- Joined
- May 12, 2009
- RO Number
- 31236
- Messages
- 322
My boat is a 1982 Carver 3007 aft cabin. It has the integral swim platform that adds an additional 30 or so inches of overall boat length. It's not a mere swim grid bolted onto the transom above the waterline; it's a large fiberglass part that continues the hull shape on the bottom and sides, and provides a substantial horizontal working surface for mounting a dinghy and stowing other gear. The exhaust pipes pass through the primary hull transom, run through the interior of the swim platform, and exit out its aft edge on either side.
I believe the part is fully tabbed and glassed on to the hull, but there are also thru-bolts below the waterline that can be seen and accessed by removing the drawers in the dresser mounted athwartships against the transom in the aft cabin.
Those bolts are not bonded, and, as the swim platform fills with water by design, they are subject to corrosion. There is enough corrosion and evidence of weeping visible in the existing bolts that the day has come for those bolts to be replaced.
The heads of the bolts are inside the swim platform against its forward vertical face, and the nuts and washers are in the aft cabin against the transom. There are two removable inspection plates mounted in the swim platform, so the bolt heads can be accessed that way. I suspect the bolts are corroded enough that they won't come off easily. They will likely sheer off, or need to be cut or otherwise extracted.
I'm curious if anyone with a similar vintage Carver aft cabin has been through this process, and, if so, what did you do and how did you do it? I know the conventional wisdom says to drill holes larger than the bolts, fill the holes with epoxy, allow it to fully cure, then drill and tap the epoxied area for the new bolts. One would also think backing plates would be in order, but I suspect the bolts aren't structural; there were placed there, I think, during construction simply to hold the part in place while it was tabbed and glassed on. Another suggestion was to glass over the corroded bolts and drill new holes for the new bolts. Not the most elegant solution in my view.
If anyone has gone through this with their boat I would appreciate hearing what you did and how it worked out. Or, anyone please feel free to share any practical advice.
Thanks in advance.
I believe the part is fully tabbed and glassed on to the hull, but there are also thru-bolts below the waterline that can be seen and accessed by removing the drawers in the dresser mounted athwartships against the transom in the aft cabin.
Those bolts are not bonded, and, as the swim platform fills with water by design, they are subject to corrosion. There is enough corrosion and evidence of weeping visible in the existing bolts that the day has come for those bolts to be replaced.
The heads of the bolts are inside the swim platform against its forward vertical face, and the nuts and washers are in the aft cabin against the transom. There are two removable inspection plates mounted in the swim platform, so the bolt heads can be accessed that way. I suspect the bolts are corroded enough that they won't come off easily. They will likely sheer off, or need to be cut or otherwise extracted.
I'm curious if anyone with a similar vintage Carver aft cabin has been through this process, and, if so, what did you do and how did you do it? I know the conventional wisdom says to drill holes larger than the bolts, fill the holes with epoxy, allow it to fully cure, then drill and tap the epoxied area for the new bolts. One would also think backing plates would be in order, but I suspect the bolts aren't structural; there were placed there, I think, during construction simply to hold the part in place while it was tabbed and glassed on. Another suggestion was to glass over the corroded bolts and drill new holes for the new bolts. Not the most elegant solution in my view.
If anyone has gone through this with their boat I would appreciate hearing what you did and how it worked out. Or, anyone please feel free to share any practical advice.
Thanks in advance.
