83 Hunter Deck Spongy Help!

[hunter healer]

My 83 Hunter 27 Has A Soft Spot When Standing On The Deck About 4 Inches In Front Of The Mast In About A 12 Inch Radius. The Deck Seems Strong Around The Mast. I Do Not See Any Weakness In The Cabin Underneath That Spot In The Headliner. Any Help Here Would Be Greatly Appreciated,

Falter Dog

 

[Nelsonhow]

I assume you've checked the post and footing on the bilge and they are ok so you probably have a wet spot due to the bolts that hold the mast shoe or from the through deck electrical and VHF cables that pass through the deck. Check the history here on the site and there are lost of how to fix this discussions. It's messy but you can fix this.

Drill some small pilot holes in the deck to see if its really wet. And how big the bad spot is. If wet mark the deck and cut the top off. Be neat cause you will re used the top. Dog out the wet core and replace with new core or wood blocks. Clean the area and top and use a epoxy paste to set a d cover the new blocks. Put the top back on and weight with bricks or something until the epoxy paste oozes out. Clean the area of any excess ( tape around the cut lines on the deck and top really help here. Whe the epoxy cures you can sand and paint the area or use some trim to hide the seam.

You probably should also reroute the cables