delamination

[KNW]

I am looking to purchase my first Cape Dory. The following are taken from comments
by a marine surveyor on one boat. I would like any input as regards these comments, either by email or posting on this board:

Hull, structural: Sound, with the following comments: The bottom has been distorted from the storage cradle supports, with the most prominent being the starboard forward. We see not structural problem.

Water has been weeping from the port side of the rudder. Repairs needed.
Cracking of gel coat near anchor locker should be repaired to prevent further water migration into the core.
Fine crazing of the gel coat on port side near chain plates should be sealed with gluvit or similar product. Problems will likely occur in the core at some time in the future.

A second opinion stated:
"The rudder shows infiltration of water into the rudder area on the port aft center. It is relatively small in area, measuring 6X8 inches. This is very common repair on used boats and consists of drilling drying holes in the fall before a period of dry docking to allow for the core to dry, then sealing - fairing- painting. The joint between the rudder stock and the fiberglass should be cleaned and sealed with 5200."

"The cracks at the anchor locker showed no moisture build-up when checked with moisture meter after a warm dry day. These cracks should be opened up with a Dremel tool, filled with epoxy, and painted with a matching gel coat."

"The area of concern on the port side is limited to an area of 10X20 inches beneath the nonskid portion of the deck in from the forward two chainplates on port side. While this is not visible and the damage is only speculated, it appears there is a pan of end grain Balsa surrounded by solid glass. Water has infiltrated the balsa and delaminated the glass from the balsa. The area shows a continued high moisture reading. Repairs consist of a marina making a small cut through the fiberglass decking, lifting off the delaminated deck, replacing the balsa, and relaminating the deck piece that was removed, and painting the seam."



kwoodlaw@arkansas.net

[Neil Gordon]

As a whole, the comments suggest a thorough survey, but no serious problems, except maybe I don't like the hull distortion. If it's minor and no structural problem, then maybe no big deal. Negotiate a lower price equal to the cost to repair the survey items and you'll have a great boat.


Regards, Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
Cape Dory 28 #167



neil@nrgordon.com

[Tom]

I am looking to purchase my first Cape Dory. The following are taken from comments
by a marine surveyor on one boat. I would like any input as regards these comments, either by email or posting on this board:

Hull, structural: Sound, with the following comments: The bottom has been distorted from the storage cradle supports, with the most prominent being the starboard forward. We see not structural problem.

Water has been weeping from the port side of the rudder. Repairs needed.
Cracking of gel coat near anchor locker should be repaired to prevent further water migration into the core.
Fine crazing of the gel coat on port side near chain plates should be sealed with gluvit or similar product. Problems will likely occur in the core at some time in the future.

A second opinion stated:
"The rudder shows infiltration of water into the rudder area on the port aft center. It is relatively small in area, measuring 6X8 inches. This is very common repair on used boats and consists of drilling drying holes in the fall before a period of dry docking to allow for the core to dry, then sealing - fairing- painting. The joint between the rudder stock and the fiberglass should be cleaned and sealed with 5200."

"The cracks at the anchor locker showed no moisture build-up when checked with moisture meter after a warm dry day. These cracks should be opened up with a Dremel tool, filled with epoxy, and painted with a matching gel coat."

"The area of concern on the port side is limited to an area of 10X20 inches beneath the nonskid portion of the deck in from the forward two chainplates on port side. While this is not visible and the damage is only speculated, it appears there is a pan of end grain Balsa surrounded by solid glass. Water has infiltrated the balsa and delaminated the glass from the balsa. The area shows a continued high moisture reading. Repairs consist of a marina making a small cut through the fiberglass decking, lifting off the delaminated deck, replacing the balsa, and relaminating the deck piece that was removed, and painting the seam."

I agree with Neil that none of these sound like serious problems, however without actually looking at them it's a guess. A minor problem can sound serious if written up that way. There are extensive postings on this bulletin board about gel coat crazing and deck cracks. In general they're common and not serious, but should not be ignored and need to be taken care of so they don't get worse -- look in the archives for more info. I never heard of a marina that repairs decks. Marinas often have boatyards attached to them and boatyards do repair decks, perhaps that's what the writer had in mind. Hull distortion -- are we talking minor deflection or major distortion? It looks like a pretty good survey so if the surveyor thought there was no structural damage that's probably right. When she's back in the water, supported evenly, she may take back her shape if we're talking minor deflection here. These all sound like common conditions on a used boat and wouldn't put me off if I was thinking to buy her and everything else seemed OK, but I wouldn't put off fixing them as they can lead to more serious problems. That's my .02 worth. Good luck!



TacCambria@thegrid.net