Quote:
Originally Posted by Dixie Life
In need of advice. Ran across a boat for sale I like. After investigating found out it has leaks that got into the cored hull above the waterline. This info came from people in the harbor. I really like the boat and need some advice on how big of a problem this may be. Could I find and stop the leaks and repair the damage? Or is a cored hull boat just not worth the trouble. Don't need to get in the weeds with a lot of details, just some opinions on leaking cored hulls.
Thanks
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Cored decks, cabin and hull above the WL are very common, essentially most FRP vessels are built this way. Many lighter planing vessels also core below the WL. The latter is by no means a deal killer, but buyers need to be wary of potential water intrusion, which can occur in any of these locations, and especially below the WL for obvious reasons, water is entering the core under pressure rather than simply leaking in (it can also enter from the bilges). In many cases water intrusion is the result of after market installations, antennas on deck, transducers below the WL (several years ago I encountered a 26 foot planing vessel, 4 years old, wherein virtually the entire bottom was "wet", the result of an improperly installed transducer on the transom, making the vessel all but un-sellable)
Under no circumstances should caulk be the sole barrier between water and core. Caulk's life is finite and when it fails you have no way of knowing, so a water path to core that relies on caulk is only a delayed certainty for wet core. All core penetrations, above and below the WL, should be properly and permanently closed out.
Also, many surveyors do not use moisture meters because they do not trust the results, and that's a good thing. Moisture meters should only be used by those who know how to use them and are able to interpret the results. For instance, a moisture meter will read a block of ice as dry, and a sheet of metal as wet. I carry two with me on every FRP vessel inspection. More on moisture meters here
https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/p...-construction/
This article delves into the subject of cored composite construction in detail
https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/c...deck-hardware/
The subject is also covers moisture meters and wet core starting on page 109
http://stevedmarineconsulting.com/wp...ing-With-1.pdf