Capri 1985 Hull Question

[ChoralGuy]

Hola! We have a new to me Capri with some slightly concerning “features” in the bow. It sails great but looks a bust scary AND the way the trailer’s front most support is configured, the hull cavitates slightly when trailering. I have put additional supports to prevent the hull from “cavitating”, but wonder what I can/should do on the structure itself.

I have some experience (many years ago) removing the floorboards of a 67 Bug and replace with wood/fiberglass. What I lack in experience/skill I make up with an adventurous spirit… ;-)

 

[Tops]

Interesting picture. Is it looking down into hull, bow to the right? Would you have a zoomed-out picture to add some context?

 

[ChoralGuy]

Thanks for the reply. Here are some additional photos. Hopefully more context.

 

[L&VW]

By "cavitate", do you mean a back-and-forth shaking of the trailer's front end when towing your Capri, (which is breaking up the fiberglass floor and elsewhere)? Then your trailer (or its wheels/tires) needs attention first.

Is the hull leaking?

 

[ChoralGuy]

By "cavitate", do you mean a back-and-forth shaking of the trailer's front end when towing your Capri, (which is breaking up the fiberglass floor and elsewhere)? Then your trailer (or its wheels/tires) needs attention first.

Is the hull leaking?

Oh, man! I used the wrong word. The hull caves in at the point where it rests on the front most support of the trailer IF I crank the trailer winch too much.

The hull is not leaking and the trailer hubs/wheels are brand new and in excellent shape. No odd behavior in the department,

My concern is that the rot on the inside of the bow in the keel line has compromised the hull. Should I clean out the wood in the images and replace with an epoxy or fiberglass replacement material to bolster the keel? I’ve already added additional support on the trailer base to more evenly spread the weight of the boat while on the trailer.

My apologies for the errant use of “cavitation.” It’s a cool word, just not the right usage! ;-)

 

[aquaman]

There's a bunch of wood stringers in the space between the cockpit floor and the hull below. Hopefully they're not also rotting out. There's no way to tell unless you were to pull off the cockpit. Another area of concern is the condition of the wood beam that supports the mast base. Check my earlier post on that subject, along with one written by another guy, regarding failed mast support beams. If that beam rots out and snaps the boat will become unsafe to sail. As you will see in those posts, the repair needed to fix the problem is a huge undertaking. Good luck!