Show us your Rot Porn!!!

[jimisbell]

How did you discover this? These pictures are scaring me because my 78 MS 34 does not seem to have any rot except for a small amount, that I am ignoring in the side panels just outside the sliding door, and I worry that it is there somewhere but I dont know it.

 

[sbu22]

These stringers don't do much structurally except hold up the deck plates and battery box. Originally glassed in plywood. Moisture issues fixed a long time ago. Just discovered this. Going back with glassed solid wood.

 

[chriscritchett]

Here’s some of the other kind, just to keep people entertained.

Some idiot (guess who?) wanted the steel pipe rub rail covered with rubber and shiny stainless 20 years ago, which involved much drilling and tapping for screws. Horrible, horrible idea.

In hindsight, this was kinda fun to fix. If only the rest of it was fixed too.

 

[what_barnacles]

In hindsight, this was kinda fun to fix. If only the rest of it was fixed too.

You fixed that? Wow, my hats off to you.

 

[sbu22]

I guess I just don't know how to have fun, Chris. You have an after pic? I'm not imaginative enough to picture how that fix worked. But mightily impressed

 

[chriscritchett]

I guess I just don't know how to have fun, Chris. You have an after pic? I'm not imaginative enough to picture how that fix worked. But mightily impressed

I’m clearly no good at using this app, so have to post one at a time, sorry.

Don’t be too impressed; steel’s not that tricky (I guess, I was / am teaching myself as I go here) and I don’t necessarily go for “yacht quality” on this boat.

 

[chriscritchett]

 

[chriscritchett]

 

[chriscritchett]

 

[Mkeller]

I see I’m not alone. I wish I had taken pictures of the mushrooms growing in the walls of my aft cabin before I gutted it.

 

[sbu22]

Chris, those areas below the shearline look tricky to me. You're ambitious.

 

[SeaMoose]

This weeks submission. These were my decks during the great deck recoring:

Mkeller... I also had mushrooms growing out of the walls along the black mold

 

[SeaMoose]

More Rot Porn!!

This is one of the most amazing discoveries in my 20 year odyssey owning a Taiwanese Trawler.


Of course the decks were neglected. The fix was to keep putting screws in, and when that didn't stop the leaks, put bigger and bigger screws in. Eventually they went clear through the core and out the other side, thus serving to help supply the biomass with fresh water


On the aft deck it seems the rot became so severe the steering pulley pulled out of it's mounting. Perhaps they tried to bolt it in from the bottom, but after stubbing their toes one too may times they decided to fix it once and for all.


So, they pried up the teak, and took a circular saw, cutting a big square hole from the lazerrette hatch. Next, they took a fresh piece of non marine plywood, galvanized deck hardware, 1/2" furring strips, and a copious amount of 5200... after that dried, they opened another giant tube of 5200 and laid the deck strips back down.


This did hold long enough for them to sell it to the next owner, I suppose.


However the result was that every time the wheel was turned, the entire aft deck flexed due to the pull on the pulley, and of course it got wet the first time it rained, as the drainage channel on the hatch had been compromised, ensuring that water was forced directly into the non Marine Plywood.


The wear on the pully pin is something to behold, I couldn't find that picture. Anyway, during the deck re core when I got to the aft deck I cursed and cursed the fool who put all that 5200 down, and when I finally got that area cleared of teak this piece actually fell out...

You can't make this stuff up.

 

[O C Diver]

IMHO you need a moisture meter to determine the water level in the core, with a tiny tiny hole being drilled to stick the meter probes in being the best approach.

Technology has improved checking for core moisture quite a bit. The best surveyors have a very expensive scan tool that shows core moisture below the fiberglass without drilling holes. The pictures are amazing.

Friend of mine was buying a sailboat that had a poorly bedded porthole in the trunk cabin. The previous owner had it professionally removed and rebedded a couple of years before. Everything seemed solid around the porthole. The scan tool showed the moisture in the coring under the window to the bottom of the trunk cabin.....and through out an eight foot long area of the side deck below the porthole. The deck felt solid and uncompromised. Only the scan tool gave any idea that the core was wet.

Ted

 

[SeaMoose]

Wow that's really cool. Thanks! Do you know what the tool is called?

 

[O C Diver]

Wow that's really cool. Thanks! Do you know what the tool is called?

I don't know the name of the scanning tool. My friend's surveyor is based out of the Annapolis area and travels quite a bit to do surveys. It's the same old story of very expensive new technology and most of the people in the profession are unwilling to spend the money until they start loosing business. I gather this surveyor travels the East coast and maybe the Bahamas as this tool is such a game changer. Same buddy is buying a boat now near Myrtle beach (if it survives the weekend) and will have the surveyor come down to survey this boat.

If I bought another cored boat, whoever surveyed it would have one of these scan tools.

Ted

 

[DavidM]

I am a bit leery of this new wet core instrument. Sure if I were buying a high end Nordhavn, Selene, Flemming, etc I would want to know every possible place where water has gotten in.


But water has been showing up in core as long as fiberglass boats were built with coring. I suspect that for 15 year old or newer boats, a little water in the core here or there is expected. Before this instrument, good surveyors tapped the hull and if no significant dead spots appeared, it was good.


Now this instrument will either: kill the deal, or require sellers and maybe buyers to spend money fixing it unnecessarily.


And don't bother with this instrument on 20+ year old boats. They all have wet core and when it is bad it is bad and obvious.


David

 

[O C Diver]

I am a bit leery of this new wet core instrument. Sure if I were buying a high end Nordhavn, Selene, Flemming, etc I would want to know every possible place where water has gotten in.


