Just bought a boat and it had minor moisture detected on the deck near the chain plates. I plan to reseal them come spring but I also want to see the moisture reduced so I am considering spending $400 or so on a meter. What are the good brands? Who sells them? Is $400 a good average price for these meters? Thanks.
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Are you certain...
...you'll get enough use out of it to justify the cost? I mean, if you have $400.00 burning a hole in your pocket and plenty more where that came from, then okay. If you remove the chainplates, cover the area, and allow it to dry out before you make the repairs, you should be okay. Their are a couple of schools of thought with regard to the effectiveness of moisture meters. I'm of the opinion that they are not the end-all to be-all and are not to be trusted. Just my eversohumble opinion. Cheers, Bob
...you'll get enough use out of it to justify the cost? I mean, if you have $400.00 burning a hole in your pocket and plenty more where that came from, then okay. If you remove the chainplates, cover the area, and allow it to dry out before you make the repairs, you should be okay. Their are a couple of schools of thought with regard to the effectiveness of moisture meters. I'm of the opinion that they are not the end-all to be-all and are not to be trusted. Just my eversohumble opinion. Cheers, Bob
get a re-check
Would be cheaper to have the surveyor who did the original check come back and do a re check. Most will do it at for reasonable fee and a lot less then the price of a good meter. Plus there is a learning curve to reading and understanding these meters so unless you are experienced with them you may be doing yourself more harm then good. Just a thought
Would be cheaper to have the surveyor who did the original check come back and do a re check. Most will do it at for reasonable fee and a lot less then the price of a good meter. Plus there is a learning curve to reading and understanding these meters so unless you are experienced with them you may be doing yourself more harm then good. Just a thought
Consistency is important
so having your own meter would give you a much better indication than having different people using different meters and techniques measure it for you. There are several different kinds. My advice is to stay away from those that measure point to point resistance. That can vary wildly with technique and environment (salt or fresh water). My own thinking is that it is a relatively meaningless process. Is there some other indication of a problem such as would be revealed by tapping?
so having your own meter would give you a much better indication than having different people using different meters and techniques measure it for you. There are several different kinds. My advice is to stay away from those that measure point to point resistance. That can vary wildly with technique and environment (salt or fresh water). My own thinking is that it is a relatively meaningless process. Is there some other indication of a problem such as would be revealed by tapping?
The standard method for moisture repair
Normally if you have a wet deck around fittings the standard method is to remove the core material and replace with epoxy, then redrill the hole. My understanding is that once the core gets wet it won't get dry. If the moisture problem is limited to a small area it shouldn't be too hard to get all the wet core out. I've heard of people putting a bent nail in a drill to break up the core and suck it out. This would repair any existing problem and guarantee you won't have any return issues in the future. Good luck, Jim
Normally if you have a wet deck around fittings the standard method is to remove the core material and replace with epoxy, then redrill the hole. My understanding is that once the core gets wet it won't get dry. If the moisture problem is limited to a small area it shouldn't be too hard to get all the wet core out. I've heard of people putting a bent nail in a drill to break up the core and suck it out. This would repair any existing problem and guarantee you won't have any return issues in the future. Good luck, Jim
Thanks all
....all good advice. Still would like to hear about particular brands of meters. I don't mind spending the bucks for one. I know I will probably be checking out other's boats in my fleet too.
....all good advice. Still would like to hear about particular brands of meters. I don't mind spending the bucks for one. I know I will probably be checking out other's boats in my fleet too.
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