Check For Rotted Wood?

[Hardcore]

Hello, i am seriously considering buying an old fiberglass boat from the mid 70's and the first piece of advice i keep hearing is to make sure the wood is not rotted. the boat appears to be in excellent condition on the surface.

my question is how can i check that seeing as the stringers are glassed in? it appears the only wood on this boat is the stringers. is there a moisture detector that i can buy? or some other test?

i called a marine surveyor and he said he would have to drill into it and perform "destructive tests" to make a determination. he also went on to say something to the effect of: "even if the wood is completely rotted out the hull is still plenty strong because they tended to overbuild them in that era"

i'm not going to take that advice but it was interesting.

thanks all.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Check For Rotted Wood?

Unless it was forgotten in a barn for the past 30 yrs its usually a safe bet that the wood is shot, thats very normal because they weren't designed or built to last this long.

Anyway you can access below deck is good, any hatches or tank covers that you can remove will let you peek under deck.

After going through this with a 1974 20 footer I'd start by cutting the deck off.

But at least try drilling a 1/4 inch hole in the lower transom and inspect the wood chips. You can always shoot some 5200 in the hole to seal it ( don't go all the way through the transom).
If the wood is wet the deck might as well come off now.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Check For Rotted Wood?

Personally, if the deck is SOLID, I wouldn't go looking for further trouble. If there are ANY soft spots in the deck, well then that's usually indicative of more serious issues. Good luck! And let's see some pics if you get it.