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Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq.[_3_]

wrote:

On runabouts rot tends to be worst in the back. You should check the
floor, the stringers, and the transom as these are the three places
that have wood components. If it is bad everywhere then you probably
should just fill the holes and figure that you're not going to get a
lot of years out of this boat.

If it is not too bad then it is possible to salvage the boat but it
might be some work to do it right. You can saturate wood that is not
completely gone with an epoxy/alcohol mixture. Don't waste your money
on any high-dollar rot fix epoxy. It's the same thing as regular
epoxy with alcohol added.

I had a runabout that had wood rot down the the middle of the boat,
where the water would sit in the "V" of the boat. I purchased 4x8
marine grade plywood, and cut out the middle 4 foot section. I had to
replace the stingers closest to the V, but the rest of the stringers and
floor was in great shape. I did apply fiberglass and resin to the top
part of the deck, but did not apply epoxy or fiberglass to the bottom.
I was told you want to allow the plywood to dry out. If you completely
fiberglasses the plywood, it would just hold the moisture in. I then
replaced the carpet with some indoor/outdoor carpet. It was a fairly
cheap repair. When I sold the boat a number of years later, it was
still in great shape, and the floor sounded very solid.