Ok so the question is, the hunter 35.5 I'm looking to buy has water intrusion in the deck, because the the roller furling control lines went through the deck, and the deck was not sealed correctly. If the leak was stopped, and the core dried out, what will happen over the next 20 years to the boat. Will the deck to get soft, and be a safty factor? I'm on an experiance finding mission.
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Soft decks
How old is the boat and how long she has been leaking will lead you to what extent is the core rotted. Walk the deck and feel for soft spots under your foot,then sound the deck with a rubber mallet and this will revelle the soft/rotted areas. Fixing the leak won't dryout or correct a rotted core. It will need much air circulation and timmmmme to dry out but the rot & softness will be there. I think a soft deck, left unattended will eventully fail in the way of cracking just from flex of use and movement. The skin of the deck is less than an 1/8" thick. The core is what supports the deck along with any other bulkheads or structure per your particular design of boat.The cabin liner below finishes the assembly for asthetics, wiring chase etc. I just replaced the core on my 36ft. 1980 - 14ft.x 16" on port and starb. side. About 8 man days of work,will be completeing non-skid application this coming week, weather and work permitting. I bought the boat knowing I had soft deck areas and put it on my 3/4 year out project list. Joe s/v trinity
How old is the boat and how long she has been leaking will lead you to what extent is the core rotted. Walk the deck and feel for soft spots under your foot,then sound the deck with a rubber mallet and this will revelle the soft/rotted areas. Fixing the leak won't dryout or correct a rotted core. It will need much air circulation and timmmmme to dry out but the rot & softness will be there. I think a soft deck, left unattended will eventully fail in the way of cracking just from flex of use and movement. The skin of the deck is less than an 1/8" thick. The core is what supports the deck along with any other bulkheads or structure per your particular design of boat.The cabin liner below finishes the assembly for asthetics, wiring chase etc. I just replaced the core on my 36ft. 1980 - 14ft.x 16" on port and starb. side. About 8 man days of work,will be completeing non-skid application this coming week, weather and work permitting. I bought the boat knowing I had soft deck areas and put it on my 3/4 year out project list. Joe s/v trinity
It's Bad...the balsa has wicked up the water.
and is decomposing as I write this. The question is how long has this been happening and the extend of the damage. If the deck isn't soft yet, it will become so. The owner needs to get it fixed before you or anyone else buy this boat. You seem to be smitten with this boat and that can be dangerous. Step back and take a serious look as this is a serious and expensive problem. There are a few trick you can try...such as drilling a series of holes and renting a vacuum pump to try and extract the water. A long monthly process followed by injecting thinned resin into the cavities. They make a product for this purpose call: GET ROT. Good luck!
and is decomposing as I write this. The question is how long has this been happening and the extend of the damage. If the deck isn't soft yet, it will become so. The owner needs to get it fixed before you or anyone else buy this boat. You seem to be smitten with this boat and that can be dangerous. Step back and take a serious look as this is a serious and expensive problem. There are a few trick you can try...such as drilling a series of holes and renting a vacuum pump to try and extract the water. A long monthly process followed by injecting thinned resin into the cavities. They make a product for this purpose call: GET ROT. Good luck!
Soft Deck issues
I also have a 35.5 Hunter Legend and the starboard side deck is squishy. This problem is inherent to this model. It does not affect the structural integrity of the boat. If the Hull is sound, the boat is sound. The only way to cure this problem is to remove the balsa deck that is damaged by water intrusion. And then replace with a closed cell structural foam.( Water gets into the balsa and a mold/fungus devours the wood.) Eventually the deck will get so week that you will crack the fiberglass walking on it. Yes this is an undesirable defect, However it also is a barganing chip when purchase time comes, so negotiate a reduction in price and go sailing. Save your green stamps and in the off season have the deck re-cored. The typical cost for this repair is between $6000.00 to $12,000.00 at a ship yard familar with this problem. This boat sails very well and is just the right size for a live aboard couple that entertains often. The other undesirable defects by design are the fuel tank. Aluminum that winds up cracking and the holding tank also aluminum, urine and seawater quickly wreak havok here. Replace with poly tanks. The back hatches on the swim platform of the sugar scoop need to be secured while underway, this is accomplished with a piece of line and a dock cleat mounted beneath the seats in the aft of the cockpit. I am going to improve this by installing a positive locking device. In heavy following seas I believe these hatches to be the achilles heal of this model. A heavy wave could lift the hatch a deposit a considerable amount of water and we all know that we need to keep the wet stuff out... Don't try to quick fix it with resins or dryers or the like the Balsa will need to be comletely removed and replaced. Would I buy a Hunter 35.5 with a soft deck? Yes, I did and I would do it again. Its not the end of the world considering, a discounted price for the added logistics and labor to improve the original design. Just my .02¢ Fair Winds, Bill
I also have a 35.5 Hunter Legend and the starboard side deck is squishy. This problem is inherent to this model. It does not affect the structural integrity of the boat. If the Hull is sound, the boat is sound. The only way to cure this problem is to remove the balsa deck that is damaged by water intrusion. And then replace with a closed cell structural foam.( Water gets into the balsa and a mold/fungus devours the wood.) Eventually the deck will get so week that you will crack the fiberglass walking on it. Yes this is an undesirable defect, However it also is a barganing chip when purchase time comes, so negotiate a reduction in price and go sailing. Save your green stamps and in the off season have the deck re-cored. The typical cost for this repair is between $6000.00 to $12,000.00 at a ship yard familar with this problem. This boat sails very well and is just the right size for a live aboard couple that entertains often. The other undesirable defects by design are the fuel tank. Aluminum that winds up cracking and the holding tank also aluminum, urine and seawater quickly wreak havok here. Replace with poly tanks. The back hatches on the swim platform of the sugar scoop need to be secured while underway, this is accomplished with a piece of line and a dock cleat mounted beneath the seats in the aft of the cockpit. I am going to improve this by installing a positive locking device. In heavy following seas I believe these hatches to be the achilles heal of this model. A heavy wave could lift the hatch a deposit a considerable amount of water and we all know that we need to keep the wet stuff out... Don't try to quick fix it with resins or dryers or the like the Balsa will need to be comletely removed and replaced. Would I buy a Hunter 35.5 with a soft deck? Yes, I did and I would do it again. Its not the end of the world considering, a discounted price for the added logistics and labor to improve the original design. Just my .02¢ Fair Winds, Bill
core replacement tips
Joe, I was wondering if you could give out any tips or pointers about the deck repair you've just done. Did you find the rot to be what you expected, or was it more extensive? How did you determine how large an area you would cut Did you cut one big piece, or several per side? Jay
Joe, I was wondering if you could give out any tips or pointers about the deck repair you've just done. Did you find the rot to be what you expected, or was it more extensive? How did you determine how large an area you would cut Did you cut one big piece, or several per side? Jay
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