Soft spot in fiberglass boat

[MadMax88]

hey guys,

I am new to the site but I have been reading alot of stuff on here for a while now and you guys really know what your talking about and provide some great help! I have a 19ft senter console, starting about a foot behind the console there is a soft spot maybe 2ft x2ft around the seat...i took the seat off and felt around...the soft spot "seems" to be contained to that area as towards the sides of the hull are rock hard and the wood underneath is not rotted(i drilled a small hole on the outer edge of the soft spot and the shavings indicated to me that the wood was in good shape however im not anywhere near an expert in this area) my question is, what would be the best way in going about fixing this...i see guys reccomend to redo the entire deck...is there anyway i could take out this area with a skill saw and repair this square...i know a fibergalss guy that will help me out but i want to make sure this is stable as it is where i stand to run the boat....any help would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks guys Max

 

[berry79]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

Mine started with a soft spot behind the center console and now I'm removing the cap to replace the whole floor and transom. The rest of my floor felt solid too, until I removed the tank cover and started looking and feeling around. Not fully rotted but the start of it had begun. Check out the deck good before you cut a patch. replacing the deck from underneath will look a lot better when finished.

 

[MadMax88]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

when you say replacing the floor from underneath do you mean removing the entire deck and starting from the hull up? please excuse my lack of knowledge

 

[berry79]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

The way I've seen most center consoles built is 2 parts the cap and the hull. When they build it's kind of like they build them backwards in a mold. 1st the gel coat is sprayed, then they lay up the fiberglass, than the supports for the floor etc.(Maybe more to that, but just for a general idea). So with that in mind if you remove the cap, you could remove the fiberglass from the under side, gaining access to the rotted wood. Replace the wood and fiberglass back over it, leaving the top visible layer untouched. Kind of like you see a lot of transoms being done on this forum. All done from the inside leaving the outside like it was before they started. This might only be worth if you have to do alot of the floor. Maybe you can get lucky and just have that one patch with nothing else to replace.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

The 10 steps of restoration denial:

1. That soft spot just needs a patch
2. The foam will dry out once I seal the deck
3. It's just the deck, the stringers are fine
4. i don't have to pull the engine; I can work around it
5. The transom feels solid
6. I won't have to remove the cap, plenty of room
7. i will just buy a couple of gallons of resin
8. $1,000 is plenty for a job like this
9. I should be on the water by the end of the month
10. I need a beer! Nothing is going as planned!

You have just entered step 1.. keep us updated as to how you progress. We'll help you at each one.

Also, the year of you boat means a great deal. Is it a 1950 or a 2005? We can't help you without knowing what the boat is, as some newer ones are made with no wood at all.

 

[MadMax88]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

thanks guys!...The boat is a 1990 Sea Pro...the motor runs great! and for the next couple years i dont have the money for a new boat and i dont see any reason to get a new boat if i can fix this one up a bit...i dont understand how i can get to underneath this area without cutting a piece out...the entire floor is one piece??

 

[lowkee]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

I don't know if center console boats vary from how a bowrider is built, but if they are the same, your deck is indeed one piece. More specifically, it is multiple boards glassed as one piece, which means one section rotting will rot the entire deck.

Realize before you begin, a deck replacement will cost around $900-$1100, slightly more if you need stringers or a transom. It isn't cheap to do the work correctly, but it isn't difficult either. It just requires time and labor.. mostly sanding and grinding labor . Take a look at some other center console deck replacements to get an idea of the effort involved and you can go from there. Many people with little to no experience have done this many times over. Just read up on it, check out similar restores, and chip away at it. When you finish, you can rest easy knowing your boat will last another 30+ years. That should give you plenty of time to save up for your next boat

Just finish out the season if you can, as your season will be over once you begin.

 

[MadMax88]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

i was planning on finishing out the season with it as is...i go back to school in septemeber and was planning on doing this project over my winter break...would a few weeks time frame be enough to complete this project?

 

[lowkee]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

I recently saw one guy do this in just over a month, and I considered that record time. It is possible, I suppose, but very unlikely, especially your first time. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, though.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

What I did...

... unscrewed the center console and slid it as far fwd as possible.

Cut the deck around with a sawzall leaving a 3 inch lip all around.
pulled the molded deck liner up and redid the stringers.
Glassed the deck back on, slid the console back and glassed it to the deck from the inside, filled former screws holes with 5200.

While I had the deck off I re-cored it with composite homebrew , installed a new 50 gal tank ($100 crazedlist) and all new fuel hoses.

 

[MadMax88]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

Jonesg,

would you happen to have any pictures of this?

max

 

[MadMax88]

Re: Soft spot in fiberglass boat

jones,

also, did you replace youre entire deck or just the area of the soft spot?