Repairing Softspot on deck

[GILow]

I thought the Southcoast 36 had plywood and dynell decks like my old Swanson?

To the OP, are you SURE it’s balsa core?

[sailingchiro]

I injected soft spots from the bottom.
It does go against all wisdom on this site but found it very easy. I will explain my process.
I bought a few quarts of Git Rot on line for $50 per quart. Then purchased 20 syringes from West Marine. Then went to Home depot for very short wood screws (1/2") and duct tape.

Found the area of concern and drilled holes every 3" from the bottom (inside the berth). Drill bit size allowed the syringe to fit tightly in place when inserted. I started at the lowest hole and filled until the next hole was oozing out and then injected the next hole until all holes had pressure from injecting. If a hole didn't have pressure, then I kept injecting until all holes were pressurized. Then I would remove a syringe and quickly put duct tape over hole then screw in short wood screw. The area became pretty warm. Over night it hardened and is very firm now. No soft spots. Pulled the screws out and re installed ceiling panel. I will never inject from the top after realizing how easy it was from the bottom and I do not want to put more holes in my deck. The Git Rot actually wicks into the dry balsa. After doing several spots, it took me longer to remove and reinstall the ceiling vinyl. I used all 20 syringes and could have used more for larger areas. Clean up was vinegar.
OK, experts pick this method apart.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

I injected soft spots from the bottom.
It does go against all wisdom on this site but found it very easy. I will explain my process.
I bought a few quarts of Git Rot on line for $50 per quart. Then purchased 20 syringes from West Marine. Then went to Home depot for very short wood screws (1/2") and duct tape.

Found the area of concern and drilled holes every 3" from the bottom (inside the berth). Drill bit size allowed the syringe to fit tightly in place when inserted. I started at the lowest hole and filled until the next hole was oozing out and then injected the next hole until all holes had pressure from injecting. If a hole didn't have pressure, then I kept injecting until all holes were pressurized. Then I would remove a syringe and quickly put duct tape over hole then screw in short wood screw. The area became pretty warm. Over night it hardened and is very firm now. No soft spots. Pulled the screws out and re installed ceiling panel. I will never inject from the top after realizing how easy it was from the bottom and I do not want to put more holes in my deck. The Git Rot actually wicks into the dry balsa. After doing several spots, it took me longer to remove and reinstall the ceiling vinyl. I used all 20 syringes and could have used more for larger areas. Clean up was vinegar.
OK, experts pick this method apart.

This would make sense but only if the core is dry because epoxy will not stick to anything wet & git rot or thinned epoxy will not be absorbed by wet wood. The problem is that once the core gets wet it's difficult for it to dry out. A structurally sound repair requires that the upper & lower skins bond to the core material. Just squirting epoxy into a wet core might fill a void but because the epoxy will not stick to anything the deck will be weak in that area. What's interesting about Injectadeck is that it's a structural foam that works best with wet rotten cores & it will bond to a wet fiberglass skin. It actually needs moisture to kick. So if the core is completely dry I think epoxy makes the most sense but if it's wet you need to either cut the wet core out & replace it or try Injectadeck.

[Kokanee]

I'd suggest removing the hatch to have a look at the condition of the core from the hatch cutout. If it is rotted you can dig out anything soft from the side without damaging the fibreglass. Let it dry out and then slip in replacement core to fit the area you've hollowed out.
Seal off the cutout edge with thickened epoxy then inject epoxy to fill the void. You may need to drill a few 1/4" holes in your deck to for injection points and to allow air to vent out.

[sailingchiro]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

This would make sense but only if the core is dry because epoxy will not stick to anything wet & git rot or thinned epoxy will not be absorbed by wet wood. The problem is that once the core gets wet it's difficult for it to dry out. A structurally sound repair requires that the upper & lower skins bond to the core material. Just squirting epoxy into a wet core might fill a void but because the epoxy will not stick to anything the deck will be weak in that area. What's interesting about Injectadeck is that it's a structural foam that works best with wet rotten cores & it will bond to a wet fiberglass skin. It actually needs moisture to kick. So if the core is completely dry I think epoxy makes the most sense but if it's wet you need to either cut the wet core out & replace it or try Injectadeck.

