I have a couple of holes on the deck near the bimini that have been open sources of water intrusion into the top deck. I'd like to know how to dry out the spongy area and how to repair it.
drying out and repairing soft spots on the deck
- Thread starter Royal Flush
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The best way is by using an ..... AXE or powersaw.
If the rot sections are large the only way to know for sure that the repair is valid is to open up, clean out the voids, and relaminate/regelcoat.
For cosmetic 'ease' sometimes you can cut away from 'inside' the boat leaving the deck, etc. intact ... and rebuild with balsa, and new/repaired laminate 'understructure' ... all while laying on your back (ugh).
For small repairs sometimes you can open the area slightly and 'fish out' the rotted core, inject a structural foam, epoxy seal (epoxy mush) the 'entry' to completely close the area to water ingress, etc.
If the rot sections are large the only way to know for sure that the repair is valid is to open up, clean out the voids, and relaminate/regelcoat.
For cosmetic 'ease' sometimes you can cut away from 'inside' the boat leaving the deck, etc. intact ... and rebuild with balsa, and new/repaired laminate 'understructure' ... all while laying on your back (ugh).
For small repairs sometimes you can open the area slightly and 'fish out' the rotted core, inject a structural foam, epoxy seal (epoxy mush) the 'entry' to completely close the area to water ingress, etc.
You can also drill a series of 1/4" holes. depends on the size of the problem. It takes time and the deck has to be kept dry. Possibly a shrink wrap and winter storage might do it. I'm in the middle of a rebuild on an Oday 25 and that was one of the problems.
Do a "google" on deck repair. That's where I got much of my info.
Do a "google" on deck repair. That's where I got much of my info.
To get a true picture of the problem wet a wash cloth and place it in a zipper bag with a dozen holes in it and dry the wash cloth. That will be easier than drying wet balsa core. As RichH says open the wound and clean it out make do measures simply won't work.
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