Soft Deck Repair Cost

I have a friend looking at a used boat. Survey says one foot square soft spot in deck near hatch. I haven’t seen the boat yet but am assuming the hatch seal failed. I am no stranger to fiberglass and core work. However, I am curious what a yard might charge to pull headliner down, cut open inner layer (ceiling), replace core section, glass back up and reinstall headliner.

What would be a reasonable Price reduction for him to negotiate? The more input here the better. Thank you.

Riptide III said:

I have a friend looking at a used boat. Survey says one foot square soft spot in deck near hatch. I haven’t seen the boat yet but am assuming the hatch seal failed. I am no stranger to fiberglass and core work. However, I am curious what a yard might charge to pull headliner down, cut open inner layer (ceiling), replace core section, glass back up and reinstall headliner.

What would be a reasonable Price reduction for him to negotiate? The more input here the better. Thank you.

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Ugh, let me guess, 99-2002 340 Da?

So I was looking at that year 340. Guy had it repaired. It was a fairly large spot. I think he said $4000 or $6000. But here was the kicker. They did it from the outside. They took down the difficult to match pointed non-skid and replaced with more old school non-skid. Could not tell at all, if you didn’t pick up on the non-skid change.

Tearing apart the interior gets expensive.

techmitch said:

Ugh, let me guess, 99-2002 340 Da?

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No 400 sundancer

That repair is far easier if you can do it from the outside because cutting, grinding and sanding fiberglass in the cabin will trash the interior if you don't spend days masking and draping the interior with poly sheeting after you remove and safely store all the removable cushions, pillows, bedding, etc. Cutting out a square foot of skin and recording it the area is pretty simple and goes quickly.

Most professionals prefer to open the soft spot and repair it from the outside because of the above. On a 400, the deck usually has the nonskid areas bordered by plain non-textured gelcoat. If you are lucky and the soft area is closely bordered by the plain gelcoat areas, the repair gets a lot simpler because you can scribe lines in the plain areas then saw on the lines to remove the needed area of outer skin. Reglassing that area back in place is as simple as glassing some tabs under the cut edged then just laying the removed skin back in place. The trick with this method is to almost surgically remove and replace the top skin so you don't disturb the non-skid gelcoat finish.

Also, the leak most likely occurred when the silicone bedding failed, not the gasket, so that should be addressed during the repair process.

Based on what we see on the Gulf Coast, the cost depends upon how you handle, preserve/replace the non-skid gelcoat. Expect to spend $2500 to $7500.

Finding a leaking deck is a sign of "deferred maintenance". If the previous owner failed to maintain the deck hatch bedding either from a lack of knowledge or from neglect, it worries me some that this may not be the only area of deferred or neglected maintenance. So,.......is th is the rightr boat for your friend?