BrianSmith
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2014
- Messages
- 487
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Smartini
- Vessel Make
- 2002 Kristen 52' Flybridge Trawler
We have made an offer on a 1974 Gulfstar 43' MkII Sundeck Trawler. It has some soft spots on the deck of the flybridge, the sundeck and the foredeck. The seller allowed us to have someone come look at the boat and give an estimate for repairing them - $7,500.
Sooooo..... how serious are those soft spots? Specifically:
1. My understanding is the deck is soft because there is balsa wood under the fiberglass decking, and it has gotten wet due to a crack or other leak in the fiberglass, and that's what makes it soft. Is that correct?
2. Is there likely to be other damage other than the wood being soft? i.e., the water that got in there and made the wood soft - has it also likely gotten somewhere else and caused other damage? (We see NO indication of water damage on the interior of the boat, but that doesn't mean there isn't some that we just can't see.)
3. Will the survey be able to tell us if there IS other damage from that water?
4. What if we decide to simply not fix the soft spots? If the cracks or other leaks in the decking that allowed the water in originally are repaired, and no more water is coming in, can we simply live with the soft spots?
Thanks so much for any info!
Sooooo..... how serious are those soft spots? Specifically:
1. My understanding is the deck is soft because there is balsa wood under the fiberglass decking, and it has gotten wet due to a crack or other leak in the fiberglass, and that's what makes it soft. Is that correct?
2. Is there likely to be other damage other than the wood being soft? i.e., the water that got in there and made the wood soft - has it also likely gotten somewhere else and caused other damage? (We see NO indication of water damage on the interior of the boat, but that doesn't mean there isn't some that we just can't see.)
3. Will the survey be able to tell us if there IS other damage from that water?
4. What if we decide to simply not fix the soft spots? If the cracks or other leaks in the decking that allowed the water in originally are repaired, and no more water is coming in, can we simply live with the soft spots?
Thanks so much for any info!