# Are Deck Soft Spots Really That Bad?



## cdsnyder83 (Jun 25, 2015)

Hey Everyone, I'd like to get some of your opinions. I'm considering purchasing a 1974 32' Ericson but it has some deck issues. I have been looking for a boat for a while now to replace my Catalina 27' and this is exactly what I have been searching for, the price is great too. 

The deck area around the mast step was soft at one point and to fix it the owner drilled some holes in that area and filled it with epoxy. The rest of the deck feels solid except for a small (approximately a 6" x 6" area) on the foredeck. How bad is this really? The mast step concerns me, but it sounds like he has sailed it this way for years. The chain plates are solid and everything else looks good on the boat. 

I'd like to get a year or two of sailing out of it before having to tear into the decks to do the recore (I'm a maintenance nut, I like everything right even if it functions well enough). What are your thoughts on the mast step though? How serious is it despite it feeling totally solid now?

Thanks for any input you can give me!


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## Turnin Turtle (Jun 25, 2016)

What soft spots are is a direct indicator of a serious problem. Wood rot. They can be early indication of the issue just starting or they may be the first sign you notice of a severe structural problem.

If there is any doubt about the condition of the mast step you need to investigate and repair it. The mast collapsing can breach the hull and like a falling tree it could land on someone, injuring or killing them. A boat with a large hole in the hull and an injured (or dead) person on board is not a situation you want to be part of.

Some boats the deck always shows issues before the main structure of the hull. Some the deck is the last part to start rotting. Most fall somewhere in between. 

You say you see issues with the deck that have been worked on, plus issues that have not been repaired plus you suspect your mast step. 
This does not sound good. It sounds like a hull that either needs immediate major repair before its beyond reason to fix it or its time for disposal because its already too late.

I would not even consider buying the boat.


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## Cap-Couillon (Jan 2, 2013)

Soft decks are usually caused by water intrusion rotting the deck core. For small areas, the repair is not drastic, but until you repair and fix the deck leak, it's only gonna get worse (read larger) The poured epoxy is a quick and dirty fix but assuming a deck stepped mast with a solid bulkhead / bridge-beam / compression post for support it should be ok for a while (?) 

Would not be a deal breaker for me, but I would be looking at doing a proper repair sooner rather than later. 

This advice is worth just what you paid for it... Your mileage may vary


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## Lazerbrains (Oct 25, 2015)

My advice? Keep looking. There are plenty of boats out there without these issues.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

cdsnyder83 said:


> ....(I'm a maintenance nut, I like everything right even if it functions well enough)....


Then why would you buy a boat with known core penetration? Especially, if it wasn't going to be properly repaired first.


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

If the deck under mast step was properly repaired and the compression support structure in the cabin is rock solid, that would be fine by me. A 6"x6" area of the foredeck is likely a 2'x2' repair job but can be done without too much problem. Make sure all deck hardware is bedded properly.


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Lots of factors involved in determining your tolerance for these type of issues. 

What are your sailing plans for the boat? 
Inland lakes? Great Lakes? Coastal cruising? 
How good is the price (Remember - Sometimes there's nothing more expensive than a cheap boat!)? 
Can you do the repairs yourself? 
Is the mast deck stepped? 
Has the water intrusion been stopped (rebedded hardware, etc.)? 
Do you care about resale value? 

I don't believe a wet deck is automatically a deal killer, given your answers to some of the above questions. In my experience, there are MANY boats (even newer boats) with water leaks and wet core.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Out of the 5, one of the boats we bought showed water intrusion in an enclosed keel. We had a great surveyor, and worked with an experienced yard. We established what was wrong, and figured out what it would cost to fix. We worked out a deal with the seller to cover the cost of repair.

IF you have good advice and/or are highly experienced in FG and core repair, you really know that this is the full extent of the damage, you can get the right amount of price relief to make the repair worth it, you cost out the repair done right...anotherwords, if you do your due diligence, I wouldn't hesitate to do a deal on a boat with some small water intrusion problems on deck or below the waterline. By doing this you might just get yourself a deal, where others would be hesitant. 

BUT, short of these steps I'd run away. Unless you are a FG expert, that means a great vetted surveyor, and a yard/FG repair buy with an excellent reputation.

Good luck...I had a friend who owned one of those, nice boat.


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## cdsnyder83 (Jun 25, 2015)

Thank you for the replies! That gives me a lot to think about and ponder. Perhaps I will keep looking and find a better option out there to buy.


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## sambrody24 (Mar 23, 2018)

This answer across these boards is driving me nuts, if your price range for a 28' + boat is under $10,000 you are looking at boats age ranged between 65 - 82ish tops, especially if you are looking outside of something like an O'day or Catalina. 

90% of the boats I have run across in that age range have those issues, they all have gel coat cracks at some point. You just need to be honest with yourself and say "self, I am going to need to take care of that eventually" but not all of us have $50k plus to spend on a boat built after millennials were born.


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

cdsnyder83 said:


> The deck area around the mast step was soft at one point and to fix it the owner drilled some holes in that area and filled it with epoxy.


That is not a fix, it's a hail mary patch. If the core was that soft then it was decayed. Epoxy will not stick to compost. All you have is a free floating blob of epoxy that contributes nothing to the strength of the structure.


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## sambrody24 (Mar 23, 2018)

Have you looked into injectadeck, although they do warn not to use it on the transom since it is a structural component, but it will stick and bond to moist wood


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## boatpoker (Jul 21, 2008)

sambrody24 said:


> Have you looked into injectadeck, although they do warn not to use it on the transom since it is a structural component, but it will stick and bond to moist wood


Surely you also consider the area under the mast step "structural".


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## SeaStar58 (Feb 14, 2018)

We get these boats in this condition donated to the center too regularly. Just a small core issue by a loose stantion, etc and nothing major is usually the claim however once you start digging into it you may find it crept a lot further than you were told. 6X6 readily apparent damage indicates a huge level of neglect and if that area was neglected then how many others are there that are not noticeable yet. A thorough critical inspection will be required to determine if the boat can be made truly safe but that will cost you. 

Too many times folks buy boats with issues like this and find them too costly to repair correctly so they add their own band aid and try to pass the problem on to someone else. Eventually some end up getting rid of their albatross by donating it since they can't justify the fee to have it disposed of nor can they justify the dock fees, storage charges, etc.


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

The core under a mast is almost always plywood to take the compression loading. The bad thing about plywood is that a leak wicks along the grain of the wood spreading rot over a large area if the initial intrusion point isn't sealed. Injecting thickened epoxy will stiffen up a spongy deck and is a suitable fix in non point loaded structural areas AFTER the leak has been cured. For a mast step, you are talking a serious structural area and would hesitate to go with epoxy injection as a repair.


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