| Author | Message | ||
     Jeff Roy New member Username: Jeffr Post Number: 53 Registered: 03-2001 Rating: |
I know this is not unique to S2 but is a general issue with virtually all boats. Factorys hardly ever seal the core when they mount hardware on cored decks. It is just a matter of cost. A responsible owner will periodically rebed hardware and always keep a vigilant eye out for leaks. Even better is to do what the factory didn't do and seal the core arond the fasteners with epoxy so leaks don't turn in to structural problems. Unfortunately, it seems none of the previous owners of my boat understood the importance of keeping water out of the deck. Not only were all the factory installed fasteners leaking, the things installed by previous owners were leaking worst of all!  I have taken almost everything off my deck. Under every piece of tape there is a hole that was leaking water into the deck. I have found 7 areas on the coach roof that were completely saturated with water, the inner skins were delaminating and the balsa was rotting. I cut the inside skin off to expose the balsa and dry it out. I ripped the rotted sections of blasa out completely. After everything was dry I glued up new balsa. I still have to reglass the inner skin. This is what the inside of my boat looks like now.  I know I have more wet core where the genoa turning blocks were removed and where the Whale pump is installed in the cockpit sole. I am not sure if the side decks are OK or not. A few sections feel a little mushy but I have not inspected them that closely. I am getting rid of the carpet headliner. I am not sure what I am replacing it with yet, I might just paint it. With the carpetting removed you can see where the balsa has turned dark, a sure sign of water damage. Once I had an idea of the extent of the damage I drilled into the underside of the deck to examine the core. After I found the extent of the water damage I cut out the inner skin using a Fein Multimaster (outstanding tool for these kinds of repairs). |
