CM 32 Deck to Hull Joint

Here's what ours looks like.



Will be adding more rivets and the trim track will have SS screws long enough to tie the hull and deck together also.

I am not a construction expert, but I would have hoped to see more than an occasional pop rivet. I had read that is how they are fastened together, but I had hopped for something more on the Blue water CM's.



Do you have a larger area photograph of this, so I can see what it is I am looking at?

That's the only pic I have right now. It was the best I could get while holding the track out and balancing on top of a step ladder.

We are holed up at Key Lime Sailing Club for a few days while April heals a bit from Bariatric surgery. When we get back to the boatyard I will get more pics.

I too had hoped to find better fasteners but am not really surprised. I think there are more boats built this way than we know. In the yard we are by a 26'ish power boat that is missing the trim showing that it is the same. I'll post pics of that too.

Best of luck with the surgery!



I have read the boats are one piece, like a gallon water bottle, but that does not look the case, does it?



Do you think some sort of welding / gluing took place, and the rivets are just used to set up the bond?



On our lake this summer, a Catalina 27 was popped in two pieces, top went flying off, when a speed boat struck them.



Catalina's are known to be pretty solid boats, yet that happened.

Been a week since the surgery and she is doing well, thanks. Walking about 2 miles a day, sick of liquid diet for three weeks now.

The lip on the inside around the seam is thick and tall. Not sure how it ties into the hull on the inside yet. It would be nice if the rivets were just to tack it in place while they glassed the inside seam. I will be right back into the project in a few days.

It would be easy enough to glass the outside of the seam. I may do that someday but not now. Too much else on list.

If the Catalinas are built the same I'm willing to bet quite a few other production boats are/were also. Avoid beam on waves and speedboats eh?

Back home on board Gone and finally getting back to the re-fit. Here are more pics of the joint. Strange thing is inside it feels seamless, like they glassed the two parts together?! I will get pics of the inside when I delve deeper into it. For now I am convinced they tacked the deck to hull w/ the rivets and then made them solid on the inside.

I discussed it in length yesterday w/ a friend who has worked on most brands and owned over 30 sailboats over the years. He believes I may be correct but thinks it seems like a lot of extra work to put into a "cheaper" production boat of the mid-seventies. Not knocking the Clippers by any means just thinks it would be rare and I agree. When he gets a chance he is coming to see it for himself and help me clarify this.

I have read somewhere the CM's are one piece, like a Clorox bottle. While that does not seem the case, of they are two pieces welded together with the correct epoxy, it would be in fact, one piece.

I know W.I.B. Crealock is quoted as saying he was very proud of Clipper Marine. It would seem hard to be proud of a boat with a simple pop rivet seam. I would believe it is welded , but that could be a wishful thought.

I hate to say it but when gelcoat jim did my boat the top cap came off no problem,that is to say after removing the rivets.The rivets were replaced WITH ss screws,if there was a bonding agent glueing the top cap down it deteriated long ago.Glassing the top cap down on the inside seems like a good idea to me maybe that was done after the factory on your boat

You've had your top off??!! Would love to have seen that!!

I drilled out the rivets that held the trim track on and am using SS screws to hold the track on as well as to add more holding to the joint. But after drilling out and running the screws in there is no debris inside and no screws coming through.

I would like to see pics of everyone's inside joint areas. I will get some of ours and post tomorrow when my running is done. I wonder if it is done differently on various sizes?