I am looking at a fairly new Capri 16.5 that otherwise looks in excellent shape but that has some linear (front to back and vertical) hairline cracks on the upper deck near the mast step and some more significant cracks on the roof of the storage area under deck, again, at the mast step. It looks like there might be some dark material, probably wood, that can be seen through the under deck cracks. I can't find a cross section drawing for the mast step area for the Capri 16.5, but I expect it is layered FG above a wood core with layered FG below. There is no mast compression post and no stringers, so the load must be spread across the deck through whatever is structurally in there, which doesn't seem like much.
The deck doesn't seem soft, but do these types of cracks represent the start of a major structural failure? And, if so, can it be repaired at a reasonable cost? I'm not looking for a project boat and I prefer to not have the mast drop through the deck.
The deck doesn't seem soft, but do these types of cracks represent the start of a major structural failure? And, if so, can it be repaired at a reasonable cost? I'm not looking for a project boat and I prefer to not have the mast drop through the deck.