I looked at an Able 34 today that the owner says has a solid
fiberglass deck, but we cannot see it because of screwed on
teak over the entire
deck bow to stern and a
teak headliner and paneling throughout the entire
cabin.
I have the typical concerns regarding the "2000 screws in fiberglass" fear that seems to draw so many discussions on many sailing
forums. When I view the so called "sold fiberglass" deck from below via the chain locker I could clearly see ~1.25" - 1.5" deep and ~1.5" diameter holes drilled through
plywood mostly for the
windlass switches. Finally, my question:
Is it likely that the
builder put
plywood only at the deck area of the
windlass so as to create a structurally sound mounting area? Or, would seeing plywood there insinuate that the remainder of deck areas are most likely constructed of plywood sandwiched between
fiberglass and teak over the top.
The teak is on it's last legs. The
boat was built in 1988 and most all the filler between the actual teak is higher than the teak itself. I am concerned that perhaps the owner, that has owned the
boat for 4 years does not have a clue how the decks were built, or just wants me to assume he is right and therefore believe the decks are not subject to the pitfalls of decades of possible
water intrusion into plywood.
Even after his "filling" of the gaps with acetone thinned urethane there are still many pockets where
water could have seeped in for years prior to his attempted remedy of sealing it all.
I've read time and time again of surveyors declaring acceptable moisture readings only for
new boat owners to find significant problems soon after. And for a
newbie I don't know if I have the ability to "feel" soft spots on a teak covered deck.
I will say that the bow's deck area over the v-birth was springy compared to the side decks. But, I would think given the size of the area over the v-birth as compared to the narrow side decks that would be normal?
Thanks for your
advice.