2001 Bayliner 1750 soft spot repair decisions

[LRadu]

Hello guys,

So last Autumn, after a lot of work on my 89 Regal (that did not end that good ) ) i decided that i want to go for a weekend on the water without my tool kit, so i bought a new (for me) Bayliner 1750 bow rider from 2001. All good, great boat for my needs, and in all and all good shape.

​

BUT, "big surprise" i found a soft spot on the deck of the boat. It's not that big, about the size of my palm, in the front part of the boat, in the bow. I attached some photos. It seams that the storage area in the bow, on the port side has a drain, in it's lower part that leads to the center part of the boat. The water proofing there was not that good, and it looks like water
entered in the plywood that makes the deck.

​

​

It does not look bad, it's not in critical condition, and after a "hammer" test all over the wooden areas of the boat, this seems to be the only one.

So i have experience in rotten wood, i change all the wood in my old Regal Medallion, but i also know it's a big job that needs a lot of work. The last few weeks I've been all over the forums and watching youtube videos but can't decide exactly what to do.
At this point, one thing i am sure, i don't want to do all the deck, and i don't want a big job now. I don't have the location (the boat is in storage in a very good location, a underground garage so hot dry place) but i can do only small jobs there. I plan on building a garage for it at my house maybe this year so i can work better, but by now it's only outside work when it's not in winter storage. And i also don't have the time, i really really want to use the boat this year. After 4 years owning the old one that was always giving me problems i want a full relaxing season this year.

So, that's why i am here. as i see it i have the following options:
a. do almost nothing. Let it dry really good over the winter, and after that seal the place where water gets in and don't worry about it this year.
b. i have been reading about injecting in the deck things like resin, or injectadeck and co. This seams the most appealing to me right now, it's a easy fix (but not so sure how good it is)
c. cut out the rotten wood, seal it, and i can put new plywood in the front part of the deck, but only on the lower part, starting from the dash area until the front.


I don't have a problem in replacing all the wood in the future, i did it once. Friscoboater on youtube does a nice job that gave me some good ideas, i would like to change all the carpet and make a fiberglass deck, with removable carpet on it. I will be using the boat on a lake, so there will be some mud and dirt. But that is not for this year. I mean the boat is not in bad state, so it should last at least 2-3 years, maybe more, until it will need this.

I have a lot of things that i want to do on the boat, the trailer has some corrosion on it, so i already started work on it, also changed all the electrical system on it, i want to build a diy Bimini Top, also some lights, some new speakers, fixes here and there, so there are things to do, and i can't wait to do them until the start of the season.
All ideas welcomed, i love working on the boat on weekends, and will be posting updates, but at this point this is the big problem that keeps me up at night.

Any ideas and comments welcomed.
Thanks a lot

 

[dezmond]

Need 3 posts before photos show up.

I have a 87 Capri bow rider that I’m doing a complete restore on. They have nice lines and a fair bit of room for your own ideas.

Cant wait to see what you got and will
be following along

 

[Woodonglass]

If you want to do a quick and easy soft spot patch follow the diagram below. I'm sure you're aware that in most cases boats rot from the bottom up and soft spots are NOT a good sign. You should make some core samples in the transom to ensure it's not rotten too. 18 year old boats, unless well cared for, usually have issues. Especially Bayliners!!!

 

[LRadu]

Need 3 posts before photos show up.

I have a 87 Capri bow rider that I’m doing a complete restore on. They have nice lines and a fair bit of room for your own ideas.

Cant wait to see what you got and will
be following along

dezmond, i read your thread, good stuff. A lot of nice info, and a big job you do there, good inspiration for when i will do that in a few years

 

[LRadu]

If you want to do a quick and easy soft spot patch follow the diagram below. I'm sure you're aware that in most cases boats rot from the bottom up and soft spots are NOT a good sign. You should make some core samples in the transom to ensure it's not rotten too. 18 year old boats, unless well cared for, usually have issues. Especially Bayliners!!!




My only concern for this is what do i do if the rot goes underneath the benches...

What do you think of option B, of just injecting stuff in that area as a temporary fix?

Since i think i found the area where the water went in (see my last post) i hope that this is the only source, and i don't have more rot underneath... eternal optimist i know )

P.s. sorry for the double post, just a little cheat so that i can get photos up

P.p.s i can't edit my first post so that i can add the photos, so i will post them here:

 

[Woodonglass]

You can do as you see fit. Bayliners are notorious for this type issue. You can always hope for the best but Plan for the worst. Laying plywood over the top of wet rotting wood is never a good idea.

 

[jbcurt00]

Yep, deckover is never a good plan

neither is:

What do you think of option B, of just injecting stuff in that area as a temporary fix?

those choices are yours to make, but you'll never know the true extent of the problem until you peel it open, beyond the localized area of the soft spot, possibly much further then you hope......