I am in the process of buying a 1984 H34. The surveyor found evidence of moisture in the port deck. He also thinks that there may be some delamination. The problem is that he can't be sure due to the cold temperature. I have about a week to either accept the boat or ask for my deposit back. Has anyone had problems with water leaks in the ports and deck hardware? Is this a major problem? Should I reject the boat, or can it be fixed easily. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Don
soft?
Have you walked the deck when the temp was above freezing? Perhaps leaving a heater run in the cabin for a half a day would get the deck temp above freezing? Maybe hold the deal until it warms up? All you need is a day or two above freezing. If the deck area in question feels hard, I wouldn't let a moisture reading turn me away. I might use it to negotiate a little though.
Have you walked the deck when the temp was above freezing? Perhaps leaving a heater run in the cabin for a half a day would get the deck temp above freezing? Maybe hold the deal until it warms up? All you need is a day or two above freezing. If the deck area in question feels hard, I wouldn't let a moisture reading turn me away. I might use it to negotiate a little though.
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Craig
Wont sink your boat but deduct for repair
According to some surveyors this is one of the biggest problems. My 1987 34 has about four feet on the starboard side. I have owned the boat for four yrs and its not getting any worse but eventually I PLAN ON FIXING IT. Basically, there is a layer of plywood in between the two layers of glass and somewhere along the line it got wet. To fix it properly you need to cut out the outer layer of glass, replace the soggy core and replace the outer layer. I think its scarier than reality is. I would not turn away the boat because of this as more boats than not have some degree of infiltration. There are good articles on the repair. The hardest part is cutting thru the outter skin. Its a mental thing. I would offer 2-5 grand less than your settling in price for the repair or tell the seller to have it fixed. Drilling and filling is not a proper fix if the area is of any size. good luck. the 34 is a great boat. we love ours and plan on taking it with us to our retirement home in two yrs. craig
According to some surveyors this is one of the biggest problems. My 1987 34 has about four feet on the starboard side. I have owned the boat for four yrs and its not getting any worse but eventually I PLAN ON FIXING IT. Basically, there is a layer of plywood in between the two layers of glass and somewhere along the line it got wet. To fix it properly you need to cut out the outer layer of glass, replace the soggy core and replace the outer layer. I think its scarier than reality is. I would not turn away the boat because of this as more boats than not have some degree of infiltration. There are good articles on the repair. The hardest part is cutting thru the outter skin. Its a mental thing. I would offer 2-5 grand less than your settling in price for the repair or tell the seller to have it fixed. Drilling and filling is not a proper fix if the area is of any size. good luck. the 34 is a great boat. we love ours and plan on taking it with us to our retirement home in two yrs. craig
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Jerry
Same issue saved me big $$$$$
When my 1986- 31' was inspected, the pre-purchase survey stated my cockpit and top deck's core had been saturated with h20. The dealer of this used boat also had a fiberglass repair shop who estimated $18,000 was required to completely remove the top deck and cockpit floor to replace the bulsa. The surveyor stated if this work was not done the boat should be cut up with a chain saw and used for parts. I purchased this boat at a very, very low price due to this report and have been sailing for over five years in hard wind without issue. Unless your bottom hull is sucking up water, the top side can take a little h20 and not cave in. Make sure you re-calk the deck fittings because this is most likely where the water gets in.
When my 1986- 31' was inspected, the pre-purchase survey stated my cockpit and top deck's core had been saturated with h20. The dealer of this used boat also had a fiberglass repair shop who estimated $18,000 was required to completely remove the top deck and cockpit floor to replace the bulsa. The surveyor stated if this work was not done the boat should be cut up with a chain saw and used for parts. I purchased this boat at a very, very low price due to this report and have been sailing for over five years in hard wind without issue. Unless your bottom hull is sucking up water, the top side can take a little h20 and not cave in. Make sure you re-calk the deck fittings because this is most likely where the water gets in.
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Dan Sheehan AMS
Surveyor responds
I am a marine surveyor and the people on here are giving you good advice. Deck delamination is probably the most common significant defect I find on older boats. Deck delamination will not sink your boat. In fact, unless it actually spans the entire deck structure or is in a structurally significant area,ie mast step or where hardware is bolted through deck, it is something that can be lived with. It is very expensive to repair properly and that shoul;d be taken into consideration when negotiating a price. There are thousands of boats out there sailing around with decks that are far from perfect. My own is one of them. I will keep the money in my pocket and enjoy the boat. Dan Sheehan
I am a marine surveyor and the people on here are giving you good advice. Deck delamination is probably the most common significant defect I find on older boats. Deck delamination will not sink your boat. In fact, unless it actually spans the entire deck structure or is in a structurally significant area,ie mast step or where hardware is bolted through deck, it is something that can be lived with. It is very expensive to repair properly and that shoul;d be taken into consideration when negotiating a price. There are thousands of boats out there sailing around with decks that are far from perfect. My own is one of them. I will keep the money in my pocket and enjoy the boat. Dan Sheehan
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John Miller
Wet Deck and Wet Cockpit
My H34 was surveyed with moisture on the port side deck starting at the water tank fill fitting and running forward about 20 inches. My surveyor recommended drilling a set of holes and injecting them with denatured alcohol to dry out the core and then seal it back up with vinylester resin. This can be done from below and you will not see the patches on deck. This work was estimated at 300 to 800 dollars as I got several estimates. All fittings must then be reset with good polysulfide bedding after the fiberglass work is complete.. My cockpit floor has a punky area on the starboard side just in front of the aft lazarette. The surveyor recommended re-coring this area as water has leaked from the wheel pedestal or from the guard mounting. This work was estimated at 2500 to 4000 dollars. The boat also had several safety items and lots of old soft hoses. The first thing I did was to negotiate a reduced sale price based on the work required. Everything required getting the boat into fair and reasonable condition should be factored into the price you are willing to give for the boat. Do not just look at the cost of buying replacements. Even if you do the work your self, the time required to complete the repairs should be considered as you set an offer you can live with. Get at least two estimates for the cost of repairs. Yeah and lastly you can just ignore the problem. It will not sink your boat. But you will know it is there and ignoring it will not improve the problem with age.
My H34 was surveyed with moisture on the port side deck starting at the water tank fill fitting and running forward about 20 inches. My surveyor recommended drilling a set of holes and injecting them with denatured alcohol to dry out the core and then seal it back up with vinylester resin. This can be done from below and you will not see the patches on deck. This work was estimated at 300 to 800 dollars as I got several estimates. All fittings must then be reset with good polysulfide bedding after the fiberglass work is complete.. My cockpit floor has a punky area on the starboard side just in front of the aft lazarette. The surveyor recommended re-coring this area as water has leaked from the wheel pedestal or from the guard mounting. This work was estimated at 2500 to 4000 dollars. The boat also had several safety items and lots of old soft hoses. The first thing I did was to negotiate a reduced sale price based on the work required. Everything required getting the boat into fair and reasonable condition should be factored into the price you are willing to give for the boat. Do not just look at the cost of buying replacements. Even if you do the work your self, the time required to complete the repairs should be considered as you set an offer you can live with. Get at least two estimates for the cost of repairs. Yeah and lastly you can just ignore the problem. It will not sink your boat. But you will know it is there and ignoring it will not improve the problem with age.
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