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Old 05-23-2019, 12:08 AM   #21
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Considering the surveyor didn't know it was non-cored boat, I question anything said.
I'm old and been around boats all my life. There are strong commercial detergents that will remove the diesel smell from wood where it absorbs much deeper than fiberglass. And it may take several soakings. Whether that worth it is up to you.


Another way is to clean the bilge and paint it with Interlux Bilgekote (semi-gloss enamel) or something like it and seal the smell in.






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Old 05-23-2019, 02:38 AM   #22
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Sounds like you haven't found the right boat yet. No worries...you're still young.
Wifey B: I found the right man instead and together we find boats but we do understand them as property, not living beings.

Some of you guys have me wondering if you have sex with your boats and, if so, I sure don't want to know the details, but bet it's illegal in 37 states.
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Old 05-23-2019, 07:26 AM   #23
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Assuming the stringers are in good condition, why is this an issue with a solid core boat? My boat is solid core and the original aluminum fuel tank in the foward bilge had leaked under the previous owners care. Cleanup was not the best and my wife and I gave the bilge thorough scrubbings with detergents (e.g., simple green, Dawn, Joy, etc.). The bilge was painted and it looks new--no diesel smell.
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Old 05-23-2019, 09:48 AM   #24
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Greetings,

I posted the original question.

Thanks for all your replies. This forum is such a great resource to learn and get varied opinions.

I hired and paid the surveyor for his knowledge and experience, but I'm not one to have blind faith in one person's opinion.

So many of you exactly nailed my thought processes, almost like you've had similar thoughts before.

Since I'm new and still trying to gain knowledge and experience, I'll keep looking. As someone said, there are many boats out there that would benefit from TLC. This one needs more than I'm willing to offer, regardless of the purchase price.

Thanks again, Kurt
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Old 05-23-2019, 10:44 AM   #25
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It’s really easy to look at an old Uniflite 42 and think, “wow, this boat has a great reputation, all it needs is some carpet and a paint job and I can buy it really cheap. Every one says dd671’s are built proof, this has to be a good deal”. They never think about the fact that the boat is 40 years old and every component had a design life of 25 years. Then they start to discover that you can’t find replacement parts. From door latches to windows, alternators to cutless bearings, every thing is worn out and a fortune to replace. It’s like playing Russian roulette, can you get 4 years out of it and sell it or is it all going to implode on your watch.
Then, despite 10 people providing sound justification for why one should walk away, enter the one post I picked-up 'xyz' for free from a pole barn, spent 5K and sailed it around the world with no issues".

Typically, people hear what they want to hear. The 10 posts cautioning the person is ignored and the on positive post is the one that is followed as gospel. ("see, I knew it wasn't a big deal").
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Old 05-23-2019, 10:48 AM   #26
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if they left the fuel laying in there like that. i can't imagine how bad the rest of it is. its not a can of worms its a 55 gal drum of worms.
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Old 05-23-2019, 11:22 AM   #27
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Assuming the stringers are in good condition, why is this an issue with a solid core boat? My boat is solid core and the original aluminum fuel tank in the foward bilge had leaked under the previous owners care. Cleanup was not the best and my wife and I gave the bilge thorough scrubbings with detergents (e.g., simple green, Dawn, Joy, etc.). The bilge was painted and it looks new--no diesel smell.
My stringers are full of old screw holes from PO's. My bilge is not gel coated. It is choppered FB, paint long gone in many places. I have no doubt that after 10 years diesel would permeate the FB and smell would linger for years.

A rear seal let go and filled my bilge with ATF. Really obnoxious small. Krud Kutter and a high pressure hose worked but I cleaned it right away. Glad to see the OP decided to walk. There are many boats for sale
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Old 05-23-2019, 01:19 PM   #28
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Wifey B: I found the right man instead and together we find boats but we do understand them as property, not living beings.

Some of you guys have me wondering if you have sex with your boats and, if so, I sure don't want to know the details, but bet it's illegal in 37 states.
I believe it is 39. Didn't a couple states pass laws …….
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Old 05-27-2019, 12:50 PM   #29
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Greetings,



The surveyor took one look at it and said "fiberglass and core saturated, the hull is worthless and not recoverable".


