Steve,

Thanks for the feed back. I have the same issues as well. Having the wood shop I have opted to laminate my own beam (we'll see how that works out).

:: Ray,
::
:: Wow, you've got your work cut out for you. It looks like
:: you have a good start on it, however. And it looks like
:: you have a good place to work on it.

:: Having just about finished my own restoration project
:: (hull #365--1968) I would have to say that the two major
:: issues my boat had where soft decks, and a rotten mast
:: support beam. I would recommend doing a thorough survey
:: of the deck--tapping with the butt of a screwdriver will
:: tell you where the worst areas are but to really find
:: out the extent of the damage you have to drill lots of
:: shallow holes.

:: I ended up replacing the balsa core on nearly half of
:: the fore-deck and another large area above the cabin.

:: As for the mast support beam, there are lots of past
:: posts addressing that, but in short I opted for the new
:: beam that the Schock Company makes and I am very happy
:: with it.

:: It will be fun to see how your project progresses. If
:: you have any questions feel free to contact me either
:: here or through my e-mail.

:: Good Luck,
::
::
:: Steve
::
:: :: I have just started restoration of Hull 535, soon to be
:: :: called “Rejuvenated”. I have yet to come across another
:: :: Santana 22 in the Tampa Bay area, so it should be
:: :: unique. I have posted pictures of the beginning of the
:: :: process in the “Restoration” folder in the photo’s area.
:: :: All comments, suggestion and even some encouragement are
:: :: always welcome.
:: ::
:: :: Thanks,
::
:: :: Ray