Hey everyone. I have a 51 year old Charley Morgan 38. There are significant leaks coming through the deck. Began cutting open sections of the deck and it seems that the deck appears to have a balsa core which is, in places, wet and probably rotting. Other than the leaks, it's not necessarily an issue. The are no places where the fiberglass appears to be weak and everything bolted down runs through the deck to places inside the boat where it's well secured. The stays for the mast are attached to virtually brand new powder coated steel I-Beams that were installed by the last owner.
Initially, I figured I'd hunt down every leak and fix the deck core but now that I've opened the deck in a couple of places, I can see that it would be a never-ending job. I'm thinking it might be best to handle this in some other way. Perhaps just reseal every place where there's a screw, bolt or other opening in the deck and see if that causes the leaks to disappear. If so, I'm thinking it would be adequate to ignore the fact that the deck core remains wet in some places. Short of buying a new boat or spending (in time and money) more than this boat is worth, I see no way to repair this 100%.
Obviously this is a compromise which recognizes 1) the boat isn't going to last forever and 2) it's not brand new. I'm thinking it's better to manage an issue like this, enjoy the boat and deal with more significant issues as they arise. What do others think?
Initially, I figured I'd hunt down every leak and fix the deck core but now that I've opened the deck in a couple of places, I can see that it would be a never-ending job. I'm thinking it might be best to handle this in some other way. Perhaps just reseal every place where there's a screw, bolt or other opening in the deck and see if that causes the leaks to disappear. If so, I'm thinking it would be adequate to ignore the fact that the deck core remains wet in some places. Short of buying a new boat or spending (in time and money) more than this boat is worth, I see no way to repair this 100%.
Obviously this is a compromise which recognizes 1) the boat isn't going to last forever and 2) it's not brand new. I'm thinking it's better to manage an issue like this, enjoy the boat and deal with more significant issues as they arise. What do others think?