Regards, Kurt
Is the surveyor saying the core is saturated with diesel? If so, I'm afraid he's right, there is no salvaging that. You don't name the brand so it's hard to tell, but most hulls below the WL are not cored, but in the heady fiberglass boat building days of the 70s there were more cored hulls than there are now.

If there's just staining and odor, that can be resolved, I'd use a hot water pressure washer, and then use an epoxy bilge coat.
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Old 05-27-2019, 01:36 PM   #30
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I believe it is 39. Didn't a couple states pass laws …….

Dont tell my boat.........
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Old 07-26-2021, 10:47 AM   #31
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Cored Hull that’s not cored

Just putting it out while Uniflite are known for solid fiberglass hulls they did make a balsa cored Hull in 1984 on the 36’ aft cabin,,,,besides that I think what the surveyor was referring to about the “ core “ being saturated is that Uniflite used a closed cell foam core in there strings so there was no wood to rot…
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Old 07-27-2021, 06:15 AM   #32
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"They never think about the fact that the boat is 40 years old and every component had a design life of 25 years."

A properly built GRP boat probably has a hull life of over 100 years.Many of the cruisers on this forum were not built for long life and are 40+years old, as are their agricultural engines.

The big hull question is simple , does it flex?

If its rock solid , no cracks seen from overloading in the gel coat , it should still have a long way to go.
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Old 07-27-2021, 01:22 PM   #33
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The OP was talking about a 1978 42' Uniflite. This model is built with NO wood below the waterline, the stringers are formed with closed cell foam covered with 8 layers of woven roving, minimum with extra layers added in joints, engine beds and other areas, the entire hull is hand laid glass and closed cell foam with no coring below the waterline. There is nothing to 'absorb' any diesel, the bilges would need a thorough cleaning to get rid of it and that would be hard without removing the aft tank. However the core can't be 'saturated', there is no core that can 'saturate'. The aft center mounted tank was an aluminum tank, mounted in the bilge, about 40 gallons. It's very common for this tank to fail and leak and be removed/disabled as it's an Aux tank and not needed for operation.

I have the structural drawings, layup schedules, lines and hull materials list for this model from the manufacturer.
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Old 07-27-2021, 01:57 PM   #34
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There is nothing intrinsically wrong with fiberglass and fuel. There are many high end boats with fiberglass fuel tanks (Hatteras, Nordhavn, etc). Compared to steel and aluminum fiberglass tanks are bullet proof. If this hull is not cored, this is much ado about nothing.
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Old 07-27-2021, 02:29 PM   #35
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The OP was talking about a 1978 42' Uniflite. This model is built with NO wood below the waterline, the stringers are formed with closed cell foam covered with 8 layers of woven roving, minimum with extra layers added in joints, engine beds and other areas, the entire hull is hand laid glass and closed cell foam with no coring below the waterline. There is nothing to 'absorb' any diesel, the bilges would need a thorough cleaning to get rid of it and that would be hard without removing the aft tank. However the core can't be 'saturated', there is no core that can 'saturate'.
This is all moot as the OP passed on the sale, but...
It's not just about the hull. Any enclosed space full of wood such as teak or mahogany subjected to diesel fumes for 10 years will smell like diesel fumes forever. Not to mention upholstery, headliners, etc.
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Old 07-27-2021, 04:18 PM   #36
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Several years ago, from an estate, there was a 42 GB woodie offered to me for basically no cost. There was plenty to repair. However I was considering it. Then I opened the floor hatches to get into twin screw diesel area. That was it for me. Once in there... I could not even see with eyes watering too hard from the putrid old diesel fuel odor.

Gasoline evaporates and its odor dissipates in not too long a duration. Diesel fuel is not similar.
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Old 07-28-2021, 06:44 AM   #37
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"There is nothing intrinsically wrong with fiberglass and fuel. There are many high end boats with fiberglass fuel tanks (Hatteras, Nordhavn, etc). Compared to steel and aluminum fiberglass tanks are bullet proof. If this hull is not cored, this is much ado about nothing."


This is true today but , in the past many small boats were constructed with built in fuel gas tanks.
Worked fine , BUT Unkle Sam decided ethanol was required in gasoline and the alcohol softened the GRP as well as raised heck with some rubber parts , fuel lines , carb gaskets.


Happily the mandated changes to diesel fuel did not cause as much havoc.
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