Rotten Bridge Deck Catamaran?

[SaskiaUK]

I’m considering buying a 1990s catamaran - first boat so please help!
It has balsa cores above the waterline. Solid fiberglass below. The outside decks all feel strong no sponges bits.BUT the bridge deck cabin sole is spongey and lifting the carpet shows the below. See pictures. The fiberglass has a crack at one point
The guy selling the boat said it was solid no problems he insisted.::, but surely if it’s spongey and someone has drilled observation holes he knew… he also insisted the bilges were dry but there’s an inch or so of salt water in each. Obviously not unusual but is it worrying he said they were dry?
It also seems very down in the aft section on the waterline. I know with these boats there’s a lot of foam below the aft bunks that can become waterlogged - so I’m thinking this could be the reason?
How fatal is all of this? Is it worth a survey? It’s a cheapish boat, so a survey will cost about 10% of selling price.
Please help!

[coopec43]

I wouldn't go near it at any price.

[Tupaia]

A survey is not going to tell you anything you don't already know.
Everything is fixable at a price.
There is an area of discolouration around the hole with the crack that would suggest water intrusion or at the very least delamination.

Little bit of confusion about foam under bunks, structural foam does not become waterlogged, are you referring to some sort of buoyancy foam?
If it is a know design there should be an owners group who would be better placed to know where the faults might occur.
Balsa is always bad news.

[Tin Tin]

How big it it and what is asking price? .

[SaskiaUK]

Thank you for the help so far. It’s a 30ft Iroquois and the asking price is £13,500GBP

[Tupaia]

https://htcca.co.uk


We warmly welcome all members of the Iroquois Owners’Association to the Heavenly Twins & Cruising Catamaran Association now that we have merged. We would like you to feel welcome and we hope you will participate in as many things as you can.

[Tupaia]

Iroquois cats are much older than 90's last one was 1980 ish.

[SaskiaUK]

This one was built earlier but wasn’t launched until 1996 I believe

[boatman61]

Here's another option.. that seem expensive for an Iroquois with problems..
https://yachts.apolloduck.com/boat/i...or-sale/745865

[SaskiaUK]

Assuming 25% of the bridge deck is delaminated does anyone know how much that would cost to fix? Not DIY-ing it. But getting it done professionally? Obviously very ballpark

[SaskiaUK]

Yea exactly it’s buoyancy foam under the bunks. I think them becoming waterlogged is a common Iroquois problem

Originally Posted by Tupaia

A survey is not going to tell you anything you don't already know.
Everything is fixable at a price.
There is an area of discolouration around the hole with the crack that would suggest water intrusion or at the very least delamination.

Little bit of confusion about foam under bunks, structural foam does not become waterlogged, are you referring to some sort of buoyancy foam?
If it is a know design there should be an owners group who would be better placed to know where the faults might occur.
Balsa is always bad news.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by SaskiaUK

Assuming 25% of the bridge deck is delaminated does anyone know how much that would cost to fix? Not DIY-ing it. But getting it done professionally? Obviously very ballpark

Too much. If this is something you are not capable of DIY'ing then it is an open check book job.

[SaskiaUK]

Even as a negotiation tactic? There’s a lot I do like about the boat but I don’t like that the owner is trying to hide the fact there’s anything wrong with it. If I was to get £5k off the price for example would that cover the cost of getting it fixed in a shop?

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Here's another option.. that seem expensive for an Iroquois with problems..
https://yachts.apolloduck.com/boat/i...or-sale/745865

Think i saw this in Guernsey last year, very tidy.

[Bellinghamster]

I've seen similar holes used to fill a cavity with expanding foam. It's possible those were from the factory and it's bouyancy foam under the bridgedeck floor. Also seen plenty of expanding foam saturated with water. You'll very likely get the money you spend on a survey back using it's findings as justification for purchase price adjustment. Unless the survey turns up so much that you decide to walk away, in which case it's money well spent to avoid getting into more of a "project" than you want to.

Professional repairs are going to be shockingly expensive especially compared to a "cheap" boat. If you're going to own a boat, especially an older boat on a budget, plan on learning how to do things yourself. Most repairs aren't technically difficult, just messy and time consuming. You can/should hire a professional to give you guidance and advice for anything structural, then do the grunt work yourself. My guestimate for cutting out bridgedeck floor, digging out wet floor, re-foaming and building new floor with improved structure, cleaning up and painting the area would be in the $10k ballpark. Probably similar to dig out and replace wet foam in the stern areas.