Soft spots on Fly Bridge deck.

[kingthrob]

I have a 1973 Marine Trader 34 Sedan and I have some slight soft spots on the upper deck. At this point these are minor as far as I can tell. These have been noted in previous surveys done on the boat so I do not think they are getting worse, but I cannot be sure.
As I get nervous whenever we have people up on the deck (which I am limiting to four at the time). My wife loves entertaining up there, so I do not want to stop using it if possible. I am thinking of putting on a floating floor on the deck to disburse the weight. My idea is to lay some teak or bamboo wood shower mats resting on 4 x 1 pressure treated boards the length and width of the deck to disburse the weight.
Am I crazy? Would this possibly work? I know the remedy is to fix the soft spots but at this point that is monetarily out of the question for now.
Another question I have is what if anything should I put under the 1x4s as they will be lying directly on the deck. The mats will be resting on those.

 

[jleonard]

I won't advise you how to do a "work around" on this.
The only remedy is to fix the decks properly.
it will get worse and be harder to repair.
If you plan on putting off the repairs use the deck as is.

 

[koliver]

I have a 1973 Marine Trader 34 Sedan and I have some slight soft spots on the upper deck. At this point these are minor as far as I can tell. These have been noted in previous surveys done on the boat so I do not think they are getting worse, but I cannot be sure.

My insurer wants a survey every 7 years. Yours?
If noted in 1, 7 years have passed, 2, 14, etc. If there is no change over even one survey period, there doesn't seem to be sufficient progression of the softness to indicate that it is moving towards panic stations. You suggest a fairly significant temporary fix. I would suggest getting a professional opinion, and while doing so, make sure the pro is aware of exactly how old the previous surveys are and how close those survey observations are to the present evidence. Then you can decide what needs to be done.

 

[MYTraveler]

Fry Bridge

If it has a "Fry Bridge", I am guessing it was made in china?

 

[kingthrob]

Yes it was made in Taiwan.

 

[kingthrob]

I do not think the soft spots have progressed much over the years. The oldest survey I have is from 2008, then 2015, 2018 and I had one done December 2020 when I purchased the boat. All mentioned the soft spots but was something to be watched and were not critical.

The last Surveyor mentioned the soft spots as he had also done the previous survey and said it was not a problem but should be watched.

To be clear about what I am asking about. This really not a "fix" as nothing will be changed, drilled or permanently mounted to the existing structure. I simply want to lay some 1x4 boards fore and aft and side to side with a way for water to drain so it does not sit and then lay about 10 PRE-MADE Bamboo Shower Mats on those boards in the hopes that the weight is disbursed versus people stepping and standing on the soft spots so they do not get worse.

The next time the boat is at the yard I will have these looked at. I think this is a low cost and low weight remedy to my worry of having people on the deck. I do limit the number to four as it is now.

 

[Zoar]

I think a floating deck to disburse the weight is a stellar idea. As long as you don't drill into the existing fiber glass.

I would also discourage jumping and crazy dancing ups there. Slow dancing okay.

 

[kingthrob]

If I do this I have no plans on doing any drilling or modifications. Although cutting out the fiberglass and replacing the core is something I plan on having done in the future if needed, I don’t think I have the skills at this point.

 

[Benthic2]

I wonder how effective it would be to drill a bunch of holes at a steep angle and fill with a really thin, slow curing epoxy. Would it spread and harden enough to provide reinforcement ?

 

[alormaria]

Your plan seems sound.

Drill a small hole and see what the drill bit brings up. The softness might just be delamination rather than rot. If so just pump it full of epoxy.

Or if it is rot, go ahead and pump it full of "Git Rot".
If it weren't for "Git Rot" I'd have no boat at all.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I seriously doubt that even a heavy 250 pound guy would break through a soft spot. Even dancing on one foot.

It really should be repared but until you have the funds, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

pete

 

[sailormike]

I basically had the same thing happen on our aft fly bridge. Upon investigation it was delamination. I mixed up west epoxy and filled it hard as a rock now

 

[FF]

Soft spots have a cause , usually things fastened to the deck that have not been rebedded often enough .

The rot will never simply go away , but you might be able to keep it from spreading.