But water has been showing up in core as long as fiberglass boats were built with coring. I suspect that for 15 year old or newer boats, a little water in the core here or there is expected. Before this instrument, good surveyors tapped the hull and if no significant dead spots appeared, it was good.


Now this instrument will either: kill the deal, or require sellers and maybe buyers to spend money fixing it unnecessarily.


And don't bother with this instrument on 20+ year old boats. They all have wet core and when it is bad it is bad and obvious.


David

I can't believe you wrote that.

Do you tell people not to get surveys because almost all used boats have problems? Do you think oil analysis at survey is also a waste of time /money?

Why would you not want to use all means (within a reasonable price) to determine the most accurate condition of a boat before you buy it? Nobody is suggesting that core moisture has to be a deal breaker.

My friend bought the sailboat with the wet core several months later, but saved something like $15K on the price. He had another survey done for insurance purposes as the first survey wasn't completed once the moisture was found. Second surveyor tapped the hull and topsides, never found any of the wet core.

Ted

 

[Greatlaker221]

I can't believe you wrote that.

Do you tell people not to get surveys because almost all used boats have problems? Do you think oil analysis at survey is also a waste of time /money?

Why would you not want to use all means (within a reasonable price) to determine the most accurate condition of a boat before you buy it? Nobody is suggesting that core moisture has to be a deal breaker.

My friend bought the sailboat with the wet core several months later, but saved something like $15K on the price. He had another survey done for insurance purposes as the first survey wasn't completed once the moisture was found. Second surveyor tapped the hull and topsides, never found any of the wet core.

Ted

Of course a tool like that would be a deal breaker. It will wipe out millions of dollars in value for 90% of boats over 20-40 years old. A lot of folks have wet core, don’t know about it and they still enjoy their boat. Core replacement is a huge DIY project and way over the value of most older boats at yard rates. Not everyone can afford a 100k plus boat. There are a lot of 80s trawlers out there. Should we just burn them! New boaters won’t grasp the concept and would walk away.

 

[O C Diver]

Of course a tool like that would be a deal breaker. It will wipe out millions of dollars in value for 90% of boats over 20-40 years old. A lot of folks have wet core, don’t know about it and they still enjoy their boat. Core replacement is a huge DIY project and way over the value of most older boats at yard rates. Not everyone can afford a 100k plus boat. There are a lot of 80s trawlers out there. Should we just burn them! New boaters won’t grasp the concept and would walk away.

I can certainly understand where a seller might not like it as it diminishes the value of his boat if he has a wet core. But then, if he is implying that the core is dry and it's not, the boat may not be worth the contract price.

To an owner who plans to keep and use his boat, I fail to see how this would effect him.

To a buyer, if there is moisture in a wood cored deck, roof, or house wall that isn't a problem now, what about 5 years down the road? If you look at all the deck pics in this thread, they all started with wet coring that was structurally sound. Then they deteriorated and had to be recored. Why shouldn't a buyer be able to identify these potential problems before purchase?

With regard to wiping out value, the value is already gone. It you have a 30 year old boat with a wet core, it doesn't have the same value as the same boat with a dry core. There are almost always buyers for project boats with bad decks, rot under the windows and dead engines. This is just one more tool that helps a buyer discover the $70K oriental trawler is really only worth $20K because of the major upcoming projects. And yes, some boats aren't worth repairing.

Ted

 

[C lectric]

IMy moisture meter is Electrophysics, about $150.00 when bought a few years ago.

My boat is 40 yrs now

That meter has saved me a lot of grief by showing me wet spots so I can deal with them.
It also can tell how effective my efforts were at drying those areas.
I have been lucky that most areas were small, most could be dried without ripping decks apart. Without the meter though I would have been unaware untill I had soggy, soft spots.

The one exception was the lazarette hatch which was too far gone and had to be rebuilt.

The meter is not foolproof. Like all tools some learning and cautions are needed.
To me, it can help avoid MAJOR jobs if used early especially around hardware, fittings and windows.

My meter is now about 10 years so there may be better units available now but this unit had a good reputation at the time.

Take it for what it,s worth.

 

[SeaMoose]

Getting back on track here is more delicious rot porn

 

[DavidM]

Greatlaker221 seems to have gotten my point. Others didn't. Well ok, so be it. As SeaMoose says above, let's get back to rot porn!



David

 

[sbu22]

Non structural transverse engine room (hole?) stringers. Had a lead acid battery blow up 6-7 years ago. "Thought" I had thoroughly cleaned/neutralized the area, but I did not go below the deck plates - actually factory 1/2" plywood supported by the stringers. Stringers also support the battery box. Recently dropped something in the bilge, went fishing for it, and put my finger through one of the glassed plywood stringers. I'm guessing the battery incident played a part. All surrounding material unaffected and solid.

In any case, replaced with glassed solid wood and industrial fiberglass walkway grating for deckplates. Interesting note - the FG grating isn't like boat FG. Took diamond sawblades (plural) to cut to size. Extremely dense.

 

[Art]

Keeping boats undercover at dock - greatly reduces rot beginning and continuing to travel [expand] onward... for any boat portion!

 

[boatpoker]

Wow that's really cool. Thanks! Do you know what the tool is called?

Moisture Meter Mythology and Flir thermal imager

 

[sbu22]

The Port Credit article hits the nail on the head. Like any other investigative technique, operator interpretation is critical. Conductive moisture measurements are most useful to measure trends, not absolutes. And then, plenty of headwork is required to correctly interpret the trends.

As stated, thermal imaging is as much art as science. High quality equipment, and more importantly, training is a must. Great no BS article.