Core in duckboard gone.

[rcon]

This is going to be a bit of a ramble and I'm looking for any and all ideas, but most specifically, where me boat would be cored on the aft moudlings etc.

After successfully tracking down a couple of problems today, I decided to have a look-see inside my duckboard so I could start thinking about how best to attach a planned swim platform. What I found was a little unfortunate.

My duckboard has an access hatch/plastic screw hole sort of in the middle, about inline with the swim ladder. When I popped it open and stuck my hand in, I discovered some muddish stuff on the bottom of the duckboard. I thought, that's a lot like what I've found around some screws I know have rotted coring. Oh, how's the core around the access portal? GONE! Just two layers of fiberglass, seperated by about 10mm (2/5inch).

As I was done for the day, I had to leave it there. On the drive home, I thought through what could be done and figure the glass-guys can probably cut the top off the existing duckboard and glass in the new platform.

What I'm wondering is how much of the back wall of the cockpit deck area, and side walls of the cockpit deck area are cored? If it is just the duckboard part, this rot is likely to be fairly contained and easy to fix by cut/glass-in-new-platform.

Note, the glass-guy has strongly suggested that given I plan on a lot of diving that we place the new platform on top of the existing duckboard and bolt thru there, rather than attaching just below the lip of the seam. Be nice to have it a little lower (ie, below the seam), but he seems to think having divers in and out with tanks, weights etc (cold water diving, we're very loaded with weight etc) we'd be best off with the extra support.

Anyone with knowledge on what bits are cored back here, or suggestions on what my next steps might be?

Thanks for reading

 

[rcon]

Bump. This gives an sea of the shape of things.

Any idea how far the coring would extend beyond the flat of the duckboard?

PO's name, obviously

 

[Gofirstclass]

On my boat I had the same problem when I bought it and I knew going in that area was going to have to be redone because it was found in the survey. The PO had a dinghy crane mounted there and they hadn't sealed the holes properly. It was a really dumb place to mount a crane because you couldn't walk on the swim platform.

I had the old, wet swim platform area cut out and a new swim platform mounted in there. The yard that did the work cut off the whole top layer of the platform...

Here's what it looked like after they had cut the top layer off. The holes are from where the crane was mounted....


Where that darker pink stripe area is along the side of the swim platform is where they had cut into it. That recessed area beneath what you can see goes back in a couple of inches. They cleaned all the wet, mushy coring out, cleaned up the edges, and put this swim platform in there. If you look at the far right edge you can see the single layer of the swim platform. That's what slid into that recessed area shown in the top photo.


They braced it from below to make it sturdier....


After installing it they found we had a new problem. When the boat was getting up on plane that trailing, aft edge of the swim platform dragged in the rooster tail from the props. To correct that they added the extensions to the trim tabs (large rectangular, light colored stainless steel) and the extension to the hull (darker stainless steel plate shown in the center of the hull).

While we love the size of the swim platform, if I were to do it again I'd shorten it by about 18" so it wouldn't stick so far off the stern. As it it, it's always a concern when backing into a slip.

 

[rcon]

Fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to post pics.

Gives me confidence talking to the glass guys, and that my boat isn't a write off

In my year of searching for a boat, I never once considered the issue of coring - except to think that it couldn't happen to me as I was getting a FG hull. LOL! Wonder if there would be a market for moisture meter work here in south oz....

One more question/observation. The coring only extends the "flat bits", then is just moulded on the vertical sections?

 

[rcon]

Finally found my original HIN and got a response from Sea Ray regarding hull/deck construction. This doesn't seem right and contradicts many things I know for fact.

Any idea what they might be talking about?

Thank you for the additional information and your patience while awaiting a response. I have pasted below the build sheet information showing the optional accessories that were factory installed on your 300 Sundancer. Additionally, I have attached a spec sheet that lists dimensions, capacities and all standard equipment and features.
As for the hull and deck, they are not cored. If you have specific issues you need to address, let me know and I may be able to provide blueprint drawings for your reference.
Have a great day Matthew, and if we can assist further, please do not hesitate to contact us.

I'm going to take photos this week so I can respond with some detail as to where I want blue prints for.

Please keep in mind this post is not ragging on Sea Ray. The fact they even bothered to reply and enter into a conversation with the owner of a 19 year old boat is extraordinary and very much appreciated. I'm just curious if its me or the Sea Ray operator who's missed something in this instance.

 

[CV-23]

I didn't think coring was used in the 1990-93 models, Mike.

 

[rcon]

Hull or deck?

I'm certain I've got a f.glass/wood/f.glass sandwich for my deck.

Cheers
Mathew.

 

[rcon]

Oh, hull I'm pretty sure is just straight f.glass - except for the transom.

Around the hull/deck seam I can "see" light thru the joining hull edge.