Is delam / slight wetness in decks normal for an 18 year old boat?

[Tillsbury]

I don't think I'd call an 18-year-old boat "old", nor would I want to see any moisture inside. See if you can find out what the core material is -- ideally you want a perfectly dry foam. Balsa with moisture in is trouble and there are much better boats out there to buy.

[KP44]

Delamination is never OK.
Moisture in the core is never OK.

Do whatever is needed to repair the areas and keep the core dry and protected.

The first job we did on our boat was remove the teak deck and fill the 1,000 little screw holes that could have let water leak into the cored deck. Our hull is solid; no core.

[GordonShumway]

It's balsa cored

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by GordonShumway

It's balsa cored

Big difference between balsa cored deck and balsa cored hull.

And there are huge differences between wet decks.

A screwed teak covered balsa cored deck that has been leaking for 40 years, is likely truly screwed and requires complete recore if the decks, coach roof, and cabin sole. If the purchaser paid one dollar for the boat, it was likely about $5000 too much.

A chain plate that has been leaking for maybe 5 years, to create 3” wetness around the deck penetration, is about $20 parts and 6 hours labour (for a skilled FRP guy) to eliminate.

1’ x 4’ of “elevated moisture” balsa cored deck is about $200 parts and 16 hours labour to make go away.

There are some really great boats out there with some wet balsa, that can be repaired easily and purchased well.

If you really want the boat, and think you can get it for a good price, make the offer conditional on satisfactory survey. When the survey report indicates wet deck, advise you will need to have a FRP pro (with terrific reputation) inspect /quote. Double the quote, add some for your risk/trouble and deduct this from your offer.

Then, you can have it repaired by someone who knows what they are doing, while you are at work (earning a living and replenishing your savings from the boat purchase), and it will likely be done in a a couple weeks span.

Or you can spend a boat season DIYing.

[GordonShumway]

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

Big difference between balsa cored deck and balsa cored hull.

And there are huge differences between wet decks.

A screwed teak covered balsa cored deck that has been leaking for 40 years, is likely truly screwed and requires complete recore if the decks, coach roof, and cabin sole. If the purchaser paid one dollar for the boat, it was likely about $5000 too much.

A chain plate that has been leaking for maybe 5 years, to create 3” wetness around the deck penetration, is about $20 parts and 6 hours labour (for a skilled FRP guy) to eliminate.

1’ x 4’ of “elevated moisture” balsa cored deck is about $200 parts and 16 hours labour to make go away.

There are some really great boats out there with some wet balsa, that can be repaired easily and purchased well.

If you really want the boat, and think you can get it for a good price, make the offer conditional on satisfactory survey. When the survey report indicates wet deck, advise you will need to have a FRP pro (with terrific reputation) inspect /quote. Double the quote, add some for your risk/trouble and deduct this from your offer.

Then, you can have it repaired by someone who knows what they are doing, while you are at work (earning a living and replenishing your savings from the boat purchase), and it will likely be done in a a couple weeks span.

Or you can spend a boat season DIYing.

Appreciate this! Well the seller accepted our lower offer so it looks like we're proud 'new' boat owners! My first priority is going to be replacing fittings and fixing anywhere it looks like water might be getting in, stop the bleeding so to speak. I did have a chance to talk with our surveyor again, and he had a similar opinion. These things are all fixable and with the price we're getting we feel good about taking on some of these projects. Thanks to everyone who contributed and provided their opinion, I appreciate it!

[Michael Pope]

I have to disagree with Ramblin Rod on balsa core and quote my long experience. I have repaired a large number of balsa cored boats . Only two of them have had subsequent problems years later. I have been lucky that I had the technical back-up that warned me of the Fungi that exists in balsa even while it is still growing. Almost impossible to detect, they say! All it needs is a supply of just traces of FRESH WATER, not Salt water ,and moderate temperature similar to what we humans enjoy and it will start to eat the balsa and turn it into mush. George Hinterhoeler one of the original partners in C&C Yachts of Canada was one of the few people who reliably could produce a sound 20 year boat . And he had his failures. He always aimed to surround the cored area with solid glass (deliberately resin rich areas) and not allow any fasteners to penetrate the upper sides or decks. My opinion for what it is worth is that Balsa Core is not a reliable material for construction of any product that can be exposed to fresh water. Its use should be strongly resisted or banned.
Because the fault is invisible. Once a Balsa cored structure is soft it is DEAD! Airex foam gets soft after many hours of UV Radiation . UV radiation is much stronger than Visible light and you can see the Sun light thru most FRP Yacht hulls and decks . But I have never seen a total failure of Airex Yet people will avoid Airex. Smart! Paint decks with heavy highly filled paint until totally opaque to the strongest light. Some are happy with a 20yr boat life??
Michael Pope

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Michael Pope

I have to disagree with Ramblin Rod on balsa core and quote my long experience. I have repaired a large number of balsa cored boats . Only two of them have had subsequent problems years later. I have been lucky that I had the technical back-up that warned me of the Fungi that exists in balsa even while it is still growing. Almost impossible to detect, they say! All it needs is a supply of just traces of FRESH WATER, not Salt water ,and moderate temperature similar to what we humans enjoy and it will start to eat the balsa and turn it into mush. George Hinterhoeler one of the original partners in C&C Yachts of Canada was one of the few people who reliably could produce a sound 20 year boat . And he had his failures. He always aimed to surround the cored area with solid glass (deliberately resin rich areas) and not allow any fasteners to penetrate the upper sides or decks. My opinion for what it is worth is that Balsa Core is not a reliable material for construction of any product that can be exposed to fresh water. Its use should be strongly resisted or banned.
Because the fault is invisible. Once a Balsa cored structure is soft it is DEAD! Airex foam gets soft after many hours of UV Radiation . UV radiation is much stronger than Visible light and you can see the Sun light thru most FRP Yacht hulls and decks . But I have never seen a total failure of Airex Yet people will avoid Airex. Smart! Paint decks with heavy highly filled paint until totally opaque to the strongest light. Some are happy with a 20yr boat life??
Michael Pope

You have every right to disagree.

I perform 2 to 3 deck repairs for my customers every year on the north shore of Lake Ontario (fresh water).

Even great boats have issues.

Rotted core needs replacing. Depending on condition, core that is just wet, but not rotted or delaminated, can be opened, dried, sealed, and recovered.

I would have no issue purchasing a vessel with a wet deck with minimal rot, if the price was right. I would run from an extensively saturated, rotted deck or hull as fast as I could.

If one can discern the difference, there are great deals to be had on great boats.

PS, millions of boats have been fabricated with balsa cored decks, many 40 years old and more, still going strong.