soft spot on deck. whats behind this?

[john]

I have owned this 1986 34ft hunter for 4 yrs. it has this area just aheadof the pumpout valve on deck where you walk. It is slightly softer than the rest of the deck. It flexes slightly or feels like soft linoleum. It was like that when i bought it and has not changed in four yrs. Is there a wood core or something else under the gelcoat.How is it fixed and does the repair look like it never happened. I looked from below but could not see past the liner. the area is about 2-3 feet long and i would like to find out whats going on and how serious is this. thanks for any help.

 

[Steve Dion]

It happens.

John:At some time water was probably entering the boat thru a place like the compression post (was that ever done on this boat?). Water leaked down into this area an caused some problems.One of the sailors in our marina had this happen on a H35'5. They remove a section of the deck with a dremmel tool. They cut into the non-skid area. They lifted the piece out, replaced the fiberglass/gelcoat piece and then patched it back in. You cannot tell that anything was ever done. I think it was pricey ($2000+). I do not know how large of an area was repaired.