Keep Looking ?

[Sir Rondo Normal]

Hi again. My wife and I went over to Vancouver Island yesterday to look at a couple of boats. We saw a Hughes 38 and a Fuji 32.
The Hughes 38 was quite impressive. Very roomy and functional inside and very well equipped for offshore. This is actually, exactly what we're looking for. EXCEPT!!! Along the starboard side for almost the length of the V-berth there is damage to the exterior. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so don't have pics to show but just below the toe rail there is what can only be described as a scrape right at the joining edge of the hull and deck. Like someone ran into something sharp that literally whittled away a long chunk of f/g. There is probably a 1/2" deep strip missing and you can see f/g fibres but you can't see through. I know this is harder to visualize than it is to describe accurately but I'd like someone to try.
The joint seems strong and if it weren't for that, I would have made an offer on the boat. I'm just not sure if I want to waste $500 on a survey for the surveyor to take one look and say "Run forest run!".

Thanks

[Mark1977]

Sounds like someone did scrape it down a dock or something while docking. Probably an easy fix. Did you ask what may have happened? Pics would have been good. Get the survey if you like the boat, it's probably not a deal breaker.

[sww914]

Sounds like a relatively simple repair. Fiberglass takes repairs well. The boat isn't trash, just figure that cost in.

[Sir Rondo Normal]

Hey thanks for the quick replies. That's good to hear. There were other issues as well but I thought THAT one was the worst. Shows my greenness to sailboats I guess. The other main issue is a soft spot in the deck. Near the forward hatch. This being a keel stepped mast, are soft spots in the deck as much of a concern as in a deck stepped mast?

Thanks again

[jannw]

Your soft spot on the deck is probably a bigger issue than the gouge in the side. You will want to know if it is delamination or rot, which a surveyor can tell you, and can tell you about the repair process for either. And, yes, it is a concern and will need to be fixed.

[James S]

To do a good FG repair we normally grind back ether side of the damage so that we can apply multi layer patch with the maximum possible contact area...if that gouge is closer than 5 or 6 inches to the toe rail it may be a bit of an unusual repair...I'm not saying its deal breaker.
Also I don't see this as an inexpensive repair.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Capt Wraun

The Hughes 38 was quite impressive. Very roomy and functional inside and very well equipped for offshore. This is actually, exactly what we're looking for. EXCEPT!!! Along the starboard side for almost the length of the V-berth there is damage to the exterior. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so don't have pics to show but just below the toe rail there is what can only be described as a scrape right at the joining edge of the hull and deck. Like someone ran into something sharp that literally whittled away a long chunk of f/g. There is probably a 1/2" deep strip missing and you can see f/g fibres but you can't see through. I know this is harder to visualize than it is to describe accurately but I'd like someone to try.
The joint seems strong and if it weren't for that, I would have made an offer on the boat. I'm just not sure if I want to waste $500 on a survey for the surveyor to take one look and say "Run forest run!".

Thanks

This sounds like a chance to dicker the price down as far as you can. It's an EZ fix, but one would have to put it in a warm environment or wait until spring to do the work, here in the N. Pacific.

But yeah! It sounds like he caught a pile spike while docking.

[Sir Rondo Normal]

What exactly is involved in fixing a delaminated or rotting cored deck?
Strip away the f/g down to the core, then stripping out the core. With a clean/dry and roughed up surface, apply resin. Then lay down new coring and then re-glassing the top in the affected area only?
Just guessing here...

[James S]

Originally Posted by Capt Wraun

What exactly is involved in fixing a delaminated or rotting cored deck?
Strip away the f/g down to the core, then stripping out the core. With a clean/dry and roughed up surface, apply resin. Then lay down new coring and then re-glassing the top in the affected area only?
Just guessing here...

Yep...thats pretty much it....may want to apply a thin layer of mat with the initial resin.
In some cases it may be easier to do it from the inside depending on the type of headliner....my boats FG deck was about 3/8" thick on the top and only like 3/32" under the core.
The other advantage to doing it from down is there is generally no paint on it so it's easy to see the extent of the damp area.

[Mexdon]

Originally Posted by Capt Wraun

Hi again. My wife and I went over to Vancouver Island yesterday to look at a couple of boats. We saw a Hughes 38 and a Fuji 32.
The Hughes 38 was quite impressive. Very roomy and functional inside and very well equipped for offshore. This is actually, exactly what we're looking for. EXCEPT!!! Along the starboard side for almost the length of the V-berth there is damage to the exterior. Unfortunately we forgot the camera so don't have pics to show but just below the toe rail there is what can only be described as a scrape right at the joining edge of the hull and deck. Like someone ran into something sharp that literally whittled away a long chunk of f/g. There is probably a 1/2" deep strip missing and you can see f/g fibres but you can't see through. I know this is harder to visualize than it is to describe accurately but I'd like someone to try.
The joint seems strong and if it weren't for that, I would have made an offer on the boat. I'm just not sure if I want to waste $500 on a survey for the surveyor to take one look and say "Run forest run!".

Thanks

Ask the vendor for a full disclosure letter which must outline all known faults and damages and how they occurred.

This will give you the arms you need to get into negotiation for price if you decide to proceed......then call for a survey.

[Sir Rondo Normal]

Awesome, thanks very much for the advice. Very much appreciated. I am a pretty handy guy so would likely do the work myself. I've never done any f/g work before but I don't think it would be very hard to do.
I wonder what, on a cost/sq ft basis, I should figure on spending if I did the work myself?
I suppose my surveyor could give me a pretty close estimate based on our area.

Thanks again guys

[ssanzone]

without pictures and more info it is difficult to say, but you might consider $1500 for a yard to repair the hull and another $1000 in paint etc. i am not suggesting you should or will pay that but as a negotiating benchmark, $2500 will be a good starting point.

i agree that the soft deck is a bigger concern. neither a soft deck or gouge in the hull (above the water line) would prevent me from buying a boat if the price was right.

perhaps you can do a bit of negotiating before the survey...

'i am interested and would like to move forward with a survey but with the gouge in the hull, i would need to see the price come down (N dollars)'

if the seller is agreeable, get the survey done and find out whatever else may be wrong with the boat.

gl.

-steve

[SkiprJohn]

You didn't mention the Fuji 32 so I assume it didn't have the features you liked about the Hughes?
Good luck in your negotiations.
kind regards,

[barnakiel]

Sounds repairable with epoxy/glass and paint.

What about the Fuji boat?

b.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by Capt Wraun

What exactly is involved in fixing a delaminated or rotting cored deck?
Strip away the f/g down to the core, then stripping out the core. With a clean/dry and roughed up surface, apply resin. Then lay down new coring and then re-glassing the top in the affected area only?
Just guessing here...

One thing too, if the section cut out is in one piece, the under side of the cutout can be cleaned off and that piece resined back in. Then just glass up around the edges. Some decks have an arch to them, which might be hard to duplicate.

Glassing up from the underside is a big headache. The stuff drips and the FG wants to fall back down. Even if you can get it to stay, it sags and leaves air pockets. Ask me how I know.

Is this boat painted or have a good gelcoat. That will make a difference in the labor it takes to do the job.