Wet Core Suggestions for Repair? H34

Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
Finishing up the deal on a Hunter 34 - walked the deck and sounded around shrouds, mast, and any suspicious areas when "bouncing/walking" the deck - all seemed good except this one spot, and of course the anchor locker lid like all H34s I've been on. Before anyone asks, surveyors don't really exist in my area... believe me I've looked (Midwest plains). Before completing test sail/motor and pulling to inspect bottom later next week I wanted your experienced feedback on possible fix methods and potential costs. In the attached picture between the vberth hatch/solar vents and the head/sink area hatches the deck was bouncy, upon inspection with sounding hammer and moisture meter, the meter peaked out, and the hammer gave a loud thud. The seller has replaced all hatch gaskets in 2018 so I'm hoping he caught the ingress of water with that, but it could also be from the mast step area as he has not addressed the compression post issue. I believe the core is wet in the pink circled area from the hatch leaks. The green area didn't not flex when jumping on it and did not "thud" when sounding. I put the meter by the mast step but with the metal base I didn't trust the reading (high teens to low 20s) and the sounding came back as acceptable. What is your take on how you would fix if it were your boat?
 

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Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
How good are you at laying fiberglass?

Cut the top laminate, dig out the rotten core, recore with foam board, and lay new laminate. You will need determine what to do about non-skid.

If you are lucky, it won’t be as extensive as this guys DIY project...

He is very thorough and detailed in his videos. This is just one of a series videos on his deck recore project.

Greg
 
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Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
How good are you at laying fiberglass?
Complete novice! This guy's problem looks bigger than mine might be, but I guess you don't really know how far its spread with out doing core samples or similar. I hate the idea of cutting the top skin because I feel like it will never look right, but the seller did paint the deck so no more gelcoat anyways. So it might not be that bad in my case to make it look "right" again.
 
Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
You can re-use the section of glass you cut out. West System epoxy and some thickener mixed in. There are multiple solutions.
 
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Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
That seems to be the consensus from videos and other places I've read cb32863. Biggest drawback seems to be the "built in" non-skid that hunter put into the decks. There isn't much of a gap between it and the hatches to cut out the sections I need to replace coring in. I guess I'll do some searching on if its even possible to recreate that...

Tally Ho thanks for linking that channel, I'm hooked now!
 
Nov 26, 2008
1,966
Endeavour 42 Cruisin
The very distinct non skid pattern will be the biggest issue with cutting the top off. You can be very careful with a fein tool but there will still be some sort of repair to be done to that cut. You could make a pattern mold of the diamond and use that to recreate the pattern into some filler/gelcoat at the cut. Or perhaps consider some sort of different surface to place over the entire repaired area like a piece of teak with a cocktail blender mounted to it!
 

JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,331
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
Alternative is to cut out the bad area from the inside saving the section you cut out (Dremel tool works well for this), get it all dry, then epoxy in the appropriate core material and reglass the section you cut out on the inside, sand and finish. That's how we dealt with the J/24 decks when they got wet (balsa cored deck). To determine the area to cut out, drill small holes radiating out from the center of the soft part inspecting the material coming out on the drill bit. When you get to dry material, that defines the outside edge of the bad section. Do that in all directions from the center of the bad area. In this way, you do not have to cut the deck. If the boat has a liner on the ceiling, that complicates the process but if it were me, I'd still give serious consideration to doing the repair from the inside.
 
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Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
If the boat has a liner on the ceiling, that complicates the process but if it were me, I'd still give serious consideration to doing the repair from the inside.
Thanks JRacer, I'm actually not sure if H34s have a liner for the ceiling. I think the liner starts a bit further down the hull.
 

JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,331
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
Also, FYI, there are some surveyors in OK. I used:
Tom Benton, Marine Surveyor
Marine Damage Consultants, LLC
P.O. Box 627, Ketchum, OK 74349-0627
(918) 782-1001
Located near Grand Lake. This was back in 2011 so he may be retired by now but he may have others to contact.

There are also some located around Springfield MO (Table Rock & Lake of The Ozarks). Michael Hunter in Springfield was the guy I was going to use but he was not available on my timeframe and recommended Tom. Michael was recommended by the Beneteau dealer in MO (not who I bought the boat from) as having sailboat and specifically Beneteau experience.
 
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Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
Thanks for the info JRacer - I called him and I'll see what his pricing is but its going to have to be very reasonable for all the things he said he won't do like inspect sails, go aloft to look at rigging, or sea trial (except motor). Were you happy with his survey considering?
 

JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,331
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
Thanks for the info JRacer - I called him and I'll see what his pricing is but its going to have to be very reasonable for all the things he said he won't do like inspect sails, go aloft to look at rigging, or sea trial (except motor). Were you happy with his survey considering?
Yes, I was satisfied with the work he did. Paid $20 per foot plus expenses for travel (mileage) in 2011. He did not have to do an overnight so no meals IIRC and no lodging. Mine was located in Perry, KS a fair distance from Ketchum. My boat was on the trailer when he got there, which was good as he could moisture meter the hull as it had been out of the water for a week or so. He did all he could while it was on the trailer then we launched it and checked motor, through hulls, AC, pumps, etc in the water. I had already sailed the boat with the owner when I first went to look at it so I already had seen sails, etc. The one area that he did not inspect well enough was the condition of the running rigging and the cleats/blocks/clutches - really my fault as I should have been more on top of that whether he was or not. During my sail of the boat, it was light air and the condition of the clutches and some of the deck hardware was fine and only showed its bad side (wear) when the wind was up. I "followed" him around throughout the process, to which he did not object, so we could discuss anything he found along the way. Overall, a good job IMO. His written report was thorough and his identification of the areas that needed attention was clear and specific. I used those narratives and photos to work with the seller to adjust the price to accommodate then had the work done after I took possession.

My main reason for having the survey was that this boat had many systems that I had no experience with such as motor, fuel, AC and DC electrical, air conditioning, pumps, etc. I felt pretty comfortable with the basics of a sailboat having had the J24 for 30 years so I really wasn't looking for someone to inspect the rig, deck and rigging in general. I needed him for the things I knew nothing about and for that he was perfect.
 
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Dec 14, 2003
1,393
Hunter 34 Lake of Two Mountains, QC, Can
Thanks JRacer, I'm actually not sure if H34s have a liner for the ceiling. I think the liner starts a bit further down the hull.
My 84 does not have a liner in the area pictured (V-Birth area), only glass.
 
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Artey1

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Jul 18, 2019
165
Hunter 34 Oklahoma
My 84 does not have a liner in the area pictured (V-Birth area), only flass.
Thats good to know Claude - We're scheduled for the 11th to finish test sail/motor and pull boat to inspect bottom, keel-to-hull joint and rudder. The surveyor is booked well past then but the guy moving the boat for me is also a 1984 Hunter owner and does repairs for the local clubs so hopefully he will serve as a second best option.