For small deck soft spots - good result

[eggsuckindog]

I had a couple of small soft spots in the deck -side and rear on console - and in front on of the console which had been fixed already, a bigger area.

These were not bad enough to rip the floor out yet but annoyed me. SO in my most redneck form I tried something with good results.

I outlined the area and put a cable tie around the drill bit about 1/2", drilled 1/4" holes approx 3" apart and squited Get Rot in with some pressure and then kept filling as long as it take anything. Capped the holes off with white Marine Tex and they can hardly be seen and seems to have worked quite well after a few weeks of testing.
My point is they will not get better, so anything to prolong the inevitable is a good thing, this of course will only work on smaller areas that are not totally gone yet.

[Wildman]

Next time use a shop vac and a funnel. Pour it in one hole and pull it through the de-laminated area with the vac.

[wattaway2]

you can also take and drill the fiberglass deck and tap it so you can install clean-new grease fittings. then mix up cabosel/resin mix and put in new unfilled grease cartridge tubes .using a cheap and again clean grease gun pump the mix as quickly as possable into the deck . dont go to hot on the mek hardner. you may want to put a fitting about evry 3-4 inches or so

[eggsuckindog]

The reason I used Get Rot was the fact it is so light and will run - I do wish I knew more about using fiberglass resins and cloth - just said that tonight btw for pulling an old thru hull transducer and filling the hole.

Just a little FYI for some other guys as dumb as me and have some small soft spots.

[workinpr0gress]

Originally Posted by Wildman

Next time use a shop vac and a funnel. Pour it in one hole and pull it through the de-laminated area with the vac.

I used to do that trick to dry the wood out with alcohol too. A dude from Merritt showed me that one. Nice

[eggsuckindog]

another neat trick

[Wildman]

Its a great way to fix de-lam damage in surfboards too!

[joshmon71]

http://www.rotdoctor.com/glass/GLrotrepair.html

great reading. deck surgery.

i did do a semi self invented method on a small area last winter, next to wildmans boat, but it abutted a rear hatch and had a couple cross saw cuts on edge of hatch that were never filled except with paint and they rotted the surround core area a few inches back. had access to dig out with a screwdriver from edge, and went to good wood and drilled 2 holes. allowed to breathe for a few days. used system3 epoxy and filler, blue tape on edges. gelcoat touch up to screw hole(after 2nd epxoy application to fill hole). i used a disposable tube in a gun filled with epoxy/filler to get main push, and then followed with syringes taped to the couple holes to gravity feed more in. did not do vac method beacuse had exposed edge. had to wipe excess from edges and reapply tape until kicked, so was a bit messy on edges, triple up on gloves. also at 2am fell outta the boat when ladder skidded, almost took myself out, lesson learned no more late nights solo! worked great, area is solid as heck, and gel coat blended in with alwgrip deck on screw holes.

this winter have a mid deck soft spot next to t-top to deal seems contained in area, and prob will do the URLlink method-drill holes,acetone,vac,dry by compressed and natural air,CPES,vac, thicker epoxy flexible attribute,vac,gelcoat spot touch.

nice thing about my decks is the glass thickness, and glass on underside as well, someone way overbuilt these decks.

forward fishbox has no core its gone, prob have to cut it out and recore, i am considering doing a thickened epoxy injection method and a hole pattern, with vacuum, and judicious use of blue tape to create vacuum over open holes. whichever do, its a crappy place to work. one of those jobs nobody wants to do even for money.

[wattaway2]

joshmon the front casting deck is were i used the grease pump trick as the core was gone on my 23 cc and i had a good 1/4 of glass already there -at 215 lb i could just feel a slight give if i was up there . a buddy thet works for lazzara suggested it and it worked great for me

[joshmon71]

my forward fishbox, has zero core, like black bark mulch from an egyption tomb, i am worried the resin mixture will run into the bilge maybe which would be a disaster, so prob suck up a weekend of headstands and toxins with a respirator sand off awlgrip, cut out, recore, etc. prob use interlux epoxy bilgekote not awlgrip after. I cant tell how the core ends in the foward box meaning abutting structure or? re-coring the old way is the best and safest method.

I like that trick/tip of grease fitting. the syringe gravity feed worked great as well, i think I will do both . after pumping in with the grease fitting and vac, remove fitting, tape syringe to hole and feed more in as needed via gravity. plus vaccuum. pre epoxy-use acetone,compressed air, let stand a few days. drill out holes so have them max 5" apart in soft area, get to good wood(hoping!) with holes. i like the idea of 2 step epoxy- CPES penetrating farther and thinner, followed by thicker epoxy that has some flex ability(like the rot doc stuff or even glflex). thats the plan for the small deck spot near the t-top. its pricey epoxy to use glflex but its got some upside in small areas that flex like a deck, time wise will save me hours instead of cutting the deck up this method.

yeah i am only 175 and can barely feel the spot, its serious glass and on both sides of the core as can be seen at the hatch in rear where did repair. if i redo the deck i think i would cut out only the top, leave bottom glass, and recore. deck height is fine by me now, and scuppers are already out the back. I am afraid to know what my core looks like and my OCD will kick in and next thing its summer and boats on the hard. it looks like prior owner had the area under t-top redone as its a bit up in height and very solid.