I have found moisture in the fore deck of my boat useing a moisture meter. The deck is solid and no hollow sounds. I would like to know if I need to do anything beyond resealing every thing on the deck. Will the deck eventually dry out, or do I need to open it up?
- Status
some of the boats with below deck furlers.
Gary: I think that some of the boats with below deck furlers had problems like this. I think it had to do with the area around the anchor locker/furler exit got cracks and allowed water intrusion. I would pursue this area and see if you can find anything. Depending on the moisture level I would try resealing everything and check the moisture level at the end of the season. I believe a common fix was to cut the non-skid area out (leaving the smooth gel coat intact). Then they would replace the plywood sections and place the deck section back in place. This makes the repair much more undetectable.
Gary: I think that some of the boats with below deck furlers had problems like this. I think it had to do with the area around the anchor locker/furler exit got cracks and allowed water intrusion. I would pursue this area and see if you can find anything. Depending on the moisture level I would try resealing everything and check the moisture level at the end of the season. I believe a common fix was to cut the non-skid area out (leaving the smooth gel coat intact). Then they would replace the plywood sections and place the deck section back in place. This makes the repair much more undetectable.
Ah, moisture meters....
Reading a moisture meter is sort of an art, not a science. Unless you have lots of experience using a reliable and calibrated moisture meter, I would be very careful about taking any action other than getting an expert with a calibrated meter to give you a second opinion. If you both agree that you have a wet deck or core, you might want to try the West System for repair before doing anything as radical as cutting out a piece of deck and replacing the core. I've had good luck on a previous boat by merely marking off the area where I thought the core was compromised, and then drilling a pattern of holes all over that area. You need to make a jig for the drill so you only drill into the core, not all the way through. Dry out each hole with acetone. Then fill each hole with epoxy from a syringe. Finally, dab some gel coat on the tops of the holes. This can work if the area is not too big or the core extremely wet. It is worth trying before anything radical like cutting the deck out is attempted.
Reading a moisture meter is sort of an art, not a science. Unless you have lots of experience using a reliable and calibrated moisture meter, I would be very careful about taking any action other than getting an expert with a calibrated meter to give you a second opinion. If you both agree that you have a wet deck or core, you might want to try the West System for repair before doing anything as radical as cutting out a piece of deck and replacing the core. I've had good luck on a previous boat by merely marking off the area where I thought the core was compromised, and then drilling a pattern of holes all over that area. You need to make a jig for the drill so you only drill into the core, not all the way through. Dry out each hole with acetone. Then fill each hole with epoxy from a syringe. Finally, dab some gel coat on the tops of the holes. This can work if the area is not too big or the core extremely wet. It is worth trying before anything radical like cutting the deck out is attempted.
Unrelated question
Gary, did you grow up in the Philadelphia suburbs? Warren-Nice Article!!! S/V Intrepid H34 #113
Gary, did you grow up in the Philadelphia suburbs? Warren-Nice Article!!! S/V Intrepid H34 #113
- Status