I have recently had my Hunter 34 go to survey and to my dismay the bottom came back with elevated moisture readings. What I find odd is that the areas seem to coincide with the location of the head, holding tank and water tank. Is it possible for a moisture meter to read thru the hull and pick up the water which may be left in the tanks? Or am I picking up moisture that may be in the space between the hull and the liner or of course in the hull itself? Thanks, Jim
moisture meter
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Did sounding the hull
correspond to your readings? I've watched the pros do it and talked to them . They generally say that sounding/tapping/banging is more reliable than the meter itself. This is particularly so for the hull v. the decks. They use the meter to confirm their sound results. So, the inverse should work for you. Obviously, what I don't know would fill a book here, but it seems that you should be able to correlate the two??
correspond to your readings? I've watched the pros do it and talked to them . They generally say that sounding/tapping/banging is more reliable than the meter itself. This is particularly so for the hull v. the decks. They use the meter to confirm their sound results. So, the inverse should work for you. Obviously, what I don't know would fill a book here, but it seems that you should be able to correlate the two??
Bottom Paint will mold moister
The guy I had paid to seal the bottom removed the VC-17 where it measured high. The readings went down to acceptable & surveyor signed off.
The guy I had paid to seal the bottom removed the VC-17 where it measured high. The readings went down to acceptable & surveyor signed off.
google it...
I don't remember where I saw it, but there is an extensive article on the web comparing the accuracy of the moisture meter to a trusty old hammer tap. Results were mixed, but generally showed that moisture meter alone was not reliable and should not be trusted with either positive or negative results.
I don't remember where I saw it, but there is an extensive article on the web comparing the accuracy of the moisture meter to a trusty old hammer tap. Results were mixed, but generally showed that moisture meter alone was not reliable and should not be trusted with either positive or negative results.
Reading a moisture meter
... is far more art than science. The user of a moisture meter should have a lot of experience using the same device on a number of different boats, and surfaces (wood, solid fiberglass, fiberglass with balsa coring, etc.). I personally think that a $5 phenolic hammer is just as good at telling you the condition of a surface as a $400 moisture meter. The key to me is how practiced the user of either tool is. In your case, I would discuss this issue with your surveyor and get a sense of his experience with his tools. Years ago, I had a boat surveyed that had one of those cockpit lazarette hatches that was very shallow (as a quarter berth ran under it). All you could fit in the locker was a few lines or a horn. The surveyor ran his moisture meter over the hatch cover and declared it 100% wet or compromised. You know how this story ends....I picked up the hatch cover and locker had about 2 inches of rain water in it....which the moisture meter was reading. I bought the boat, but never used that surveyor again.
... is far more art than science. The user of a moisture meter should have a lot of experience using the same device on a number of different boats, and surfaces (wood, solid fiberglass, fiberglass with balsa coring, etc.). I personally think that a $5 phenolic hammer is just as good at telling you the condition of a surface as a $400 moisture meter. The key to me is how practiced the user of either tool is. In your case, I would discuss this issue with your surveyor and get a sense of his experience with his tools. Years ago, I had a boat surveyed that had one of those cockpit lazarette hatches that was very shallow (as a quarter berth ran under it). All you could fit in the locker was a few lines or a horn. The surveyor ran his moisture meter over the hatch cover and declared it 100% wet or compromised. You know how this story ends....I picked up the hatch cover and locker had about 2 inches of rain water in it....which the moisture meter was reading. I bought the boat, but never used that surveyor again.
It measure the resistance of the object to determine the moisture content of that object. Same principle as of ohm meter of electrical meter(tester.) Not a magic instrument at all. Warren's post said all about it.
all kind of moisture meters
not just good and bad kinds, accurate or inaccurate, etc... Moisture meters can be inductive reading as well as conductive and are intended for specific purposes not always including measuring relative moisture content in FRP hulls or decks. In order to obtain anything meaningful from a moisture meter, one has to select the appropriate type and also understand it is not a precise instrument and consider that when interpreting the result. As other said, a phenolic hammer is more precise, dependable and will give you reproducable results.
not just good and bad kinds, accurate or inaccurate, etc... Moisture meters can be inductive reading as well as conductive and are intended for specific purposes not always including measuring relative moisture content in FRP hulls or decks. In order to obtain anything meaningful from a moisture meter, one has to select the appropriate type and also understand it is not a precise instrument and consider that when interpreting the result. As other said, a phenolic hammer is more precise, dependable and will give you reproducable results.
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