Monk 36 listed as wet stern

category4 · Jul 19, 2024

I have owned several trawlers and am currently in the process of purchasing a monk 36 1985, and the survey stated the stern was wet ? i found a few spots on the deck where the core has been wet but i thought the monk36 was solid fiber glass hull. Does anyone have any real world information or where i could find if there is really a core on the stern and not the rest of the vessel.

Comodave · Jul 19, 2024

Welcome aboard. Did this come up in the survey? If so I would ask the surveyor to point out the areas. If you can access the inside you may he able to see if there is a transition in the transom from cored to solid glass.

category4 · Jul 19, 2024

It was listed by the broker as a reason the last person turned it down. I do not have the original survey and i looked into the area in the stern. Personally, i can't see anything other than the tiny backing boards for the stern through bolts for the platform. i can understand of those are leaking. But i have NO firsthand knowledge about the Monks construction. IE: wooden core on just the stern ?

Bmarler · Jul 19, 2024

Dave’s right. Without some guidance from the surveyor indicating the area he’s talking about, it could be anything.

Bmarler · Jul 19, 2024

I will say this though, my boat is solid glass, but the whole cockpit area above deck level is built out thicker. Not sure what the construction method was, but the hull sides are about 2 inches thick and the transom is about 4 inches thick, and there’s a void in the transom. Presumably there’s wood framing in there so it’s a possible area to be wet.

category4 · Jul 19, 2024

Thanks for the reply and i will try and research more. It is a mystery ! But i seems that they may have been using a solid hull and cored stern. When i ask a local builder they said some companies will not glass the stern to flex it and pop it out of the mold. then they would attach the stern. So i guess i will need to do some more digging.

Thanks Bmarler

tiltrider1 · Jul 19, 2024

Unfortunately all my question would be for the surveyor. Did he feel a thud with his hammer or did his moisture meter say it was wet? How big was the wet area? What is the suspected source of the water?

I will give you some very important advice. Be very careful going forward on a boat that has been rejected after survey. Yes it’s possible that the surveyor got it wrong or that the surveyor was ridiculous hard on this issue or that the buyers just got scared over nothing. However, more likely than not, there is something wrong.

The fact that the broker is mentioning it makes me extra cautious. His mentioning it means he feels it’s his duty to inform you. Which means he believes there is an issue and he does not want to be accused of trying to hide a defect.

category4 · Jul 20, 2024

We have a meter to check moisture and a camera to put into small spaces it's just one of those odd things i have encountered over the years. I am thinking that i am going to forgo the trawlers built in China as the building specifications changed weekly it seems when i inquired about the hull being solid or cored. I have received loads of answers some are all core to solid glass to some core areas. depends on the week, year and day? There is no one answer and i guess that is my biggest worry if they were so loose and fast with building methods what else may be lurking behind a rush to build and push to finish. And i researched and the ABYC standards were just a " sort of guideline" for the China built yachts. Scary just to think that thousands of boats built and Not one person can show the specs for the hull process or photos of the process. And Yet you can contact people and they can send you specs on American boats built in Toms river NJ from the 70's.

Thanks everyone for your input and time.

rslifkin · Jul 20, 2024

category4 said:
Scary just to think that thousands of boats built and Not one person can show the specs for the hull process or photos of the process. And Yet you can contact people and they can send you specs on American boats built in Toms river NJ from the 70's.

That's mostly an issue of the builder, not where the boat was built. Some builders kept great records and can give you lots of info, others weren't so good about it. And in some cases the builder was good, but isn't in business anymore so info is hard to come by.

For the most part, if a boat has lots of examples still out there and checking out well after 30 years, then it's safe to assume that the build quality is at least adequate for how they're typically used even if you don't know any detail of how it was built.

Comodave · Jul 20, 2024

I thought that Monks were built in Nova Scotia, or am I wrong?

category4 · Jul 22, 2024

From all my research they were built in Taiwan until 92 then it shifted to Nova Scotia due to several factors one being the company split another was better control of the layup process during molding. There was such a push for these well-designed boats that quality was suffering and the move to Nova Scotia was designed to eliminate those problems with them as the customer base started to grow with a huge following. Amazing designs kept these boats on the radar and people were selling and buying another Monk due to the many factors that made them attractive in the start. By adding several small but customer driven changes they were and still are sought after. Boats built in the Northeast were still happening until 2007. The 36 was the flame that lit the fire and the most seen models. The Monk design was also built in several countries all based on the original Monk 36 that was started in Taiwan. After so many years they are still being used, lived on, and cruised for extended ranges.

Bigsfish · Aug 5, 2024

Why not contact the surveyor and ask or pay for his insight.

sunchaser · Aug 5, 2024

Big Fish makes a good point. A capable surveyor using a percussion hammer can ascertain issues

rnanaples · Aug 5, 2024

Many surveyors are far from proficient

Bigsfish · Aug 5, 2024

True but that is why you do your research. I have never had a poor surveyor, all were excellent

Transpacdan2442 · Aug 5, 2024

category4 said:
It was listed by the broker as a reason the last person turned it down. I do not have the original survey and i looked into the area in the stern. Personally, i can't see anything other than the tiny backing boards for the stern through bolts for the platform. i can understand of those are leaking. But i have NO firsthand knowledge about the Monks construction. IE: wooden core on just the stern ?

Transpacdan2442 · Aug 5, 2024

Ask for a small core sample as a requirement before having your own survey done. It would require a small diameter hole saw from the inside and would not breach the outer fiberglass. Owner should agree. Easy fix cosmetically from the inside & would give you more information before laying out bucks for another survey which I would recommend using a highly reputable surveyor if you decide to go forward. My gut feeling is I’d walk away now if you haven’t resolved already.

crusin_canuk · Aug 7, 2024

category4 said:
Does anyone have any real world information or where i could find if there is really a core on the stern and not the rest of the vessel.

Hello category4,

I have attached two photos of the plug from the hole I drilled to install the stern thruster on our Monk 36 two years ago. The first photo (stern_plug1) shows the total thickness of the transom. As you can see, the transom is make of solid fibreglass.

The second photo (stern_plug2) shows a section of the centre plywood baton used to reinforce the transom where the swim platform bracket is attached to the transom. The material between (below the baton in the photo) the baton and the transom fibreglass is an adhesive used to attach the baton to the transom during the layup process. The batons were then covered with another layer of fibreglass across the entire transom. So, to the best of my knowledge, the fibreglass that forms the transom is approximately 1/2" thick, and the additional layer of fibreglass covering the batons is approximately 1/8" thick, for a total transom material thickness of approximately 5/8".

Furthermore, when I replaced a transducer some years ago, I recall the hull thickness at that location in the hull to be about 1/2" thick. Again, solid fibreglass.

So, I presume the the entire hull is 1/2" thick, solid fibreglass.

Hope this helps.

Mlm2 · Aug 7, 2024

category4 said:
I have owned several trawlers and am currently in the process of purchasing a monk 36 1985, and the survey stated the stern was wet ? i found a few spots on the deck where the core has been wet but i thought the monk36 was solid fiber glass hull. Does anyone have any real world information or where i could find if there is really a core on the stern and not the rest of the vessel.

Go to the Monks Owners Association group and ask the question. I'm sure you will get the information you are looking for. There's many long term owners of the Taiwanese models that can help you out

Monk 36 listed as wet stern

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