2000 Sea Ray 190 CC Hull Soft Spot

[Yannih]

I have a 2000 Sea Ray 190 CC.

Everything was proceeding perfectly regarding getting the boat to as new condition until I took the boat for a major service on the engine and outdrive to ensure I was on the best start possible mechanically.
While this all came up great, the marine boy's advised poor news as there was a soft spot on the forward port side of the hull around the water line level.
The spot is just over 2 feet long by about 1 foot deep.
While there is some minor stress / spider cracking in the gelcoat, I cannot feel any give or movement while pressing on the hull, but the old tap method tells a slightly different story.
I contacted the previous owner to see what the cause might have been such as the boat hitting something but he advised he was unaware of this issue.
So I am not sure if it is a delimitation or rot issue.

Is anyone aware of how these older Sea Rays were constructed such as wood / foam under the glass in that area and what has most likely happened re rot or delimitation?

Also as a resolution, is injecting a thickened epoxy mix into the area via drilled holes a possible strengthening resolution or is it a full cut out of the affected area?

Any advise or help on this would be greatly appreciated as I am in the dark on this latest crappy development...

 

[Chris1956]

I think you need to fix it from the inside. That means cutting out the deck and digging out any foam, until you find out why the spot is soft.

If it has carpet, the deck fix will easily be hidden.

 

[KJM]

Yeah, I agree with the above, you need to find out why there is a soft spot before you can fix it. Could be a rotten stringer. If it came from hitting something you would probably see some kind of mark on the hull in that area.

 

[tank1949]

I have a 2000 Sea Ray 190 CC.

Everything was proceeding perfectly regarding getting the boat to as new condition until I took the boat for a major service on the engine and outdrive to ensure I was on the best start possible mechanically.
While this all came up great, the marine boy's advised poor news as there was a soft spot on the forward port side of the hull around the water line level.
The spot is just over 2 feet long by about 1 foot deep.
While there is some minor stress / spider cracking in the gelcoat, I cannot feel any give or movement while pressing on the hull, but the old tap method tells a slightly different story.
I contacted the previous owner to see what the cause might have been such as the boat hitting something but he advised he was unaware of this issue.
So I am not sure if it is a delimitation or rot issue.

Is anyone aware of how these older Sea Rays were constructed such as wood / foam under the glass in that area and what has most likely happened re rot or delimitation?

Also as a resolution, is injecting a thickened epoxy mix into the area via drilled holes a possible strengthening resolution or is it a full cut out of the affected area?

Any advise or help on this would be greatly appreciated as I am in the dark on this latest crappy development...

View attachment 388631

Older SRs were cored, meaning lots of expanding foam to strengthen areas and reduce weight, which will eventually suck up water. That's a SR. I've owned two. You might be able to drill a limber hole inside to see if water drains out. Use shop vac. to suck ot water. However, I suspect access inside area will require cutting out some parts of deck, finding, grinding and repairing crack and re-glassing. This is not fun. I have replaced 2 rotten transoms. You will need lots of tools and patients. Or just live with soft spot and pray it was just an incompetent worker who didn't add enough cloth on that specific area during boats construction.

 

[Chris1956]

I do not agree with tank.

His definition of cored is different than mine. A cored hull has a core, like balsa, between two layers of fiberglass skin. I would be surprised if the area in question is built that way. Coring is usually reserved for decks, although the entire hull of my old Crestliner was cored, but the interior was open, w/o a deck. My '88 19' SeaRay most definitely didn't have a cored hull.

Drilling holes in the hull is a bad idea, as you then need to patch them which is cosmetically difficult and won't fix the underlying problem.

Using a shop vac to dry out foam is a fool's errand, as it will never work. Also, if the foam has some fuel in it, using a shop vac is an extremely hazardous one, as shop vacs usually have motor brushes that make sparks.

 

[tpenfield]

@Friscoboater has a fairly extensive thread on restoring his 1997 (ish) SeaRay of similar size. So, take a look at his thread (search for it) and you will learn more about the construction. 2000 model years may still be wood.

I would also verify the 'soft spot', as it appears to be in the area of the cuddy cabin and not the typical cockpit sole 'soft spots' that folks encounter.

Also, consider that there may be a bulkhead in that area and with age cracks can form around the area where the bulkhead meets the hull.

For now, keep the sawzall in the toolbox and look further into the issue by taking a look at the guts of the cuddy cabin to the extent that you can.

 

[tank1949]

I do not agree with tank.

His definition of cored is different than mine. A cored hull has a core, like balsa, between two layers of fiberglass skin. I would be surprised if the area in question is built that way. Coring is usually reserved for decks, although the entire hull of my old Crestliner was cored, but the interior was open, w/o a deck. My '88 19' SeaRay most definitely didn't have a cored hull.

Drilling holes in the hull is a bad idea, as you then need to patch them which is cosmetically difficult and won't fix the underlying problem.

Using a shop vac to dry out foam is a fool's errand, as it will never work. Also, if the foam has some fuel in it, using a shop vac is an extremely hazardous one, as shop vacs usually have motor brushes that make sparks.

