Hello All,
I have a new to me 1994 Hunter 26. I have come to realize that the deck and coaming are sagging to the starboard side of the companionway. I assume this is because of a rotten wood core. See the attached pictures. There is a significant sag.
- Yes, the first thing I am going to do is to reseal all the deck hardware and mast to deck joint.
- I did a pretty good tap all around the boat before I bought it. It didn't and still doesn't sound hollow. (yes, maybe a survey would have been worth it)
- There may be a little more flex when walking on that side of the deck versus the port. I don't know if the head walls support the port side or if it is compromised on the starboard side. Nothing feels squishy.
- The coming feels solid when I push up from below.
- There is no fiberglass cracking.
- The inner cabin lid is all one-piece fiberglass. It is not bonded tightly to the roof in that area. It is a little looser on the starboard side than other areas. I am not sure if it is supposed to be structurally bonded or if that is more of a cosmetic skin.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Does anyone have details of how the deck is constructed? I found online references stating that the deck fiberglass is structurally bonded to marine-grade plywood. This seems less prone to rot than balsa.
My next step is to check out the condition of the core when I remove hardware to re-bed. A lot of that hardware is attached to aluminum plates embedded in the core, so I don't know how much I am able to see.
After that, maybe I need to do exploratory drilling. I would like to understand what the structure is first.
I have found some drawings and pictures of other parts of boat construction. This is a great group sharing those. But I haven't found anything specific to the deck and coaming construction.
I have a new to me 1994 Hunter 26. I have come to realize that the deck and coaming are sagging to the starboard side of the companionway. I assume this is because of a rotten wood core. See the attached pictures. There is a significant sag.
- Yes, the first thing I am going to do is to reseal all the deck hardware and mast to deck joint.
- I did a pretty good tap all around the boat before I bought it. It didn't and still doesn't sound hollow. (yes, maybe a survey would have been worth it)
- There may be a little more flex when walking on that side of the deck versus the port. I don't know if the head walls support the port side or if it is compromised on the starboard side. Nothing feels squishy.
- The coming feels solid when I push up from below.
- There is no fiberglass cracking.
- The inner cabin lid is all one-piece fiberglass. It is not bonded tightly to the roof in that area. It is a little looser on the starboard side than other areas. I am not sure if it is supposed to be structurally bonded or if that is more of a cosmetic skin.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Does anyone have details of how the deck is constructed? I found online references stating that the deck fiberglass is structurally bonded to marine-grade plywood. This seems less prone to rot than balsa.
My next step is to check out the condition of the core when I remove hardware to re-bed. A lot of that hardware is attached to aluminum plates embedded in the core, so I don't know how much I am able to see.
After that, maybe I need to do exploratory drilling. I would like to understand what the structure is first.
I have found some drawings and pictures of other parts of boat construction. This is a great group sharing those. But I haven't found anything specific to the deck and coaming construction.
