Are rotten decks a death sentence?

[malbert73]

I think there are various ways to look at this:
1. You are confident that the rest of the boat- mechanical systems, rigging, sails, engine, etc- are well above the usual standard- hence a deck repair is the only thing wrong. Then, a 10K repair on a 30K boat could be worthwhile
2. Much more likely, there are a multitude of things that currently, or in near future, will need your attention or full replacement/repair- or both- and the magnitude of the deck repair on top of all of the usual old used boat stuff, will break you like many before.
3. Or, you get a good deal on the boat, use it, and ignore the decks until you can find the next buyer with dreams. Probably the best option. Head in the sand. It’s why so many boats have wet deck core- prior owners ignore it, and rarely if ever do they structurally fail

[chef2sail]

Run from it…..quickly

[Seaward22]

May want to check Boat works. He had a pretty ingenious way of using a vibrating saw to cut off the jellcoat And then reglass the area underneath so you only have to matchup the perimeter. If the. Chai plate is attached to a bulk head that’s the the Important attachment point. At any rate I would have someone sound the hull And check it with a moisture meter including the deck

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

There is a boat I have run across that has a large price drop due to the discovery of deck rot around the chain plates. Sounds like pretty large areas.

Is this a death sentence for the boat, or is it possible/ financially viable to have large scale deck rot addressed?

To give an idea were talking about large rot areas on a 36 foot boat and $20k price reduction.

An explanation of moisture meters and sounding may help ...
Moisture Meter Mythology and Flir thermal imager

[OneBoatman]

Just about everything on a boat is repairable such that if you have the money, time, and the know how it's doable. If you are just trying to get in as close to the bottom as possible, you want to be very careful to first evaluate what else needs attention. Depending on what you find, it may be best to move on and look for a boat that is fundamentally sound, one that has been loved by a long time sailor that may just want out, or simply be ready to do something different.

[Pete the Cat]

I don't want to add confusion, but we have a whole crop of crappy surveyors out there these days. They have "moisture meters" (which aren't if you know how they really work) have somehow paid money to SAMS or AMS to take an exam and gotten someone in the business to sponsor them. We have a couple in my area I could name who clearly do not have much practical background in assessing vessels. Many have done little boat work themselves, have no experience in actual building or repairing boats. And we have a lot of old fiberglass boats around with the maladies they accrue from age. The real problem is when you try to get insurance and these yahoos have listed a whole lot of unproven suspicions about the integrity of your purchase that the insurance company may insist be investigated ($$) and resolved ($$) before they will issue a policy. I think someone should develop a registry of surveyors with feedback from boat owners and maybe boat yard personnel (who actually may understand which surveyors actually know their stuff) . IMHO SAMS and AMS have lost their credibility by certifying a large number of quacks.

[EdenRose]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

Late 1980s fiberglass boat with decks that max out the moisture meter for several feet in either direction of the chain plates.

We had deck rot throughout a fiberglass cored deck (1970's build) and it was taken care of by drilling and pumping in epoxy. That was in 19080's and was still good in 2020's. It required repainting/non skidding the entire deck after repairs. We injected epoxy using grease gun but I think there are better devices now. But wait:
Then we had very bad rot in the cabin top....we cut the entire cabin top off and removed it in one piece using a Fein Saw and removed all the core and refilled and replaced the intact deck glass and repainted and paid a yard to do it for $10,000 or so. That was a major job (done in 2005). Way more than you are looking at and so $20,000 reduction should cover smaller areas.

EDENROSE

[SofaKingFishy]

Not a big deal. Pull the chainplates (might find they need replacement), take a forstner bit and a drill and remove all the surrounding core you can reach. Fill with 610 or high strength.

[sailorladd]

Yes, more info on the material of the deck and substrate,,, anything can be repaired...

[sinnerman]

Deck "rot" or deck "moisture"?

I doubt you would find many 40 year-old boats with zero moisture in the decks, especially around the chain plates.

I have a 1984 Catalina 30. (i.e. same year).

The deck coring on my 1984 Catalina is plywood.

If you ran a moisture reading across my deck it would probably max out in some locations.

However, even with many water leaks from deck fittings, (which I have since repaired), there are zero soft or mushy spots in the deck.

If it was balsa cored, I would be up the creek....

Chain plates are notorious for having water ingress due to their flexing, and owners not realizing that resealing the chain plates periodically is a maintenance task.

If the decks are rotten, OK move on, But if the decks are solid (and just have excessive moisture readings , what is the issue?

My two cents.

Cheers

[Endurance1]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

There is a boat I have run across that has a large price drop due to the discovery of deck rot around the chain plates. Sounds like pretty large areas.

Is this a death sentence for the boat, or is it possible/ financially viable to have large scale deck rot addressed?

To give an idea were talking about large rot areas on a 36 foot boat and $20k price reduction.

To properly fix it requires removing the top layer of glass and all the underlying wet core. Invariably the area of wet core is bigger than expected when you start tearing it apart.

You might find it illuminating to read some of David Pascoe's writings on core:

https://www.yachtsurvey.com/search_results.htm?q=core

Some people can do the work themselves for the cost of only materials. But if you have it professionally done it can get very expensive. FWIW, someone I know bought a 42 ft powerboat with several feet of area on the deck there the moisture meter maxxed out. He budgeted $70,000 for the repair. It ended up costing $150,000 to replace the entire upper deck section (about 8x14 ft).

[JSSailem]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

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

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

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

1. Well yes. The Deck is for walking on, and:

• Structure to attach hardware
• Maintain the hull form
• Keep water out of the hull

just to name a few key functions.

2. Yes the bulkheads work to keep the hull form

3 & 4. This is dependent on what type of weather you plan to sail. Open ocean in 15ft seas, a lack of structure can have the boat fold up on you when you try to negotiate a trough or ride up and over a wave top.

I would feel it dangerous if you step on the deck and your foot goes through.

With regard to your original query, you have had several great suggestion on how to repair the boat. If you like a project, why not. It will mean you can not go sailing for awhile. This bothers some buyers. It is somewhat similar to buying an old pickup and putting your foot through the rusted floor board. Some owners just keep driving. Others have to get it fixed.

[nofacey]

Get a great price & fix it yourself = okay deal. Otherwise walk away.

[littleships]

there are a couple of nice ones availbale. There is a spotless on in Sint Maarten at the moment. MOONDANCE
Boat repairs will always cost you more than you think they will, take longer than you think they will and most people overestimate their repair capabilities....

[Seaward22]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

An explanation of moisture meters and sounding may help ...
Moisture Meter Mythology and Flir thermal imager

A decent boat yard should be able to use both. Had mine done at a yard on the eastern shore of Maryland. You can sound a hull with a screw driver handle. Sure there are plenty of vids on that. From the MD results ended up building a lift from a local scrap yard putting a dimmer switch on a angle grinder ( I know I know) cheap harbor freight and removing all the gel coat and replacing with Wes System epoxy. That was 30 years ago and I Ocean Sail Beaufort inlet and usually don’t lake sail under 20 kts. Still holding strong.