SR4 construction

[popeyethesailor]

Does any one know what the construction of the deck is ?
Just fibreglass or is there ply with fibreglass on top ?
Only I have just removed some screws from the deck and as I move about on the boat water is seeping out of the holes! If it is ply I am a little concerned it is saturated under Neath !

[doggypaddle]

Its usually Ply.
Water coming out of the holes is indeed cause for concern.

[hamster]

Ply with grp laminate on too and bottom. Each layer about 3-4mm thick. Assuming boat is ashore when your drilling there's water in the laminate if it comes out when you drill holes.


RYA Instructor, Trainer, Examiner and Skipper

[hamster]

Looking where you've drilled those holes they are roughly where the buoyancy chambers under the deck are. They shouldn't have water in them unless they are damaged if have been drilled for some reason.


RYA Instructor, Trainer, Examiner and Skipper

[popeyethesailor]

The holes are where a battery box used to be fitted which I have relocated to under the seat,
My concern is the previous owner said that last year rain got in under the cover and filled the boat, now these screws did not have any sealant around them so water would have penetrated over time!
When you say buoyancy chambers is that the two rectangle sections I can see when looking through the hole in the transom of the flooding hull?
I thought they where 4x2 timber to strengthen under the deck?

[hamster]

See attached photo which shows the buoyancy chambers. If they've drilled the deck above these to secure the battery down with out sealing the holes chances are they are full of water if the deck has been sat full of water for any period of time. Draining them won't be a simple task. Will inevitably involve drilling a hole somewhere and resealing later.
Does the boat sit low in the water at the stern?
Unless they changed construction in later boats there's no reinforcement under the deck apart from these two chambers providing some structural strength. To be honest the deck is that narrow it doesn't need any reinforcement. When I rednecked my boat I blocked the flooding hull so didn't need the buoyancy chambers so I had space to fit some stringers etc under the deck. See here http://www.rib.net/forum/f16/searide...ect-41799.html





RYA Instructor, Trainer, Examiner and Skipper

[popeyethesailor]

That's great thanks for posting that pic it all makes sence now!
I think I need to drill two 3 inch holes in the deck under the jockey console to see what's going on in there at least I can use these as inspection chambers in the future...
Still slightly concerning is that one hole in the deck where water is coming from has no chamber underneath!
The deck does feel solid to walk on and last year I don't recall the boat sitting low,
Best get my drill out tonight :-(

[popeyethesailor]

Oh also even where the jockey console is fixed with 2 inch screws I cannot see that they have sealed these! Think I will fill the screw hole with silicone before fitting the screw

[willk]

Originally Posted by hamster

When I rednecked my boat I blocked the flooding hull so didn't need the buoyancy chambers so I had space to fit some stringers etc under the deck. See here:

Spillchucker strikes again

[popeyethesailor]

Ok so two holes in my deck over the buoyancy chambers reveals one side is wet!
Now the ply does still feel very strong to me, my problem is how to dry the stuff out!!! First step is to scrape out as much foam as I can I suppose we will see what happens

[hamster]

If you can get at it from the flooding hole on the transom, drill a 12mm hole, let the water drain out then fill the hole with gelcoat or epoxy filler.

[popeyethesailor]

It's not too bad in there problem is drying out the ply that is sandwiched
Between two layers of fibreglass
I guess it will never dry out!
I come across the same problem at work bloody water will get in the tiniest of gaps!!

[C-NUMB]

Plywood might dry through its own layers so if the wet area is not huge, you might get away by drilling some 100 mm holes through the GRP of the deck sandwich, only exposing plywood, not trough the plywood. Giving additional heat the wood will dry faster, but time it will take anyway. By using a 100 mm plywood pattern, one can remove the small guide drill avoiding not to drill through the deck.