Soft Spot on C-27

[Calmii]

Hello,I have a C-27 that has a small soft spot between the deck and the hatch (pic attatched) Any ideas how to fix this? Cheep?Calmii

 

[Trevor]

Grind,glass,fair,paint,sand

HI Calmii -You may get away with just grinding and filling with epoxy &/or gelcoat, but if the area is fairly large, you'll have to glass over the area. The toughest part will be matching the paint or gelcoat to the older surrounding areas. Ask around and see if you can find someone to help you.Best,Trevor

 

[John]

soft spot

How long ago did you notice this "soft spot?" When I bought my 1976 C27 I noticed that it sounded/felt as if there was nothing between the deck and the liner in the same area shown in your photo. I checked several others in the marina and they all felt the same, hollow. So I left it alone. I saw no evidence that the area ever had a core. I'd be interested to hear from some other owners.

 

[calmii]

John's answer sounds betta.....

WOW that is SO COOL to know that you have the same thing and everything is ok after several years. I would still like to hear from other c-27 owners (you know just to be safe) but so far im liking what im hearing.Calmii

 

[Paul]

Same thing...

My C22 has exactly the same issue. When the boat was made, there wasn't enough epoxy in this area and I now have this large delamination area. The top gelcoat is flexible. One can push it down 1/8" or till it hits the firm core material. There is no rot in the area, just some less than perfect construction.Typically a soft spot will be in the flat surfaces of the decking. When you walk and jump on the area, it can literally feel like a trampoline. The core wood has rotted and no longer has any strength.I thought about drilling a few small holes in the top of my void area and injecting expoxy to fill the area. Gravity would pull the epoxy down and hopefully fill most of the voids. I just never have gotten arouind to doing this job.Paul

 

[Bayard Gross]

Caused by hatch cover hinge leak?

As Paul mentioned that his C-22 has the same problem and I have a C-22 myself, I wonder if this problem may be caused by leaks at the hatch cover hinges attached to the deck.Unfortunately, I am inable to determine if the C-27 hatch is angled on the foward cabin or on the deck forward.Nevertheless, my c-22 is the older style with the hatch cover on the foward deck. The hatch cover hinges attached to the deck became quite loose and water entry was a potential problem. Consequently, several years ago I through bolted these hinges to properly secure them to the boat. As the screws are only numder 10's, the entry of the small screws with their small nuts is not obtrusive into the v-berth.Hence, I wonder about the security if your hinges. If they are loose, I think you might wish to try my repair.