I have recently purchased a Hunter 25 and it has two soft spots on the deck. They are over the V berth and directly behind the mast. It appears that there are small cracks on the topside of the deck which has allowed water to seep into whatever material is below the resin coat. This material has now rotted and broken up and is falling down in a few spots. I am well versed in repairing fiberglass but I have never seen this 3/4 inch material before. If anyone could give me some tips on how you may have repaired similar problem I would appreciate it. Thank you.
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coring
Well, the coring is most likely either balsa, plywood, or possibly foam. From what you describe, its one of the first two. The way to do this right, is basically to cut either the lower or upper fiberglass skin off, remove ALL the rotten core material and replace the core and then relaminate fiberglass. On top, its very hard to make it look good, on the bottom, its very hard to work overhead. Either way it sucks! If its not too far gone, you may be able to drill a bunch of holes and inject epoxy to fill all the rotten areas..... Good Luck! Chris S/V Doghouse
Well, the coring is most likely either balsa, plywood, or possibly foam. From what you describe, its one of the first two. The way to do this right, is basically to cut either the lower or upper fiberglass skin off, remove ALL the rotten core material and replace the core and then relaminate fiberglass. On top, its very hard to make it look good, on the bottom, its very hard to work overhead. Either way it sucks! If its not too far gone, you may be able to drill a bunch of holes and inject epoxy to fill all the rotten areas..... Good Luck! Chris S/V Doghouse
Balsa Core
I replaced a substantial amount of the balsa core on my 25 this year. I did most of the work from the inside. The fibreglass skin on the inside is quite thin and does not providing much structural support. The area around the mast step was a particular problem area. On my boat, the bolts securing the step were a contributing factor in the problem. West System has a good publication on ways to deal with this problem. If the rot isn't real bad you can drill a bunch of small holes on the dect ant saturate the problem area with epoxy. On my boat the rot was so extensive and there was so much water in the deck that removal and replacement was the only option. Balsa coring can be ordered through Defender Industries if you decide to go that route. Good luck.
I replaced a substantial amount of the balsa core on my 25 this year. I did most of the work from the inside. The fibreglass skin on the inside is quite thin and does not providing much structural support. The area around the mast step was a particular problem area. On my boat, the bolts securing the step were a contributing factor in the problem. West System has a good publication on ways to deal with this problem. If the rot isn't real bad you can drill a bunch of small holes on the dect ant saturate the problem area with epoxy. On my boat the rot was so extensive and there was so much water in the deck that removal and replacement was the only option. Balsa coring can be ordered through Defender Industries if you decide to go that route. Good luck.
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