Floating a boat without the deck

[ShawnR]

I am into my deck replacement and have a thought.​

I have already removed all of the foam from my 1990 Four Winns. I have 2 holes to patch up that I know of that will leak. Both holes I made while removing foam.​

After patching the known holes, I am thinking of floating the boat on the water for a few hours / days without the deck or foam in place so I can confirm that there isn't any water comming in anywhere. I won't be "boating" or anything, just floating so the structural strength shouldn't really matter, right? Stingers appear to still be in good shape.​

I don't expect to find any leaks, but if there are any, I want to know before foaming & new deck. I never want to do this again. Ever.​

Thoughts?​

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Floating a boat without the deck

no problem. as long as it doesn't rain. then you don't know if it is rain water, or leak water.

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Floating a boat without the deck

I did it with no problems. As long as the stringers are good, it will hold up. This is also a smart thing to do.

Leaks will appear within 10 minutes or so. I had a few unsealed holes where the pitot tube was replaced, and I found it leaking within a few minutes. The next time out, I floated if for about 45 minutes, and was happy to find no more leaks.​