I am about to buy a 1996 Carver Santego 380 - Please help

[cjblovinlife]

I understand this model is a cored hull correct ? CDRR6037C696

I attached an image of a hull blister should this be a deal breaker ? I will be using this boat on a lake with max waves of 2'

[Cooler]

A hull blister is not, IMHO, a deal breaker. It should be repaired by a qualified glass person. If you can negotiate that into the deal, that would be good. The hull, below the waterline is not cored, solid FG. I am confused by the second pic of the blister location. Is that the trim tab just to the aft? What kind of water was the boat sitting in? If you end up doing the blister yourself, be careful. There is a high chance that blister liquid will have an acid element to it. Sand it down flat, fill in with epoxy. Then cover with some Interlux InterProtect 2000, let dry, and then bottom paint. Good luck! er

[Cooler]

Great boat! Really like the layout, location of helm, and the walk through in the bridge. Very social vessel. er

[ColRon]

Welcome Aboard! I agree with Cooler, blisters should not be a deal breaker, but you could negotiate their repair into the deal. In fact, fiberglass boats and blisters are all just part of life. Good luck!

[cjblovinlife]

Thank you so much for your help. Actually the owner is letting me stay on it for the night so I’m crawling all over it and everything seems to be looking great. I was concerned about people saying if the whole number ended in six it was a cord hole, but the owner has every document that ever came with this boat which confirms that you are (not that I would have doubted it )

[ColRon]

The last two digits of the hull number is the year of manufacture and have nothing to do with the hull construction. You are getting a survey, correct? That’s one of the best investments you can make when purchasing a boat.

[km1125]

Source of the post Thank you so much for your help. Actually the owner is letting me stay on it for the night so I’m crawling all over it and everything seems to be looking great. I was concerned about people saying if the whole number ended in six it was a cord hole, but the owner has every document that ever came with this boat which confirms that you are (not that I would have doubted it )

If you're talking about the HIN number ending in a six that's not correct. The last three digits (in your case 696) is a date code when the hull was manufactured, in your case June of 1996.

The reference other people are talking about was some model numbers like 3207 or 3607. Those ending in "07" were NOT cored hulls but others could be. But I don't have the full list of how those translate.

[cjblovinlife]

Awesome! You guys are great this forum is a godsend

[Viper]

Welcome aboard. As mentioned, the blister/s aren't a big deal, at least in the sense that they are not a structural concern. They are though an expensive fix if they are prolific throughout the hull. It's just a very time consuming process to remedy and the products are expensive. If there are just a few localized ones, that's not bad at all. They should be repaired as they can get bigger over time which can lead to more serious problems.

If you think this is the boat for you, get a survey, it's worth the money and you'll need one for insurance anyway. It'll also point out some deficiencies that will help in negotiating a fair purchase price.

[g36]

Welcome also and good luck with your purchase