Looking for suggestions on what to do about a cracked Hardtop frame.
Boat is a 20 year old 330. I use it in sporty conditions off San Francisco.
In the last month, I experienced two VERY hard landings. Like the boat fell 5 feet off a fork lift.
Anyway, I have two cracks on the inside of the frame right where the upper triangle strut attaches to the main tubing going down to the deck. See red marks in the photo below. Each crack is about 50% of the way around. Both sides appear identical.
I had a Welder look at it and he told me the welding point is always where these cracks happen because the heat from the weld weakens the tube. And that is where I have the cracks.
Re-welding in that spot is not recommended by my Welder since it would make that area even weaker. He suggests doing a bolt on solution to attach a SS pipe (of the same diameter of the frame) that horizontally connects the two sides together. This SS Pipe would "box in" the port and starboard rails to limit further movement. It would be about the same height as the where the windshield glass meets the clear panel. In this way, the forward looking sight line from the helm would be preserved.
The hardtop frame is built very well with 45 degree struts and a gusseted double rail on the downward part of it. Yet, with enough shock load, something has got to give. And that's where I'm at...
Do you have any suggestions for me on this?
Boat is a 20 year old 330. I use it in sporty conditions off San Francisco.
In the last month, I experienced two VERY hard landings. Like the boat fell 5 feet off a fork lift.
Anyway, I have two cracks on the inside of the frame right where the upper triangle strut attaches to the main tubing going down to the deck. See red marks in the photo below. Each crack is about 50% of the way around. Both sides appear identical.
I had a Welder look at it and he told me the welding point is always where these cracks happen because the heat from the weld weakens the tube. And that is where I have the cracks.
Re-welding in that spot is not recommended by my Welder since it would make that area even weaker. He suggests doing a bolt on solution to attach a SS pipe (of the same diameter of the frame) that horizontally connects the two sides together. This SS Pipe would "box in" the port and starboard rails to limit further movement. It would be about the same height as the where the windshield glass meets the clear panel. In this way, the forward looking sight line from the helm would be preserved.
The hardtop frame is built very well with 45 degree struts and a gusseted double rail on the downward part of it. Yet, with enough shock load, something has got to give. And that's where I'm at...
Do you have any suggestions for me on this?
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