How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

I have a question that I dont think ive seen addressed, after reading alot of horror stories (Jays sea ray) about buying a boat and THEN finding the deck and stringers are rotten... What would be the best way to check for somethinglike this short of drilling holes or tearing up a piece of the deck while seatrialing a prospective purchase? I was thinking maybe a rubber mallet and getting a friend to distract the owner while I bang on the floor (lol) ok not "banging" on it but tapping around in corners under seats and near/on the transom. Rotten floors rank near the top of my list of things im afraid of with a new to me boat purchase as I have no fiberglass exp and zero desire to rip up and re glass a deck, mechanically engine wise I would be willing to tackle, if it matters/helps im looking 19-22 ft center console... Sorry for the long post... But what would be the best plan of attack on this fear of mine....

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

Based off of my last purchase, I WOULD have done exactly what you already mentioned, with the exception of hiding the activity from the seller. You won't do any damage by simply tapping around, so I'd do it in front of the seller if for no other reason than to gauge their reaction if/when you get to an area they are concerned about! I stomped around a bit when I bought mine but I wish I'd taken more time during the inspection as I have several soft spots.

I'd use the mallet, your hand and a coin to tap various areas, especially the transom to check for rot. Take a close look at the gel coat around the transom - cracks in the gel coat can suggest a transom that has been flexing due to rot. Its hard to explain what a good tap vs a bad tap sounds like, so I'd inspect for changes in the tap based on where you inspect.
Good luck!

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

Not sure of a great way to check for soft spots other than using your foot and bouncing your weight around throughout the deck feeling for it.

I did hear from a dealer though that they changed the type of plywood they used for floors in 1995 (I believe) to a much better type that holds up to water and time longer. So you'd probably be best served to avoid those earlier years unless you can confirm it's in good shape.

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

Yea, I like the ideas so far, im sort of surprised there isnt a sort of S.O.P for this type of thing, especialy with the amount of upset ppl that get into this situation, I would assume that due dilligence is a must for this... Would be nice to hear from someone thats tried a similiar method with some degree of success... Or something similiar, if we could discuss and work out a gameplan for this sort of thing I think alot of people would benefeit from our brainstorming... Any other thoughts guys? Bore scope? Drain camera (roto rooter style)?

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

The SOP for a private purchase is pretty much what Augoose recommended. I use a professional surveyor instead. Unless you have experience with this sort of thing, or a good ear, it's pretty hard to tell the degree of water saturation.

I've had 3 boats surveyed over the years, and when the surveyor whacked the transom of one boat I was interested in, I couldn't tell the difference in sound. He could, though, and a follow-up with his moisture meter confirmed that a small area was saturated.

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

JoLin said:

The SOP for a private purchase is pretty much what Augoose recommended. I use a professional surveyor instead. Unless you have experience with this sort of thing, or a good ear, it's pretty hard to tell the degree of water saturation.

I've had 3 boats surveyed over the years, and when the surveyor whacked the transom of one boat I was interested in, I couldn't tell the difference in sound. He could, though, and a follow-up with his moisture meter confirmed that a small area was saturated.

Click to expand...

I was about to say go to a good repair shop that will work for you. The money saved and safety gained would be worth it. Any honest seller should welcome your due diligence. If they refuse then walk away from the purchase. Need to have someone lined up that can do the work before hand so there would be no delay that might cause you to lose a good buy.

I hadn't thought about the moisture meter I use for wood working. Good idea! Have to go dust mine off todayand use on my project boat. From the wood shavings I might be into solid wood but not really sure. This certainly could be a great confirmer.

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

Moisture meter eh, eBay they're anywhere from $40-$300.... Soils meters have one long probe and go from $10-$100.... I wonder how well the soil one would work?! Could just drill a 1/4" hole n probe to the bottom of the smaller boats!!

Excellent idea guys!

Sorry, old thread!!

Re: How to check the deck for soft spots? At seatrial...

this thread has been dead for 1 1/2 years