Nina 215
New Member
I purchased a 1999 215 Express Cruiser about a year and a half ago with 130 hours on it. Well, I basically bought a trailer and got a free boat with it. I knew it was a project boat and I knew it had been sitting out for a long time. I thoroughly checked the floor and transom for rot. None.
This is my first boat, so please no comments on how I'm an idiot for not checking more thoroughly. I knew all along that worst case scenario, I could sell the trailer and get my money back.
I knew there was a hatch leak, there were black water marks on the hull liner around the hatch. I got the boat running and looking pretty last year and used it this whole season. This winter, I planned to tackle the cabin. I just gutted the entire thing yesterday to find a small hole in the fiberglass ceiling, near the hatch. I stuck a screwdriver into the hole and it was full of rotted wood. I pulled the hatch out yesterday and plan to re-bed it once the rot is repaired. For now, it is taped back into place.
Today I drilled holes in the underside to try to find the end of the rot and figure out how much of the fiberglass interior side I'd be removing to replace the core. It kept going and going. I'm looking at at least a 4x4 foot section so far. The wall dividing the anchor locker from the cabin prevents me from going any further but it continues to at least that wall. I started cutting sections out today. I want to do it from the interior side and leave the exterior side looking perfect.
I've done fiberglass work in the past (hate it) but I want to make sure I do everything right here. This appears to be balsa wood? Is that correct? It's little squares of wood. Should I replace it with little squares of balsa wood again?
I've already contacted the West System tech team and got their product recommendations and watched a few videos on similar repairs. But I'm looking for as much input as possible while I cry myself to sleep.
Thanks for any positive input.
This is what I have done so far:
This is my first boat, so please no comments on how I'm an idiot for not checking more thoroughly. I knew all along that worst case scenario, I could sell the trailer and get my money back.
I knew there was a hatch leak, there were black water marks on the hull liner around the hatch. I got the boat running and looking pretty last year and used it this whole season. This winter, I planned to tackle the cabin. I just gutted the entire thing yesterday to find a small hole in the fiberglass ceiling, near the hatch. I stuck a screwdriver into the hole and it was full of rotted wood. I pulled the hatch out yesterday and plan to re-bed it once the rot is repaired. For now, it is taped back into place.
Today I drilled holes in the underside to try to find the end of the rot and figure out how much of the fiberglass interior side I'd be removing to replace the core. It kept going and going. I'm looking at at least a 4x4 foot section so far. The wall dividing the anchor locker from the cabin prevents me from going any further but it continues to at least that wall. I started cutting sections out today. I want to do it from the interior side and leave the exterior side looking perfect.
I've done fiberglass work in the past (hate it) but I want to make sure I do everything right here. This appears to be balsa wood? Is that correct? It's little squares of wood. Should I replace it with little squares of balsa wood again?
I've already contacted the West System tech team and got their product recommendations and watched a few videos on similar repairs. But I'm looking for as much input as possible while I cry myself to sleep.
Thanks for any positive input.
This is what I have done so far:
