Delamination, Dodger snaps, and boat Purchase
 

Here is the situation. The boat I am interested in is OK, # one, in most
areas. Old engine, will get it checked out.

After checking over the deck very thoroughly, the "dull" sound of
delamination was discovered near where the dodger snaps are set in the cabin
roof. I never liked the thought of putting dodge snaps into a fiberglass
deck and this confirmed my thinking. How can the little snaps be bedded?
As far as I could tell, they just go through the top layer of fiberglass,
they are not supported below or anything.

It looks like moisture has entered behind the snaps. This has caused some
delamination around the area on the cabin roof.

Not a big area. The tapping of the cabin roof deck showed this. I don't
think this is totally wet core, more like delamination. But, it definitely
needs to be attended too.

I am in the buying, negotiating stage of this boat. I haven't made an offer
yet. Talked a little about it, but no real money has been put on the table.

The boat is some distance from my house, not real far.

What would you do? Should I ask that the area be repaired before a deal is
struck. Should I say "this is my offer subject to repairing this area" ...
or should I say "I am deducting XXX dollars from my offer for the
delamination repair".

I checked Don Casey's book. He shows how to drill a small number of holes,
fill with thickened epoxy, put some weight on the deck and let it dry. This
will do it, I'm sure.

But, since it is below the deck ........... the old "who knows" has me
worried.

If the area is just delamination caused by moisture getting in from the snap
holes ........... and I repair the area .........

What do I do about the snaps.

The snaps are the little thingy's that the dodger attach to.

I sure hope someone can help. I am very close on this boat.

My heart is singing and my head is issuing a warning.

HELP... Please ..

Delamination, Dodger snaps, and boat Purchase
 

Amazing. I just got back from going up to my boat in the driving rain
to try and find the source of the last nagging deck leak. I took off
the cabin lining and traced it upwards by process of elimination.
Nothing up there but fiberglass. Then, I saw the dodger snap. That
has got to be the source and they are all slightly rusty and don't
feel real solid. I'm ditching the dodger anyway so pulling out the
snaps and filling the holes should be an easy fix. Your post was the
first thing I clicked after getting home.

I have a solid cabin top. Your situation is more serious because of
the core.

Have you had the boat surveyed? You should. The surveyor will be able
to get a good idea how much moisture is back there.

There are penetrating epoxies that will go almost anywhere the water
will. This can probably be fixed unless large areas of core have gone
punky.

--

Roger Long



"Lester Evans" wrote in message
news:arp9g.549$Y55.205@trndny08...
Here is the situation. The boat I am interested in is OK, # one,
in most areas. Old engine, will get it checked out.

After checking over the deck very thoroughly, the "dull" sound of
delamination was discovered near where the dodger snaps are set in
the cabin roof. I never liked the thought of putting dodge snaps
into a fiberglass deck and this confirmed my thinking. How can the
little snaps be bedded? As far as I could tell, they just go through
the top layer of fiberglass, they are not supported below or
anything.

It looks like moisture has entered behind the snaps. This has
caused some delamination around the area on the cabin roof.

Not a big area. The tapping of the cabin roof deck showed this. I
don't think this is totally wet core, more like delamination. But,
it definitely needs to be attended too.

I am in the buying, negotiating stage of this boat. I haven't made
an offer yet. Talked a little about it, but no real money has been
put on the table.

The boat is some distance from my house, not real far.

What would you do? Should I ask that the area be repaired before a
deal is struck. Should I say "this is my offer subject to repairing
this area" ... or should I say "I am deducting XXX dollars from my
offer for the delamination repair".

I checked Don Casey's book. He shows how to drill a small number of
holes, fill with thickened epoxy, put some weight on the deck and
let it dry. This will do it, I'm sure.

But, since it is below the deck ........... the old "who knows" has
me worried.

If the area is just delamination caused by moisture getting in from
the snap holes ........... and I repair the area .........

What do I do about the snaps.

The snaps are the little thingy's that the dodger attach to.

I sure hope someone can help. I am very close on this boat.

My heart is singing and my head is issuing a warning.

HELP... Please ..

Delamination, Dodger snaps, and boat Purchase
 

Roger ,,, is the boat in yet? Up thar in Maine?

This is an interesting posting ... if the buyer knows that there is a
problem, then should the buyer ask that it be fixed before the sale is
finalized?

I see so many postings from boat owners who say "bought xx boat and knew
that there was a problem but bought it anyway and now I am spending $$$$$ to
fix it".

