Advice - Steel in cabin top?

[jeffg]

Hi,
Last year I had a leak into my cabin on my 1986 Chien Hwa built Senator 35. I found the entry point on the bridge deck to be and large chip out of the fiberglass under the port side seat. I caulked the opening and was preparing to glass over it this season.
However, when I unwrapped the boat from the winter I found dripping rusty water from the back edge of the cabin top and several open cracks in the gel coat along the back edge of the cabin top.
I think the water that entered the cabin top had seeped into the core of the cabin top and during the winter storage has settled near the rear of cabin top. During the freezing weather it expanded and caused the cracking. But I am concerned about the rusty water.
According to the log book the boat had been worked on to remove steel ballast from the keel about 20 years ago. Do you think the Taiwanese may have used steel as re-enforcements in the cabin top under the fiberglass?
If not, where would the rusty water be coming from?
Any advice and opinions are appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. j. Nope. NOT rust. I'm guessing it's "rot water". Thin brown goop that forms as a result of the deck core rotting. A few freeze and thaws, gelcoat cracks more water gets in, rot proliferates and on and on until the goop starts seeping out through above mentioned crack(s).


Opinion? Time to get out the grinder/Dremel tool and do some exploratory surgery.

 

[rgano]

Greetings,
Mr. j. Nope. NOT rust. I'm guessing it's "rot water". Thin brown goop that forms as a result of the deck core rotting. A few freeze and thaws, gelcoat cracks more water gets in, rot proliferates and on and on until the goop starts seeping out through above mentioned crack(s).


Opinion? Time to get out the grinder/Dremel tool and do some exploratory surgery.

Have seen this rot water too.

 

[Datenight]

Have seen this rot water too.

Sorry to say I have seen the same thing too many times.

Rob

 

[C lectric]

I've not had to deal with but I too have seen it. It is as said not rust but rotting wood.

 

[BruceK]

"Teak tea" I`ve heard it called. Get in there and you`ll likely find soft brown mush, like wet "Weet Bix", a popular healthy breakfast cereal, after milk is added.

 

[Comodave]

They are all correct. Wet core turned to mush.

 

[jeffg]

Thank you all for the advice. I will start my investigation this weekend. I guess a drill and few holes to see where the damaged core is to start and then a major gutting of the area to repair the damage.
Fun and games.
Thanks,

 

[FF]

"They are all correct. Wet core turned to mush."

But, some cores are not structural, they were simply to lay GRP over to create a stiffened panel .

No need to do anything but seal out the water leak.