79 Sceptre cuddy area cracks
 

Everyone, I have some major cracking going on in the forward area. Mostly in the floor area where you can step down. I can get this whole area to flex by jumping up and down. I typically carry a 165qt cooler full of ice up there and this is exaggerating the effect. I need to address this so I don't have to do more glasswork. I will be insulating the box to serve as a cooler. That way I don't have to have the cooler and access is easier. I do not believe that there is any support from this forward area to the hull. Would it be ok if I attached to the inside the hull? I will cut out the forward box and epoxy some coosa in there to remedy this.

Maybe you are lucky and the coring is rotted out. Maybe you're not and the stringers are coming loose. You need to access the underside of the step down area and find out for sure what the damage is. Be very sure that the stringers are not involved.

Tieing the stepdown to the stringers, if its not already, would be a good idea, if done correctly. I'd be very careful about tieing anything directly into the inside surface of the hull. Need to be careful of creating hard spots or otherwise causing flexing where its not wanted.

When i installed the new fuel tank I could see up under there. I didn't see where the area would contact the stringers? But, someone did move the fish box forward to install the larger tank. So from what you are saying the original layout the step down was tied into the stringers more rearward? If that's the case I can fix that somewhat easily.i know the stringers stop at the bulkheads. My coring is fine also. I would like to see an original setup.

Could be the weight of the big cooler full of ice is just too much for the step down area and the whole thing is coming unglued. Can't say without getting a look underneath.

My Seafari's were both built different from the Septres, so I'm not the best guy to answer this kind of thing. But if you are planning a lot of weight in the step down area, I'd see if I couldn't tie the floor and sides of the step down into the stringers. They can't be far away. Whatever, you almost certainly need to cut some holes in the step down area.

You want to take a look down there. Some of the Sceptres apparently had a problem of the stringers coming loose but that isn't necessarily what you are seeing. If yours was originally configured like mine (with the 80 gal fuel tank and no bait well) it probably only has a single plywood semi-bulkhead or support under it - located forward. Thats a lot of weight getting pounded without support. I have a drop in fiberglass insert that hangs on the lips of the fishbox - it seemed to alleviate that problem but isn't well insulated and I have to lift it out to empty it. At least it kept fish guts out of the bilges. In my rebuild I will be adding urethane foam insulation and full length support on the keel with an overboard drain through a macerator pump.

I don't believe the forward box is connected to the hull or stringers. Mine is floating, but part of the liner.

Most step downs like this I have fixed (non-seacrafts) have cracked in the bottom area or flexed bad when you stepped in them because of the coring being rotten. If it is like others I have seen there should be coring on the bottom area only under the liner. It is hard to cut it out and glass it from the bottom so I usually drop a new core in from the top side and then glass it in place coming up 2" on the sides of the hole leaving a nice radius in the corner. You will loose 3/4" of height like this but beats trying to cut it out and replace it sometimes. I would Not attach any thing to the bottom and tie it into the hull bottom or stringers because this would cause hard spots. I think if you tied it to the hull bottom or supported it from underneath it would crack it even more as the hull shell flexed it would transfer into the drop area.

This is what I was talking about in the previous post. If all the cracks are around the bottom corners of the drop down area more that likely the core is flexing pulling at the corners. Adding the new core will only help if your old coring is actually bad, if that is not the issue the only thing I know you could do is add tabbing under the box in all the areas that may be flexing and cracking. You could add some filets in the corners then lay up some glass over that to stiffen that area up. Just don't tie it to the hull shell.

Attachment 7984

If your boat is like aj's, looks like there can be good access to see what the problem really is. Might have to pull the tanks. Also, if you are skinny, maybe room to get under and forward to grind the outside of the stepdown clean and put in some tabbing or tie it to the stringers. Ah joy, epoxy in the hair, been there, done that.

Looks like its a long way to the stringers and that may not be a useful option. Warnings on doing it wrong, hard spots, etc are well taken.

Here are some photos of mine. The first is looking fwd alongside the stbd side of the fishbox. The plywood bulkhead/support is in the lower portion of the photo. The second pic is of the aft end of the fishbox with the fuel tank out.
Attachment 7986
Attachment 7987
AJ's looks very different from this - Maybe a 20 vs. this 1976 23?