How much for re-bedding hardware?

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Hard A Lee

I had a survey done on a boat we are hoping to purchase that found moisture in the deck around all fittings. No core damage, but all fittings need to be re-bedded. How do I put a price on this to ask for a credit? I'd rather do it myself so I know it's done correctly...

This is a 41 foot boat, if that helps. Not sure exactly how many fittings total.

I assume you put in an offer pending a survey?
The best approach if you really want to do the work yourself is to have a professional estimate the work to fix it all then add a contingency amount for the unknown unknowns. Then you change your offer to deduct this from the cost of the boat.
Failing that, you are going to pay someone else for you to do the work.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by botanybay

Perhaps it is "common practice" to rebed a fitting onto sound but wet core.


However, in my limited experience as an amateur rebuilder of my own vessels, every time I have dug out the old wet material the smell is horrible which I have always suspected is the source of many musty boat smells when the boat is sealed up for extended periods of time.


In addition my thought has always been that the continued rotting of the core material (for those materials which will rot - balsa, plywood, etc) that the materials structural integrity is slowly decaying. I also worry that the stainless bolts going through a wet deck with no oxygen is a great place for crevice corrosion, so sealing in moisture and sealing out oxygen might not be the best practice.


Having had to eventually replace significant portions of deck core on various vessels where the wet core had been sealed up and allowed to continue to rot I have never been comfortable with that approach.


It probably depends on if the vessel/owner is a "use it up and throw it away at some point in time" or "owning a vessel for the long haul". I owned my previous vessel for 19 years and I expect to own the current vessel for at least that long and so the "value" to me of doing what makes me feel I have done a good job as a steward of the vessel gives me pleasure.

If the core is rotten, it needs to be replaced.

If the core is just wet, maybe not.

No worries about stainless, the bedding compound will isolate it from the wet core.

Better yet to over drill, dry, and resin pot the mounting holes.

But I have no concerns about rebedding fittings in a wet core that isn't rotten. If there is no rot to begin with, and then the leak is sealed, rot can't start, it needs oxygen.

I have inspected/rebedded lots of wet cores with no rot that don't smell bad.

I highly doubt your musty smell is coming from sealed wet core. More likely standing water or saturated wood or fabric inside the boat.

[botanybay]

Like I said, I am just an amateur who probably over thinks things

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