TOPIC: Found an Aristo Craft 9 Teen but have a question

I saw this on the side of the road last week and now it popped up on CL. I stopped to look at it and the boat has a few stress cracks here and there but only one that concerned me a bit. What do you think, does this need repair or is it no big deal? I am new to the world of glass and already have a project boat but just love this one, I think I may even consider dumping my late model for it.

Have not figured out the pics yet........ This is only on one side and the other side shows now signs of cracking.

Welcome aboard Eyeball, glad to have you with us. You can post multiple pics in one post by making the initial post with one pic, then click the Edit button and add another. Click Submit and repeat the process for any additional pics you'd like to post.

Nice find on the Aristo Craft, looks like a pretty nice boat other than the spot in question! (From what can be seen so far in your pics, anyway.) I'm not an expert on fiberglass by any means, but I'll give you my opinion for what it's worth. First, have you "thump tested" the transom to check it's condition? If it "rings back" (doesn't just thud) all over then it's probably okay. (Check especially close around where the outdrive goes through the transom.)

That area almost looks like "blunt force trauma" to me, like the boat was dropped or bounced at one time on it's stern or something. Doesn't really look like it was "backed into" anything, how's the hull look right under that spot? If the transom, floors, and stringers appear to be in good shape I'd repair that area to prevent water intrusion and rock on.

Looks to me like she's definitely worth saving, let us know what you decide and keep us posted, okay?!

On Aristocraft outboards there is only a small amount of wood used in the transom. Trust me it IS there as I've drilled through them to mount a Mercury 115 and tilt and trim pump. It is centered in the transom. I would assume an I/O also uses wood in the center for strength to mount the i/o unit to the engine. The boat has been painted at some time as that's not a stock mold pop. If I'm seeing things correctly the trailer bunk sits right under the area on the bottom where the stress crack is. Any signs inside the boat of a high water line where maybe the boat had a lot of weight sitting on the bunk? Can you look at how the boat sits on the trailer? Is the rear end of the bunk carrying all the weight of the boat and the motor? That alone could do this damage. Bunks need to support the entire length to distribute the load. Is this only on the transom or is the bottom also showing cracks? This is not a hard repair to do. Take an angle grinder and grind the area out. Kitty hair will do nicely to fill in the ground area and provide some strength. Sand that well, and then use a finish filler to fair the repair area. Then apply finish

Thanks for your imput. I am going to stop and look at it again this weekend and take a peek at that area on the inside.

Trailer, wonder if that is an original sticker?

Man, do I envy You guys over there in the US.
Here in Sweden it would never apear unless on ebay.

it's possible that you are looking at damage there and possible hull shape / strength / integrity compromise overall resulting from water logged foam packed hull freezing up and expanding against the hull?

maybe some foam pack experts could chime in here. i have seen these sorts of cracks in other foam pack boats that had waterlogged foam that expanded out against the shell of the boat.

i think the issue is that if your hull has been compromised, it may puncture / disintegrate when you are out on the water. i personally don't know how to check to see if you have a damaged boat or if there is a way to check at all.... anyone?

Here is the only other close up I have of the area around the plug with minor cracking. I thought I would put it up just to see if he helped.

we have a little dude trailer,a 1963,under the sunray,thats what the original sticker looked like,but you can buy them online also.

Nothing I see really disturbs me around the drain hole. I still believe this is a custom paint job and what you see is an improper surface preparation (cracked gel coat) that is showing through the paint. There was no foam used in Aristocraft boats. The floor provided an air space, unfilled, between the floor and the hull. There is a small drain hole at the back of the boat under the splash well leading to that drain tube that drains this air space of water if need be. Note how high up the drain tube is....there's a reason for that.