Soft deck? take a look at photos Mainship 2006

[SILENTKNIGHT]

2006 Mainship 34T

so i noticed today the aft deck flooring( i marked in black tape) right outside the salon doors , " Spongy squeaking " I did the tap test and its got the "hollow sound."
Wheere could water intrusion occur?
I went down below and pulled down the headliner in the engine room... its soft.

Please tell me what steps i can take to fix, correct this section... Assuming i should do this from below ?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. S. In spite of the fact you will mar your non-skid, it will be MUCH easier to attack this repair from the top. Let gravity be your ally, not your enemy. My $.02.

 

[O C Diver]

Before doing any repair work you need to find the leak and fix it. Are you sure the tape marks the outside perimeter on the soft area?

Ted

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

Before doing any repair work you need to find the leak and fix it. Are you sure the tape marks the outside perimeter on the soft area?

Ted

Yes this is the spot... but i just cant see where any water came from? maybey i need to drill a core to see if the balsa comes out water damaged

 

[Comodave]

The water may be traveling a long distance from where it is showing up. I would start a grid search checking progressively further away from the spot. Check any fittings or cracks. It is possible to fix it from the bottom but waaaay easier from the top. But then you have to deal with refinishing the deck. Do you know anyone that has a vacuum pump for vacuum bagging laminate? That may be a way to do it from the bottom. Make the layup and wet it out then vacuum it up to the bottom of the deck. Don’t know if it will work or not since I have never tried it.

 

[Bmarler]

it could also simply be delaminated. you are right to drill a sample area to determine if the core is wet, rotted, or damaged at all.
everyone will have an opinion on how to repair it, i guess you'll have to decide based on what you find.

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

it could also simply be delaminated. you are right to drill a sample area to determine if the core is wet, rotted, or damaged at all.
everyone will have an opinion on how to repair it, i guess you'll have to decide based on what you find.

if its just delaminated and no water damage ? im considering just drilling holes and applying " Thixo " epoxy ?

 

[Bmarler]

if its just delaminated and no water damage ? im considering just drilling holes and applying " Thixo " epoxy ?

yes, if it's just delaminated i'd shoot it full of epoxy. i use west system, but there are many that will work just as well. like i mentioned, if you drill a sample hole, (or several) you'll get an idea what you've got.
before drilling, you might want to get some moisture meter readings to see if there's a big variation in the area too. just a thought...

 

[Bacchus]

I would be suspicious of delamination as well. My 08 34HT has a few areas of delam on a vertical section but none I know of on the deck.
I think I would drill a hole into the core from below to investigate but repair from above will be much easier. If not happy with non-skid repair you might consider faux teak decking over it when completed.
We live our Plasdeck and get many positive comments.
Pics & details on Bacchus website Projects section.

 

[Lepke]

The water may be traveling a long distance from where it is showing up.

Exactly.
Find the leak first. Otherwise the water will ruin a new spot. I traced one water leak 2 decks up and 20' horizontally.

 

[Madhatter53]

Maybe the water is from all the holes I see between the doors and the area taped off.

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

Maybe the water is from all the holes I see between the doors and the area taped off.

Nah, not holes , just dirt particles...there is not a hole or a stress crack on this deck

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

i will take a core sample today with a 1" hole saw today

 

[2savage]

Before you cut big holes find out if this is a basla core structure. If it is, it went soft due to water in the balsa. If so, the cure is as follows.

First, drill small holes in the affected area to allow a bent nail around two inches long or more to be inserted. Then use a power drill on a slow rpm to mash up the softened balsa. Now you need to dry out the inside area vacated by the balsa. Finally use expanding foam insulation to replace the balsa you pulverized. Plug the holes you drilled with a suitable epoxy and you're done.

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

Before you cut big holes find out if this is a basla core structure. If it is, it went soft due to water in the balsa. If so, the cure is as follows.

First, drill small holes in the affected area to allow a bent nail around two inches long or more to be inserted. Then use a power drill on a slow rpm to mash up the softened balsa. Now you need to dry out the inside area vacated by the balsa. Finally use expanding foam insulation to replace the balsa you pulverized. Plug the holes you drilled with a suitable epoxy and you're done.

sound like good info, need to first see if any water damage or just delamination ?
i have never used " expanding foam" on a deck surface, will that create an even surface to harden?

also is the 2" nail used like a drill bit ( bent)

 

[SILENTKNIGHT]

False alarm

I took a core sample, see photos.....i believe this is a false alarm. The core is dry as cotton. The weak spongy origin is from the fiberglass backing under the balsa core. It appears to have seperated from the balsa. So now its an eaiser repair to strengthen the balsa core to the fiberglass.

 

[Avalon36]

I would encourage you to find a moisture meter and get readings around the entire area. That's your best indicator of how wide the damage is and will also help you find/trace back to the source. If the core is wet. The only permanent cure is to remove it entirely, recore and glass the area. Expanding foam is not structural so it is not a good solution. Decks provide lateral as well as virtical support. If you don't get all the rot out, the area will continue to expand. Once balsa delaminates, it's done.

 

[rgano]

Happy daze, I'm sure. Since the separation is from below, are you considering cutting around the perifery of this area, pulling it off and simply gluing it back up with Epoxy and then adding a layer of fiberglass around the cut? Use of a piece of plywood covered with wax paper and a jack to push it up against the repair while it cures might work well. Just spitballing here....

 

[Brooksie]

I would load up a caulking cartridge with slow epoxy and glass microballoons and inject, from below, into holes drilled in the lower glass and through the balsa. You might want to patch your holesaw hole first so all the holes are the same size and can be plugged from below. I use #14 screws. These can be removed after everything is set. Hard messy work from below but your deck stays pristine.