Shouldn't the buyer ask that an obvious repair be "repaired"?

And what about those dodger snaps? Do they go all the way through the top
layer of glass? I would think so .. aren't they just a screw or something?

My opinion is: the buyer should say "the cabin roof has some delamination,
and needs to be repaired".

Then, the buyer can say "now that the repair has been made here is your
check".

Doesn't that make sense?


Hope your boat is in ,,,,, last night the Titanic show was on .. I think you
were in the show but I only watched a couple of minutes.

The part I saw said the props were made of bronze .. wouldn't the props be
worth bringing to the surface?



"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
Amazing. I just got back from going up to my boat in the driving rain to
try and find the source of the last nagging deck leak. I took off the
cabin lining and traced it upwards by process of elimination. Nothing up
there but fiberglass. Then, I saw the dodger snap. That has got to be the
source and they are all slightly rusty and don't feel real solid. I'm
ditching the dodger anyway so pulling out the snaps and filling the holes
should be an easy fix. Your post was the first thing I clicked after
getting home.

I have a solid cabin top. Your situation is more serious because of the
core.

Have you had the boat surveyed? You should. The surveyor will be able to
get a good idea how much moisture is back there.

There are penetrating epoxies that will go almost anywhere the water will.
This can probably be fixed unless large areas of core have gone punky.

--

Roger Long



"Lester Evans" wrote in message
news:arp9g.549$Y55.205@trndny08...
Here is the situation. The boat I am interested in is OK, # one, in
most areas. Old engine, will get it checked out.

After checking over the deck very thoroughly, the "dull" sound of
delamination was discovered near where the dodger snaps are set in the
cabin roof. I never liked the thought of putting dodge snaps into a
fiberglass deck and this confirmed my thinking. How can the little snaps
be bedded? As far as I could tell, they just go through the top layer of
fiberglass, they are not supported below or anything.

It looks like moisture has entered behind the snaps. This has caused
some delamination around the area on the cabin roof.

Not a big area. The tapping of the cabin roof deck showed this. I don't
think this is totally wet core, more like delamination. But, it
definitely needs to be attended too.

I am in the buying, negotiating stage of this boat. I haven't made an
offer yet. Talked a little about it, but no real money has been put on
the table.

The boat is some distance from my house, not real far.

What would you do? Should I ask that the area be repaired before a deal
is struck. Should I say "this is my offer subject to repairing this
area" ... or should I say "I am deducting XXX dollars from my offer for
the delamination repair".

I checked Don Casey's book. He shows how to drill a small number of
holes, fill with thickened epoxy, put some weight on the deck and let it
dry. This will do it, I'm sure.

But, since it is below the deck ........... the old "who knows" has me
worried.

If the area is just delamination caused by moisture getting in from the
snap holes ........... and I repair the area .........

What do I do about the snaps.

The snaps are the little thingy's that the dodger attach to.

I sure hope someone can help. I am very close on this boat.

My heart is singing and my head is issuing a warning.

HELP... Please ..

Delamination, Dodger snaps, and boat Purchase
 

I pulled the dodger snaps on my boat yesterday and there is no
question they were the cause of the leak. I could see the spot of
light while looking up in the narrow slot where the water was coming
from.

The screws were all rusty (this was a fresh water boat so the PO was
not as careful about metal choices as a salt water owner) and the
snaps quite loose. When you consider the strain that wind and other
forces can put on these snaps that may only be in an quarter inch of
fiberglass, having them stay watertight is a forlorn hope.

These screw in snaps should always be considered suspect in a boat;
especially if they can let water into the deck core. Fortunately, my
boat has a solid glass deck and cabin to so I just have some wet wood
and damp ceiling liner. I caught it before any rot started in the
cabin bulkhead.

I would never put these snaps in a boat. Dodger attachments need to
be studs with two screws in a plate and proper bedding. High stress
points should probably be through bolted.

--

Roger Long

Delamination, Dodger snaps, and boat Purchase
 

In article arp9g.549$Y55.205@trndny08,
"Lester Evans" wrote:

Here is the situation. The boat I am interested in is OK, # one, in most
areas. Old engine, will get it checked out.


Get a survey by *your* surveyor, not the broker's, before you go any
further. That won't find all the faults, but you've already identified a
problem area or two. A dispassionate external viewpoint is worth the
cost.

Sometimes a free boat isn't worth it.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/