I would not know why someone wouldn't allow the core to dry before doing anything. True, foam does expand with water but very unpredictable. I was amazed the area with git rot actually bulged slightly with just the pressure of syringes. I looked at injectafoam but worried about how much bulging would it do in a wet core.
I had resolved myself to drilling the holes and allow shop vac or dehumidifier to dry the core. I made sure the leak into the core was stopped before proceeding. I had the ability to allow to dry for a couple of months but didn't require it.
I had looked at injecting foam from the bottom, the git rot seemed more permanent.
If I remember, you had cut yours out from the bottom. I remember those pictures and knew I needed to find another way.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

I would not know why someone wouldn't allow the core to dry before doing anything. True, foam does expand with water but very unpredictable. I was amazed the area with git rot actually bulged slightly with just the pressure of syringes. I looked at injectafoam but worried about how much bulging would it do in a wet core.
I had resolved myself to drilling the holes and allow shop vac or dehumidifier to dry the core. I made sure the leak into the core was stopped before proceeding. I had the ability to allow to dry for a couple of months but didn't require it.
I had looked at injecting foam from the bottom, the git rot seemed more permanent.
If I remember, you had cut yours out from the bottom. I remember those pictures and knew I needed to find another way.

The main reason people don't wait for the wet core to dry is that because the core is encapsulated in fiberglass it takes a very long time for it to dry & it's hard to know when or if all of it is actually dry. The other reason is that if you are going to "correctly" repair it you need to get all of the bad core out & replace it. No need to wait for it to dry out to do that.

If you've ever opened up a deck with a rotten core you know squirting thinned epoxy into holes is not going to replace the core or fill all of the voids. In addition thinned epoxy by itself has no structural properties. Injectadeck, on the other hand, is a structural foam that expands and, because you're drilling a lot of holes to let the air out, should fill all of the voids.

The good news is that, to the best of my knowledge, there's no record of a boat being lost due to a failure of a deck repair.

[sailingchiro]

Like I stated, let the experts pick my method apart. As for me, I will do it my way until it doesn't work and you will do it your way until it doesn't work.
But as I recall, you have never used the injectafoam.
My defense is in action not theory.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

Like I stated, let the experts pick my method apart. As for me, I will do it my way until it doesn't work and you will do it your way until it doesn't work.
But as I recall, you have never used the injectafoam.
My defense is in action not theory.

Actually, I hope to never do it my way again. Yuck! Hence my interest in Injectadeck. Regarding whether your way worked, well, the only way to know if it worked is to open it up & see what actually happened. However, maybe in this case the less you know the better.

[Cheechako]

-You can try to inject something and it will make it not feel soft by hardening in spots and stopping so much flexing. But the wetness and damage etc is still in there. So unless the softness really bothers you, you might just as well live with it.

-If you can get at the underside it's fairly easy to fix it properly. Identify the limits of the wetness by drilling a hole here and there on the perimeter of the area in question. Just drill through the bottom layer of glass into the core, not through the deck! It's easy to feel the bit go through the first layer.. Squeeze the balsa off the drill bit between your thumb and fingers. Wet core will squeeze out water. Skill saw out a rectangle. Maybe save the piece. Gouge out all the wet core. Epoxy back in core. Laminate over the repair and grind as necessary.
Working overhead for just a square foot or so should be easy really.

Don't forget to fix what caused the ingress of water in the first place!

[sailingchiro]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Actually, I hope to never do it my way again. Yuck! Hence my interest in Injectadeck. Regarding whether your way worked, well, the only way to know if it worked is to open it up & see what actually happened. However, maybe in this case the less you know the better.

Ok, you are correct, I should have never done it the way I did. Just thought I would share a way not to do it. critics are always correct. Thanks.