Thanks for the info, bruceb! Yes mrjo mentioned intending to explore due to some swelling where the beams intersect the hull. From what I could find on the build, I expected the beams for the amas to be welded (or at least bolted) directly to an alloy frame within the hull, so
1) with the metal substructure taking the load from the amas and distributing it throughout the hull, I couldn't figure out how the composite would be damaged, and
2) even if the composite were damaged, it should only be cosmetic as the beams are transferring the load directly to the metal frame.
I hadn't considered the aluminium being the problem, but what you said made me remember that its resistant to corrosion only after a protective layer has built up on the exposed surfaces, so if there's rubbing then that would cause exactly what you suggested! (I think this was discovered when polishing aluminum aircraft in the 60s to keep them shiny and pretty made their wings eventually fall off?)
Not that I'd be competent to fix it, but you're saying it's more complicated than welding some new aluminum in where the broken bits were, then filling the hole with kevlar and epoxy? I understand metal repair is structurally more like than the original build than composite repair (due to mechanical bonding of epoxy being weaker than the original chemical bond), so it should be structurally sound. (With the prevention of repeat corrosion being another issue.)
Anyway, I'm always looking at boat designs, so I had to research Cliffy when I saw her! She's definitely an interesting build, and still looks pretty good for being nearly 40 year old!
-michael
for the future.