I've owned two SRs. Balsa decks and foam inside cavities in bow and under decks. This reduces the need for additional stingers, but not all. I repaired BOTH SRs. Fuel is possible. So, know your boat. Drill holes inside NOT OUTSIDE. Limber holes are for inside. Good luck.

 

[flashback]

Po mentioned spider cracks in the hull and being it's the actual hull there is no coring in that area. My guess is that someone hit something...

 

[Scott Danforth]

SeaRays had lots of wood back then. Not until the move to Mexico in 2002/2003 did the hull construction change

 

[drewm3i]

Can we get some pictures? Maybe a video of you hitting the area with a hammer?

 

[Yannih]

Hi all and thanks for the advise / information.

So the tapping of the hammer on the hull does not provide a super conflicting sound though there is a minor / medium difference in the affected area.
Again, yes there is a difference, but it is not solid, solid, solid, hollow if you know what I mean.
And as I said, when I push on the hull all over the affected area, there is no give that I can feel.

I also had varying information from both mechanics when I asked them the same question separately.
"Out of 10 with 10 being the worst, what would you rate this hull issue as?"
The first said a 4 and didn't think it was the end of the world, and the second said a 9 as it could potentially cause the hull to fail and the boat to sink.

I know it's impossible to advise without seeing the hull issue up close, but any opinions after reading the above additive to my original post?

Is it imperative to correct?
Is it something to possibly just keep an eye on?
Is it a substantial risk to use the boat as is?
Is there something I can do that doesn't involve cutting the whole section away?

Tough questions but I'm a bit stumped.

Thanks again all...

 

[drewm3i]

Post pictures and videos! We can't analyze anything with just text.

 

[tpenfield]

The boat is 23 years old . . . the hull appears to be solid according to the 'hammer' test. If the hull was that bad off, you would have thought it would have sunk by now.

Mechanics are not necessarily experts on boat hulls and boat construction (right?) If you are really concerned, then have a certified Marine Surveyor take a look at the area in question, or perhaps the entire boat for that matter.

 

[tank1949]

I owned a 1995 Proline that had a lot of foam in the bow area that had been saturated with water. Yet, the hull was "hammer" solid. Transom not so much... The bow cavity was full of water. I drilled limber holes and watched water come out daily all winter long. A shop vac accelerated water removal. Chris' concerns about fuel are correct. You have to be careful. To correct your perceived problem, I would drill limber holes (where appropriate) and pray no water comes out. If no water, then I would just live with it. Otherwise, expect to spend lots of money and/or time fixing the problem.

 

[Yannih]

Yet again thanks guys.

Post pictures and videos! We can't analyze anything with just text.

Fair point and well structured.
Please see below.
The damage with my thumb for scale is in the middle of the affected area.
The larger stress/spider cracking is about 10" forward of the damage (looks worse than I remember).
The smaller stress/spider cracking is about 8" rearward of the damage.

Regardless, I need to fix the damaged glass and gelcoat shown in the first pic so as per above forum comments I might drill an inspection / drain hole into the damage and see what I can see before repairing.

So again as per the above forum comments, I can expect to see wood or foam under the surface gelcoat and fibreglass in this area?

.

 

[drewm3i]

Picture one, no big deal.

Picture two looks like either an impact from flotsam or stress cracking from excessive flexing. If the former, it's not a big deal. If the latter, than there are underlying structural issues causing excessive flex like a rotten or broken free stringer or bulkhead.

The discoloration in picture 3 looks like moisture is present in the laminate, causing temperature fluctuations.

 

[Yannih]

Apologies but my pics are not brilliant and are not as clear as they might be.
There is no discolouration in pic 3, just shadow.
The pic is only meant to show minor spider / stress cracking.

I don't suppose there is an easy way to determine an
"an impact from flotsam or stress cracking from excessive flexing"?

 

[tpenfield]

Yet again thanks guys.

So again as per the above forum comments, can I expect to see wood or foam under the surface gelcoat and fiberglass in this area?

No, I doubt that you will find any coring material under the fiberglass. I would not drill into the area either.

It looks to be from an impact or over stress in that area. Do your investigation from the inside of the boat (i.e. the cuddy cabin) and remove cushions, open storage areas until you can get a good look at the inside of the hull in that same area. More information will tell more of the story.

 

[tpenfield]

Here is a Sea Ray factory video that shows how the boats are made.

It is from a slightly newer era than your boat, but their methods look traditional. At one point they talk about coring in the cockpit/deck mold, and they state there is no coring in the hulls.

Here are a couple of photos from the video. (attached below)

You need to determine if behind the damaged area there is an open compartment (i.e. storage area) . . . or a foam-filled chamber.

Post some pictures from the inside if you can.

 

[tpenfield]

Sorry for the multiple posts, but . . .

Here is a picture of your boat (same boat). You need to look in the storage compartment after having removed the cushions and see what the inside of the hull looks like in the area of question.
.

.
Post some pictures of that area, if you can.