Cap separation

[Bushwacker]

Need a better resolution pic of the cap! Were those cracks on the outside of hull there before the transom was replaced or have they just shown up? Never seen cracks like that but they look to be right at front edge of transom core. If they showed up after transom was replaced, I'd say something is going on with that transom. Does the bracket/motor deflect if you jump up and down on lower unit?

How much and what type of glass was installed on inside of new transom, how far was it wrapped around into the hull sides, what sort of core was used, how thick was it, and what type of resin was used? Those cracks on the inside between look quite large, almost like there is significant flexing there, much wider than what occurs due overly thick brittle gel coat. Is that a vertical brace on the transom that also looks like it's cracked at the transom/brace joint?

The original CC models had a large inner liner that appeared to be integral with the top cap that was bonded to the top of the stringers. The box shaped structure created by the inner liner and outer hull adds a lot of torsional stiffness to the hull. If the vertical section of the inner liner was removed when deck was replaced, it might explain what you're seeing. To illustrate my point, take a shoebox and try to twist it with no lid on it. Then tape the lid on and try again and notice the difference, which will be significant.

[plusone876]

It is hard to get a better pic of the cap. I have only owned the boat since 2010, so I do not know much on the way it was restored. So it appears that I have a problem not only with the cap but the transom? I figured the cracking on the deck was mostly cosmetic. The cracking above the deck line is only the paint peeling away. There is no cracking of the actual transom above the deck or below as far as I can tell. The flexing of the sides is only in the stern but stops about 1' from the transom. Suggestions? A guy in town did the restoration, maybe I can reach out to him.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by plusone876

. . . The cracking above the deck line is only the paint peeling away. There is no cracking of the actual transom above the deck or below as far as I can tell. The flexing of the sides is only in the stern but stops about 1' from the transom. Suggestions? A guy in town did the restoration, maybe I can reach out to him.

If it's just thick paint that didn't adhere well, then maybe it is just cosmetic, but I'd be inclined to grind off the paint in that radius with a Dremel tool sanding drum to see if there are any cracks under it!

I noticed what looks like a scupper going out thru the transom, which tells me the original aft seats and splashwell were removed, original vertical scuppers removed/plugged and new cockpit sole extended all the way back to transom. Sometimes most of the interior of a boat is gutted as part of a repair like that, so hard to tell how much of the original liner is still there. If it's done by a guy that doesn't know what he's doing, it's easy to remove some important structural elements! A pic of the entire aft cockpit of the boat would give us a better idea of how much structure is there.

So is there noticeable flexing of the hull sides and/or cap in the back of boat if you push on the hull sides? Were those outside cracks there when you bought the boat?

[plusone876]

I think the cracks were there on the outside. The guy that did the work is very reputable and has done several SeaCrafts, Makos, Chris Crafts, etc. Just minor flexing on the outside of the hull, no movement in the cap at all.

[plusone876]

Pics

[Bushwacker]

Still can't tell much from those pics. Is the view of the cap separation from the top looking down? Unless camera has a macro lens/close up setting, most cameras will be out of focus if you're closer than about 3-4' from subject, so maybe try backing up to about 4' from it and taking a shot from top and side to see if you can get some clearer pictures. Maybe it's just damage from a severe dock walloping incident it it's past life!

Also can't see enough of the inner liner to tell if it's intact. Does it look like the one in attached pic? I suspect the reason that Moesly didn't put any cut outs in the aft portion of inner liner is because of the significant stiffness it adds to the hull. The curvature of the flare in the hull further forward would add significant stiffness up there, so openings that reduce the rigidity of the inner liner in that area are probably ok.

[plusone876]

That picture is from underneath the rub rail and is about 3" away. So no major separation. Definitely no separation on the top. The picture that you posted is too small for me to see. So it sounds like you don't think that it is that major, correct?