Squishy deck?

Sep 12, 2013
76
Catalina 22 Dillon, CO
I have a '74 C22.
I keep reading posts regarding soft spots in the deck.
Just today I saw someone post that if you feel a soft spot in a deck, run away.

Sure it means that the deck is delaminating and the wood core is dry rotting, but, so what? The plastic should last forever, and, it's not like the area gets any foot traffic.
Are there engineering or other structural issues?

My fore deck is soft and last year I drilled a few holes and pumped about a quart and a half of epoxy into the void and all seems well.

What are the long term concerns that you have?
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
If you have wet deck, water is getting in the wood middle layer, and rotting the wood. The void was caused by wood that rotted away. It weakens the deck and will spread.

To fix this you have to ALL three things:

1) Find and fix the water ingress point(s)
2) Replace the middle core and bond to the upper and lower fiberglass layers
3) KILL any fungus and spores in the remains core to stop the spread.


It is very likely you only did #2. A real fix is either costly in time or money, and possibly cosmetically unattractive. That's why the 'run' comment. Your solution would be looked on more like a band-aid.
 
Dec 7, 2012
515
Kittiwake 23, Irwin 43 .. Indianapolis / indianatown, fl
hello all

I had a hatch on the lazzarette get soft.... the corner wore through and allowed water to seep into the wood, and eventually rotted it.... I used a drimel with a cutter head and cut the top edge of the side all the way around.... then I lifted off the top layer (fiberglass top) of the hatch.... I then cleaned out all the wood, and mixed up resin and poored it into the cavity left behind from the wood core.... once I had all the resin in and leveled up to the top of the hatch, I then layed to original hatch top layer of fiberglass back onto the hatch.... I let this dry and now the hatch is solid as a rock...

sincerely
Jess
 
Apr 1, 2010
398
Cal 33 and Sea Pearl 21 . Crystal River, FL
on your boat foredeck rot would be a definite problem (its rot btw, not dry rot caused by UV). the stem, pulpit and cleats all rely on the deck for the strength (though i actually think the stem fitting doesn't go through the wood), rot will create a real problem if it reaches these areas. that being said, if you are sure the boat is SAFE and STRUCTUALLY SOUND it would hurt nothing to leave it. my last boat the entire deck was rotten but all of the chainplates/fittings mounted directly to the hull and the core did not matter. i sailed it for over a year before buying this boat

the reason that people will tell you to run is because it is a considerable amount of work that people either a) don't know how to do or b) don't want to dedicate the time and $$ to.

i fall into neither category, apparently torturing myself is an unknown favorite pastime





 
Sep 12, 2013
76
Catalina 22 Dillon, CO
Yup,
It's true rot, not dry rot, nothing dry about it..
I did rebed all the fittings and hit the laminates with "git rot", then pumped the void full of epoxy. All after allowing it to dry out. It seamed to suck the epoxy up like a sponge.
I guess my question falls into the idea of hull structure and how the deck provides lateral support to the hull.
 
Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
The term 'dry rot' is used to refer to rot in wood that has been dried, opposed to rot in wet wood.
 
Feb 20, 2011
7,990
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
The term 'dry rot' is used to refer to rot in wood that has been dried, opposed to rot in wet wood.
Yep. Don't know why "dry rot" ever deserved a distinction, cep't it's dry at the time you look at it.
 
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
The epoxy injection method works sometimes, most times not. You have to get the core dry, or the moisture will prevent the epoxy curing. Looks good for a while, then the uncured goo starts weeping out. And at well over $100 a gallon, it's expensive too. Also, filing the void with epoxy is a LOT heavier than the original core, and will affect the boats stability.