Are rotten decks a death sentence?

[psk125]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Self performance may be the key here.

I’m a carpenter and feel the core replacement looks easy, but time consuming.

I don’t know how to make it look like a nice deck again after patching however ��

Fixing rot/delamination/wet core is a hassle, but is not necessarily that difficult. You cut open the suspect area, remove compromised core, replace with new, and re-glass. Making it look nice afterwards is a question of deck finish. People go nuts making female molds of the nonskid and trying to line it all up while matching gelcoat colors. Kiwigrip or 2-part poly with nonskid grit should hide any repairs quite well, though that is an added step. You get to decide. Not a one-weekend project, but definitely doable.


We had issues with the cabin top of our J/36 when we bought it. Delamination under the handrails and deck fittings, in areas about 7' long and 8" across on both port and starboard sides. We went at it from underneath to avoid the problem with rebuilding the nonskid. Working upside down was a hassle, with epoxy dripping along with the core needing to be propped up until the epoxy set, and then the fun getting the fiberglass to stay put too. Took us about four sets of weekends. Then we had gelcoat sprayed to cover the repair by a pro who closely matched the original gelcoat finish on the cabin overhead. Kept the boat 24 years after that.

[osprey877]

The deck core is wet, but probably not rotten. If you needed a moisture meter to discover a problem, then presumably the deck is not soft under foot and the core is not rotten, just wet. In order to rot, there needs to be oxygenated water getting to the wood and this is unlikely if deck is not soft and there are no obvious sources of water ingress. It has probably been wet for 20 years and if left alone will last another 20. And remember, nobody's boat ever sank or was dismasted due to wet deck core. Anyways, that's my 2 cents worth.

[Thomas1985]

That’s another question I see very different opinions on…

Is the hull critical to hull integrity or 95% something to walk on? I mean there are bulkheads, right?

How deteriorated does a deck have to become to be dangerous? Probably really bad before the hull warps ����*♂️

[Fore and Aft]

Tom the trouble with decks is that they also support all the deck gear like genoa tracks, stanchions etc. Put a load on any of those with a wet core and you could likely pull them out of the deck or badly crack the fiberglass around them. You also end up with a cascading list of issues from wet decks. Suddenly any interior fitting fastened on the underside of the deck becomes a leak point. I clearly remember surveying a leaky teaky. She had rotten decks and while surveying inside the sailboat we had some heavy rain. Within minutes some of the light fittings began dripping water!
Osprey877 there are countless sources of water that could penetrate the deck core. Plenty of them may not be obvious until the fittings are removed. The fact there is an issue around the chainplates could mean that is the source of the water. I doubt the core has been wet for twenty years.
Cheers

[MicHughV]

Interestingly, while I've been in, on and around boats for some 35 some years and consider myself a savvy boater, I still miss stuff.

If you don't plan on getting a surveyor, at the very least get another set of eyes on it, preferably some experienced eyes and see what that brings to table.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Interestingly, while I've been in, on and around boats for some 35 some years and consider myself a savvy boater, I still miss stuff.

If you don't plan on getting a surveyor, at the very least get another set of eyes on it, preferably some experienced eyes and see what that brings to table.

There are about 6 or 7 on this site that I pay attention too because they are savvy. There are another 20 that think they are savvy.
The catch ? ... How is a newb to tell the difference ?

[MicHughV]

I don't think it's much different than going onto a used car lot.
There, the dealers have the whole thing dialed in to a T.
For a newbie buyer, they are going to get screwed, no two ways around it.
A pro is likely to avoid most pitfalls and finangle a decent deal.

What to do ? Good question. There are several websites and Youtube video's that explain the rudimentary basics of finding and negotiating a good deal. This kind of stuff is not learned over night, it takes time.

A newbie is not likely (or wants to) to take the time to learn, so the expected result is a foregone conclusion.
Newbie buyers are mostly always attracted by the bling and a smooth talking salesman will use that knowledge to the max.

Many would-be sailors are little different. They see a boat and visions of tropical islands and gentle breezes fill their head. Little reality is applied here due to lack of experience.
Not much to be done about it. Boats are bought and sold all over the world to all sorts of people. Eventually, these are all weeded out one way or another and a pro knows how to pick his/her way thru' it.

Most good sales people are those that can pick up on a customers knowledge and experience right from the gitgo and use this knowledge to their advantage.

While the buyer and seller are the focus here, one must not forget the broker or brokers, who also stand to profit from the deal. This is a topic for another discussion, but is very much a part of the whole transaction.

Most people don't buy many boats in their lifetime. One maybe, sometimes two, occasionally three, etc, so the opportunity to fine tune their negotiating skills is pretty much nil.

Finally, boat designs run from one extreme to another, from daysailor to world cruiser and everything in between. Every size, model, make and builder is out there. There is simple a plethora of things to consider here and a newbie will not know a 1/10 of it.

For a newb, this is a tough road to navigate and at the very least should consider an experienced friend/sailor to accompany him on this journey, but whether they will do so or not is anybody's guess.

[JPA Cate]

For a newb, this is a tough road to navigate and at the very least should consider an experienced friend/sailor to accompany him on this journey, but whether they will do so or not is anybody's guess.

MicHughV has hit the nail on the head. Having a knowledgeable acquaintance go with you to look at the boat can save you from wasting your precious time and $$. Or, hire a surveyor, and pay attention to the recommendations he/she makes.

For Thomas, here, he is only just beginning to learn what can go wrong.



Ann

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Or, hire a surveyor, and pay attention to the recommendations he/she makes.

For Thomas, here, he is only just beginning to learn what can go wrong.
Ann

After surveying for over 30 years I suggest the OP pay even more attention to choosing a surveyor than he puts into choosing a boat. There are some excellent surveyors out there but most are not and separating the wheat from the chafe ain't easy.

Choosing a Marine Surveyor & 10 questions to ask

[Thomas1985]

What? ����������

I fail to see what damage was done by calling to ask why there was such a big price drop or discussing deck rot online…

[boatpoker]

Who said there was damage done by asking ?

[Thomas1985]

Apparently Ann, here, thinks hearing a boat two states over has deck rot is going to teach me some sort of lesson lmao

[JPA Cate]

Yes, you DID think to ask here.

^^^^^

However, you haven't yet clued us in relative to your skills with boat negotiations, nor knowledge of selecting surveyors. For us, in answering you in the absence of such information, we have to assume a lack of knowledge on your part. No offense intended.

Ann

[SailingHarmonie]

Just to put things in perspective. We had a leak into our balsa core. It compromised the deck. It cost us about $14K to repair to a structural and cosmetic standard we were happy with.

Our boat is, in round numbers, worth $250K. However painful to our cash flow, this was an easy decision to fix.

If your boat is worth $10K, it would be an easy decision NOT to fix.

If your boat is worth $40K it is a much more difficult decision without an answer that is obvious (to me) in all cases.

[Jim Cate]

IMO getting a structurally adequate fix on the deck isn't too hard nor too expensive. Getting an aesthetically perfect fix is much more difficult for an amateur fixer to achieve.

So, consider the trade off between getting a boat that is otherwise good at a big discount, doing the structural repair and sailing with ugly decks vs the cost in dollars and time to get her pretty.

The idea that a boat must be blemish free to be sailed enjoyably and safely doesn't resonate with me. YMMV.

Jim