2X4 area weak in front of I/O

[grb121549]

I have a 1984 Baretta. There is a crack about 15 " long in front of the inboard and over the bilge. This deck area is soft, and the wood underneath is delaminated (very dry) , but only for a 2x4 section. I plan to pour epoxy in there, then fix the fiberglass. Before pouring, I would like to push (from underneath) some of the delaminated wood up toward the fiberglass, so here is my question:
If I put a sliding hydraulic jack (like for a car) in the bilge, slide it to the area, and jack it up, will it apply so much pressure downward that it might crack the fiberglass? If the answer is yes, would wood underneath the jack solve the issue? I don't want to make the situation worse, but if it will work, I'd be willing to try this before going through the trouble of cutting the fiberglass, replacing the wood, etc. Thanks!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Welcome aboard

pouring epoxy wont work. may as well set your wallet on fire now (same result - you spend money and your boat is still rotten). the floor is week because the wood has long since rotted. the only way to fix it is to do it right, don on the tyvek suit and fire up the saw

you may want to read link 14, then move on to 2, 3, 4a, and 4b http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...r/295740-how-to-s-and-other-great-information

 

[briangcc]

Boats rot from the bottom (hull) up, not the other way around. So I'd wager if you pulled up the deck you'll find rotten stringers and more than likely a transom in dire need of replacement. Any floatation foam is more than likely water logged and no longer providing any benefit.

Browse through any of the resto threads that start with "I have a soft deck..." and you'll find that most end up having to tear it all down to replace with new.