Swim Platform Dilemma

[Craig_B]

With spring approaching I want to tackle an issue from last season.
When we purchased our Santego last spring one of the big selling factors was the nice big extended add on swim platform.
The platform sits very close to the surface of the water and thought that was a great feature. Nice and roomy and easy to re-board the boat from a swim.

However we noticed it dragged in the water when underway especially when attempting to get the boat on plane.
Then it started to become loose. As in almost falling off.
One other thing i should mention is that the boat needed a bit of a tune up as getting on plane was quite difficult. Now with the engines running better and the platform off, getting the boat on plane is much easier. The lack of power to get on plane may have contributed to the platform dragging in the water.

I decided to remove the platform and deal with it the next season. Well that season is almost here.
It was never attached properly in my opinion. Only bolted through the factory intergrated swim platform with very small bolts. No support struts underneath at all.
I was thinking of having it re-attached higher up on the stern to have more clearance to the water but that may not be too easy and might look kinda stupid.

So should I raise the platform up and install some support struts?
Or
Should I keep it lower down and install some support struts?

Any insight from some fellow Carver owners would be appreciated.

Here is a picture of how the platform was mounted originally

47373742181_1e4ce2f5b2_b.jpg

Here is a pic of the factory intregrated platform without the extension

carver-santego (1).jpg

Another pic of the extended platform from the side

47373745061_d107a26717_b1.jpg

[mjk1040]

I see only 2 options. Keep it where it is or remove it.

[Midnightsun]

I do not think you can do much with the extension you have. Way too low to be that long. Cannot figure how it held in place with no braces underneath. I think you should simply leave it off to avoid future problems.

[Craig_B]

Source of the post I do not think you can do much with the extension you have. Way too low to be that long. Cannot figure how it held in place with no braces underneath. I think you should simply leave it off to avoid future problems.

It didnt hold in place. Bolts ripped through the original platform. It was half hanging off when i removed it all the way.

What about shortening the extension? Same height but less of an overhang.

[Midnightsun]

You could try shortening it however only when you try to get up on plane will you see if you shortened it enough. Biggest challenge is how to securely bolt it onto the integrated swim platform. On top of that, you still need braces under there or it will not last too long.

[Tireless]

Based on the pictures I must agree with Midnightsun. The platform is way to low and it will create a suction on the surface of the water when the aft drops to get the boat on plane. I can't believe it stayed on the boat with no support struts. You have a big cockpit and you can hang out on that. Swim platform extension is nice to have, however, unless you want to do idle speed all the time it is not going to work for you. Sorry.

I think I would remove it and not put it back on. You would have to raise it a lot to get it out of the water and I am not sure how you could do that on that particular boat. They are a beautiful boat the way they were designed and very roomy for that outdoor living back there.

Just my thought.

Greg

[Viper]

The crazy thing is that it looks like a Swimplatform.com unit and every one I've installed has been supplied with stainless tube supports to attach to the bottom of the transom. If she's been dragging in the water then there'd be a lot of stress on both platforms but if the fasteners were pulling out then they didn't fasten it properly. Did they thru-bolt or just use screws into the original moulded platform? Your original platform is hollow and probably not the easiest to get in there so they may have taken the easy way out with screws instead of nuts and bolts with backer plates.

I can't tell from the pictures, is the extended platform vented? That's usually a couple of oval inserts with cutouts in them to allow air to flow through.

You can't tell from the pics exactly how close she is to the water or how much you'd need for her to clear when getting up on plane. If you only need a couple of inches for example, then cover the original platform with a couple of one inch sheets of Starboard for example, then thru-bolt the extension on top of that. If you do it right, you'll barely tell that there's a two inch layer under it. Keep in mind though that this will add some more weight but there are lighter waterproof products out there. You can also gain a bit more clearance by cutting an inch or so off the bottom of it's aft skirt. Start the cut on the sides where it starts wrapping around the back and gradually slope up to the amount you want to remove. I don't recall if or how much of that aft section is cored but there's usually a section close to the edge that isn't. If that's the case, you can cut most of the solid glass away, seal the exposed glass with gelcoat, then put the rubber mould back on. You may have to try running her a couple of times and adjust again if needed. Worth a try, what do you have to lose at this point?!

You may also want to lighten as much weight in the stern as you can. In your first picture, where exactly is the water line in reference to the top of the anti-fouling paint line on the transom?

Have you tried playing around with your trim tabs to see if you can lift the transom out of the water a bit more when you're getting up on plane?

Looks like she's at Starport, or was?

[bud37]

The original platform already extends a good distance from the transom. From what I can see and understand from your explanation, there is a lot of force being exerted on this extension, simply bolting it on with heavier plates and brackets will not fix that, imo.

I really see no way around this short of fooling the hull into being longer, maybe tab/hull extensions. That may put the stern wave further back. Still a crap shoot , like has been mentioned in previous posts.

[Craig_B]

Thanks for all the input.
Lots of good ideas.

Yes the boat was at Starport but we moved it last fall.

The platform did have support struts but whoever installed them mounted them perfectly horizontal to the platform and attached with brackets onto the original platform you can see one of them on the left side of the first picture.

It was through bolted with very thin taper head bolts and small washers only on the underside. Needles to say the bolts pulled straight through the platform and support struts that are parellel to your load do abosoultely nothing.

[tomschauer]

Damn, that's one big a#s platform for a Santego. As Viper mentioned, it looks like it came from a reputable manufacturer.
However, being on several santego's such as yours, I have no idea how you could keep it from dragging water, unless you have all passengers sit on the bow until you get on plane. Those boats squat hard, especially with the alpha single props.
I would think, even if you properly support it, it would continue to be a problem.
Maybe reach out to the manufacturer for ideas?