Epoxy injected deck prognosis

[Harris]

Looked at a nice exampel fo an alberg kittiwake the other day. Close inspection revealed tha the coachroof had nummerous 3/8 inch oles that had been filed. The whole boat has been repainted. there is also moderate crazing seen under the paint. I'm assuming tha the boat had a soft deck problem and that the core was dried and epoxy was injected. Based on the fact that the repair was done more than 4 years ago ( the current owner isnt aware of it) and the deck is firm.......is it safe to assume that the deck will hold up? As the current owner only daysailed on the river......could stressing the boat offshore cause the deck to have problems again? Ive read about the cures on this board.....just never heard about the long term results.



hg@myhost.com

[Ken Cave]

I bet that the owner really knows what has happened to the boat-and that is why he had it painted!! Question I have is where exactly was this filled? If it is around the mast area-this could spell trouble!!

I would look elsewhere for your boat as this raises a lot of questions!

I have not seen a boat that has done this proceedure that has worked out. Even the brochures for these products state that you must dry out the wood before injecting the epoxy. Now how can you do that with tiny holes-and the wood saturated with water!??!

Ken Cave



bcave@whidbey.net

[Andy Denmark]

Ken is correct. This is not a satisfactory way to fix saturated core laminate. The resin fills the air spaces and the "fix" seems okay at first but this is merely temporary. Time and a bit of stress and the problem is right back.

Andy Denmark



trekker@coastalnet.com

[Harris]

Thanks. I didnt address the problem with the owner as I didnt notice it then. I went back with an experience freind and went over the boat more thoroughly. the coachroof which includes the mast step is the evident area.The deck might have been resurfaced.....hiding the plugs. I did suspect that one good session offshore would could further damage the deck. I'm betting that the owner doesnt know about the fix as he wouldnt have spent the time and $ updating and upgrading this boat if he had known. My other suspect area is the wood decking put down in the cockpit seating surfaces. Looks great....once saw it on a CD25.....but I think it's also a quick fix.



hg@myhost.com