johnennis":34fh9y5a said:
Is there any reason to stay away from older hull years?
Do later years have many improvements?
In ANY brand older boat, there could some rot or soft spots, specially in the deck, as in those years, the bottoms didn't even have resin on them. Or in places where hardware was attached and either the wood core wasn't protected or over the years, the bedding compound is not 'worn' and doesn't protect the core.
On my '92, which I am led to believe when it first started, the backsides of the decking did have a coat of resin, but no glass. Sometime in the later 90s, I believe the plywood was completely encapsulated within glass and resin.
When I first got my '92 hull, I removed EVERY piece of hardware I could. Then #1 I wet-out the holes with epoxy, and then #2 redrilled (once cured) for a larger hole and redrilled for the proper sized fastener. Even if you just used thinned epoxy and did step #1 that is at least better than nothing. Items like cleats and chocks are subject to severe stress and loading that can weaken the bedding over time.