done

Yochach!

Member
Aug 22, 2016
44
Boat Info
1997 330 da
Twin 7.4l mpi
V drive
Engines
Twin 7.4l mpi
V drives
..
 
Last edited:
Hello all ,
Although Sea Ray makes one hell of a boat and I love every single thing about my 1997 330DA there is one issue that seems rather common. I am of course speaking of soft deck issues on the fore deck caused by water intrusion from hatch'es , snap's , and other hardware that if not re-bedded properly or at all will leak into the "precious" balsa core. I bought my boat 3 years ago and was and still am very impressed with the overall condition of her and still brings a smile to my face every time I step aboard. With that being said, while I was shopping I've boarded a couple 330's of similar vintage with noticeable soft spots on the fore deck. One of which was completely trashed and really felt as if I was stepping on a trampoline!!. When I first stepped on board my boat I was relieved to see that there were no soft spots and the survey revealed that there was a very small amount of moisture around the starboard deck hatch. It was not until last summer that to my dismay I noticed a dreaded soft spot in the very area that the meter detected a small amount of moisture. I spent countless hours searching the internet and speaking to guys at my local yard to find a quality remedy which is also cost effective. Some suggestions were to inject Git-Rot or Inject a Deck into the core to stiffen it up and eliminate the soft spot making it appear that there are no issues. Although that may work, it really just seems like a "Bandaid" and may only result in not only a poor repair but more issues down the line and not to mention a series of small drill holes in the non skid would be impossible to make look nice " for me at least".

I decided to take on the task of replacing the rotten balsa core. To do this I decided that the best course of action would be to tackle this from inside the cabin to avoid any cosmetic issues with the non skid on top. I began by removing the starboard deck hatch and then carefully peeled back the headliner to expose the bottom layer of fiberglass. I took a deep breath and put a dremil to the layer and took a small section out to reveal a completely soaked balsa core which was pulp really. I kept cutting sections until I got to dry wood which was about a 3x3 foot section. I scraped all of the rotted material out and sanded the bottom of the top layer so that the epoxy would adhere correctly and not become de-laminated. I ended up ordering a piece of balsa to keep it original and to reduce the concern of having a hard spot compared to the rest of the deck. After I made my measurements I cut the new balsa to an exact fit and adhered it to the bottom of the top layer using west systems epoxy and hardener mixed with a silica powder to get it to a paste like viscosity. I prepped the sections that I cut out and adhered them to the new balsa to make an exact fit. Once the sections started to cure to the balsa, I laid a couple of sheets of glass to the section overlapping where I made the original cuts and glassed them in with west systems epoxy and hardener.

After letting the entire patch cure for three days, I gave it a test run and walked on the deck to find that it was a HUGE SUCCESS!! no more soft spot!! and zero compromise of the gel coat and non skid. At this point I simply bought a can of headliner glue and sprayed it onto the bottom layer and gently put the headliner back up. Once that was completed I re-bed the hatch using 3M 4000 UV. All that was left to do was to clean up the dust in the cabin and after a very thorough detail she is really as good as new!.

Overall I am very pleased with the outcome of this repair and also I'm happy that I did not take the Git Rot or Inject a Deck route as I would not be able to sleep at night worrying that I trashed my baby. As long as you have some mechanical aptitude and patience this is a repair that can be made by most and save literally thousands. I think I spent around $250.00 in supplies and I could only assume that a repair of this magnitude would be in the $5,000 and up range. I must admit though, cutting a freaking hole in your boat is not a pleasant feeling! but patience and due diligence on how to correctly perform a fiberglass repair pays off literally. The only thing left to do is to re-bed all of the fittings on the deck to ensure that this never happens again.

If anyone is having a similar issue and is thinking about taking this project on shoot me a pm and I will be happy to offer any help. Also I am interested in hearing similar stories from people who have had this issue and they're fix.

"Sorry for no pictures. For some reason my computer wont upload them"

- Bob

Thats awesome to hear you got rid of the spot. I just purchased a 320 with some moisture around my Portside deck hatch. The spot isnt soft yet but im sure it is coming. I will be sure to talk to you once I am ready to tackle that! Thanks for sharing!
 
Would love to see the pictures. You have to be a sponsor to post pictures. Its only 25 a year.
 

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