floor question

[carey965]

ok so feel free to move this but its not a restoration question

so today i was taking care of a few loose ends before the family and i head out camping for the weekend
but there was this one spot that i have not been able to stop thinking about, in the floor around what appears to be a drain or vent into the bildge



the black cover there so i thought what the hell lets take a quick look



nothing really just the tank

but then i look at the core of the floor


its hard to tell in the pic but its a dense foam between the 2 layers of glass, i have never seen anything like that, is that common is it a sign of a repair someone has done
i always thought it felt kind of soft in that area, and now i know why

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: floor question

its the balsa wood core. I would clean it up, and seal with 5200

 

[Texasmark]

Re: floor question

Or fashion a nice looking cover plate out of .100 aluminum, boring a hole for the drain and cover it with that. it would help to retain the strength. Balsa is known for it's light weight vs strength and ability to resist rot. I wouldn't worry about the strength of the floor being compromised for rot. Probably just a lot of foot activity in that area due to the location. The newer no wood boats use a composite honeycomb that is a FG mat on top and bottom and honeycomb center....very light, water proof, and strong. The aircraft industry has been using that type construction for years, using alum rather than FG for the covers and honeycomb.

Mark