Is my fiberglass OK?

[Big Deal]

Last season as I was rubbing out the fiberglass on the hull of my 2002 360 DA, I noticed a small area on the starboard side, about where the sofa would be, where I could hear a very minor noise if I pushed real hard. Everything looks fine in the area. No blisters or cracks. I had one person take a look at it, and he wasn't very concerned. He thought it might be the lack of a bulkhead in the area. It seems to be exactly the same this year, no worse, no better. Any thoughts?? Thanks, folks!

 

[fwebster]

Here is a guess:

The 36 is a solid hull boat but is big enough that there is some distance between the bulkheads. The spot you are pressing on is a few feet in front of the main bulkhead where the hull tabbing is located. Large flat areas on a solid hull boat, while plenty strong, are not as rigid as on a cored hull. When you deflect the hull inward, you are probably defelecting the hull inward slightly into a minor component that is placed near the hull but is secured to the deck cap above and the floor below. Everything is properly secured and tight, just 2 components near each other that come in contact when an unnatural force is applied to the exterior of the hull. If this were normal, there would be chafe protection (expandable foam) or the interior component would be glassed to the hull with a minor tabbing.

If there were a structural problem,you would see some stress cracking in the area you press on to get the noise. Put the boat in the water and go have fun!

 

[Big Deal]

Thanks Frank! That's what I was thinking (hoping). The "noise" or whatever is extremely minor. I guess it's human nature, but I spend too much time obsessing over little details on that boat. You know the ones--"I didn't hear the engines make that noise yesterday" and so on. I guess better to be a little over-cautious than waiting for the USCG chopper to arrive! ha ha