My son and I are new to this forum and we have picked up a project to work on it is a 20 foot Daytona (not eliminator) and are getting ready to take it out to your guys events! We have ran across a few bumps on the way and wondering if you guys could help us out with one thing we're not to sure about.


The bow has a lot of flex in it and we're not sure if that's how it's suppose to be because the boat has a bulk head but the flex happens before the bulk head


we had a SKV day cruiser that we could walk on the bow all day long and with this project a little pressure and the bow flexes we don't want to be walking around on the bow all time but we just want to make sure if we need to it will be safe for us and the boat.... Just curious what you guys think and if we are just worrying to much or if there is something we should do


Sent from my iPhone using SoCal Jet Boats

I wouldn't walk on it.  A dark boat is a magnet for scratches and cracks in the gel coat.  Even if the glass itself doesn't crack, the gel coat, on a multi-color boat, can get pretty thick.  Gel coat doesn't have any reinforcing fibers and is very brittle.  You will see minor cracks in the gel coat in the high-stress areas, like in the corners of the dash.

Lastly, if you allow people to walk on the deck, that is an open invitation for people to stack coolers and $#!+ all over it while scuffing their sandy feet across it.

If you see it flexing like that, it could be a "light layup" or the glass could be degrading on inside.  Try to climb in there and see what is the cause.

Welcome by the way,

Joe

just to add to this.... is it OK to cut a hole into the firewall if the boat comes with no access under the bow? I have not cut it because I worry about the integrity of the hull when doing this. thanks

Strok-Her