminated anything.

I'm looking for an honest attempt at an explination for these cracks.  Could it be bad gel coat from AS?  Heavy weight in heavy seas???  Outside of this the boat appears to be in great shape.  

I realize that personal inspection of the craft is the only way to really find out what is going on but I'm hoping someone else has seen this before.

[Hibrass]

I read further...trying to post the pics

[Peter M.]

I have a 200ccp with the same coffin box and the same stress cracks up front when I pulled the box and started digging my floor was wet from the inspection cover. The floor at least on mine was sitting on the stringers between a layer of sawdust and resin mixture. for the stringers to be rotten unlikely, but the foam in the stringers is probably wet!

[Marcq]

That's a lot of stress crack, not sure what could cause that, but what was your plan to do with that boat ?

Marc..

[Hibrass]

Thanks for the input so far guys....

So let me do some speculative problem solving then.......  Over time the front deck sags a bit from the weight of the coffin box.  Water collects in this low spot then makes its way into the decking from around the access plug under the coffin box which rots the deck out?  

I've never seen the front deck of one of these without the coffin box in place.  Is the plug towards the front of the box or the rear?  Is this scenario what might have caused this damage too (this photo is of different hull - not the one in question)?

[Capt. Bob]

Thanks for the input so far guys....

So let me do some speculative problem solving then.......  Over time the front deck sags a bit from the weight of the coffin box.  Water collects in this low spot then makes its way into the decking from around the access plug under the coffin box which rots the deck out?  

I've never seen the front deck of one of these without the coffin box in place.  Is the plug towards the front of the box or the rear?  Is this scenario what might have caused this damage too (different hull)?

Plug is to the rear, it drains the box overboard. My 84 has a hatch in front of the box.  Its soft up there but there's not a lot of support in that area either.
It looks like you have started to rip everything out already. You should be able to answer all your questions.
Good Luck.

[Hibrass]

Sorry, thats not my boat though.  Its another photo of a bad floor in a CCP that I found.  I displayed the pic because it shows a couple of holes in this deck, I was wondering if the sagging floor leads to water penetration around the plug (poor job of sealing by AS) which leads to a rotting deck underneath.

So Capt. Bob..... you are saying there is a plug to the rear and a hatch to the front then?  2 places for water to intrude?  Set me straight here someone.

[Hibrass]

Also, FYI - This is not an expensive boat mind you.  I'm looking to use it as a tender for duck hunting on Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron - Michigan).  What I'm looking for is a solid hull (cosmetics don't bother me too much) that I can re-power and use for this purpose.  It will not see heavy seas except for in an emergency.  What I am trying to avoid though is dealing with a hull that will require more repair time/cost that the value of the boat.  

Just some background on what I'd use it for (as asked).

[GoneFission]

The deck plate under the coffin is about 1 foot in front of the console.  You are right that Aquasport often did not seal the cuts for the deck plate and/or the front hatch that is on many boats.  That does lead to water intrusion into the core and can cause the decking to become soft or delaminate.   :cry:   This usually what causes the problem with the panel over the gas tank as well - the deck plate opening was not sealed and the plywood core gets wet and rots...  

The stress cracks around the seat pedestals are probably from when the center tank panel was rotten and the seats were only supported from the outside edges - overstress the glass there and caused the cracks.  The stuff toward the bow is another issue.  It's easy to take the coffin loose - just 12 screws hold it in place and it lifts off.  Open the deck plate under and put a drop light down inside to get a look at the underside of the deck.  You may even want to put a digital camera with a flash down there and take some pics - I did that and you could really see things well!  If the area around the deck plate looks like water got in there, I would take the plate out and replace it with a hatch that is big enough to allow you to cut the affected deck out.  Remember to seal the edges with epoxy so the whole process does not start again!  Here's an idea for a new hatch - remember it's under the coffin:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/13-x-23- ... enameZWDVW  

Hope this helps - see ya on the water!

[Peter M.]

My plug under the coffin box was not sealed and was definetly were the water was coming in , in fact my plug had no screws in it and from inspection of deck after I pulled the plug never had screws

[Hibrass]

I had the owner take some pics of the underside of the deck and the hull.  He also provided pics of the transom through the rear corner boxes.

He says he is pretty sure there is no wood in that forward deck.  I can't get over how open it is up there (no support).

Does anyone see any issues here?  Hard to see de-lamination in a photo but someone might recognize something.

[Hibrass]

Transom pics

[GoneFission]

I'm not sure I agree with putting the fuel filter next to the washdown pump in the bilge!  Seems like a fuel leak would lead to ---- boom!  And you are right that the area under the forward deck on CCPs is wide open - I'm surprised that Aquasport did not use it for stowage or something.  An option was a forward gas tank (I think John Jones' boat has one of these) that uses some of this space.  And later models put different console with a sit-down head that took up a good deal of this space.  

But that aside, you were right with an an earlier statement - nothing makes up for going and looking yourself.  Unless this is a giveaway deal - like some CCPs going on eBay for less than $1000 - go ahead and invest in the trip and see what you are getting.  Pics look pretty good, but you don't know if you don't go...