Soft Cockpit & Soft Deck

[Nickelrw87]

Aloha!

I have what i would consider a "bouncy" cockpit floor. When stepping off the seats onto the floor you can see and feel a little bounce in the fiberglass. I was thinking of doing the "drill and fill" but i wasnt sure what it is made out of and if that would work.

I also have leaky windows (they are called ports correct?), and the deck near the window is spongy feeling. I was thinking of doing the "drill and fill" method with this as well, any ideas?

Its a 1976 C27. I know its not a big expensive boat and may not be worth it, but its a learner boat for myself, and id rather learn on something i spent a little on vs learning how to do it on a expensive one.

What would be my best route to learn how to fix these soft spots?

 

[SG]

The normal method would be to come-in from the inside, remove the wet stuff (that may be rotted), then fill-it, then reskin the inside -- and if necessary paint it.

You will probably just make a mess coming-in from the outside, in my opinion.

 

[njlarry]

Welcome aboard and to the sailing world!
While SG is right in some cases, for what you describe drill and fill is the way to go. Much less time and effort. It sounds like you want to sail vs becoming a slave to boat reconstruction. Someone here did an excellent job of replacing deck core on an O'day from the outside. It is worth searching for as he did an outstanding job of photo documenting the process. Most good old boats have some soft spots. They are not usually critical so don't fixate about them too much. More critical is the water tightness of the hull around the thru hulls, steering system, keel, and standing rigging. Focus on them and put everthing else on a do later list. Fixing the leaking ports should be high on the list and again a search here will be helpful. FYI, the leak at the ports could actually be a leak from deck fittings above them.
Good luck and enjoy sailing your new boat!