Fiberglass Moisture meters on a budget.....

[KewlBird]

I'm looking at checking my hull and deck for core rot. I know for a fact that my deck has a section of core rot but I'm unsure of the stringers/transom. I understand that I could drill a bunch of holes to see whether or not the core is rotted but I rather not put more holes in. The boat is a 1990 Bayliner Trophy 24ft Hardtop. I was planning on buying a cheap moisture meter and going over the hull to see the weak points before investing too much money/time into the boat. I have seen the moisture meters as cheap as $130 and then they go way up....., someone claims that harbor freight sells one for $50 but I haven't seen it on their website. So, will these cheap ones be able to show me the moisture difference in the rotted areas? Any suggestions on a meter (the cheaper the better)? The boat has been out of the water for over 2 weeks now (it's been a cold/windy/rainy summer in Michigan) and I figure this is the best time to do it. Thanks.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Fiberglass Moisture meters on a budget.....

Someone may well prove me wrong, but I'm pretty sure that the less expensive moisture meters all use conductivity as the means of measuring moisture. For those to work the probes will need to make contact with the material being tested, so you'd still be drilling holes through fiberglass to get to the wood core.

The other type of moisture meter uses capacitance to measure moisture. Those are going to be more expensive.

 

[KewlBird]

Re: Fiberglass Moisture meters on a budget.....

Well, I went ahead and bought one from sears.....It wasn't the cheapest but pretty close. I had $15 in coupons so it ran $127 with shipping and tax. This is what I got http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_03499991000P?keyword=moisture+meter , hopefully it works well. I'll let you know if it's worth the money.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Fiberglass Moisture meters on a budget.....

I think you will find drilling holes and filling them is a much more reliable and way cheaper method. Drilling requires a drill ($20 on the cheap), a 1/4" bit ($1) and a tube of 3M 5200 ($9).

Nobody wants to drill holes into their boat, but if you think you have rot, you are likely not far from rebuilding it anyhow. Drilling a few holes is (at the very least) a good introduction to the mindset you will need to replace sections of your boat. Boats are not mystical objects, they are wood, fiberglass and resin. Drilling a few holes and filling them will not ruin the boat and will not make is less safe or more likely to rot. If you feel better using a moisture meter, cheers, but you will still be drilling and filling holes in the glass, just not the wood. Much difference?

 

[KewlBird]

Re: Fiberglass Moisture meters on a budget.....

If you feel better using a moisture meter, cheers, but you will still be drilling and filling holes in the glass, just not the wood. Much difference?

Why would you drill holes if it's a pinless type meter? I was under impression that pinless doesn't require holes, it's supposed to measure electro-magnetically...

The reason I want the meter is that I can cover a larger area quickly and won't have to rely on my own opinion (is this rot or not?).

 

[lowkee]

Re: Fiberglass Moisture meters on a budget.....

I now understand your reason for buying the meter. In boats there is a unique issue when it comes to moisture, any moisture, anywhere, is bad. The deck will be all bad if any part is bad. There is no patching a deck (see step #1 of my restoration denial steps). The stringers are encased in fiberglass, which means any moisture will rot the entire stringer over time, so if you find moisture anywhere, the entire thing is or will be gone. The same applies to the transom. On my hull, the transom was actually directly connected to the stringer wood, which meant any moisture in the stringer OR the transom meant both were rotting (or would rot soon).

The pinless meter, specifically, is very suseptable to interference from screws and anything metal, so unless you know where the fasteners are, you will see many many false readings. If your deck is perfectly dry, how will you know with so many false readings? I love cool tech toys, and moisture readers are great for the lumber yard (before you buy or use the wood), but once it has been used, I think if you are checking, you likely already know the outcome. Sometimes you just have put the toy down and dig in the old fashioned way.