Bow Moisture

[Golfman25]

So it took me a while, but I finally got the bow roller off. What a PIA. No clue how I'll get it back on, but that can wait until April. Reason for removal was to rebed it.

Anyway, it looks like a previous owner used it to tie off the anchor as the screws were bent and you can see the stress cracks. It is also clear that Sea Ray didn't seal the core as there is a bit of moisture that found its way in. The area is still solid and not dripping, just a bit moist. So it's going to dry over the winter -- inside, heated storage. My question is, would you consider drilling a few more holes to help the core dry out and then fill in with epoxy? It will all be covered up when I replace the anchor roller, so cosmetics aren't an issue. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

 

[Strecker25]

Looks like the readings start dropping pretty quick as you go aft?how far do you have to get away from that area before the readings stabilize to match the rest of the deck?

The core likely won’t dry on its own over the course of a winter , even with some extra holes. If you’re comfortable with glass matt and epoxy I’d cut the skin off the area directly under where the roller will cover it up and get a real good look at the wood. From there you could cut the wood out there and laminate in some new of you found some rot, and also dig a bit more into the core with a chisel until you reach dry core.

All that said, I think most boats have a bit of high moisture in that area. If you’re not looking for a project I’d leave it open until the spring and put everything back together before it goes back in the water.

 

[Little Ducky]

Can you get into your anchor locker and look up to get a better look at the wood?

 

[Golfman25]

Can you get into your anchor locker and look up to get a better look at the wood?

If I could, it’s all fiberglass and gelcoat. I poked around the holes and the wood is pretty good. I wouldn’t even call it wet — just damp. (I had bad wood on my last boat — this isn’t even close).

 

[Golfman25]

Looks like the readings start dropping pretty quick as you go aft?how far do you have to get away from that area before the readings stabilize to match the rest of the deck?

The core likely won’t dry on its own over the course of a winter , even with some extra holes. If you’re comfortable with glass matt and epoxy I’d cut the skin off the area directly under where the roller will cover it up and get a real good look at the wood. From there you could cut the wood out there and laminate in some new of you found some rot, and also dig a bit more into the core with a chisel until you reach dry core.

All that said, I think most boats have a bit of high moisture in that area. If you’re not looking for a project I’d leave it open until the spring and put everything back together before it goes back in the water.

Not sure i want that big of a project — been there, done that. It’s all still solid. Just really want to dry as best as possible and put it back together in the spring.

 

[Strecker25]

I hear you. I’d leave it open as is for as long as possible and put it all back together in the spring

 

[rumrunner]

You should drill out the attachment holes... make them oversize and fill with West Epoxy Resin then re-drill to size. This will permanently seal the holes and prevent any more moisture from entering.

 

[Mig22]

Another option would be heating the area with a heat gun letting it cool back to ambient temperatures will help sweat some of it out. Repeat over a couple days while you have it partially apart and then you can decide if there’s a need for additional holes or opening up further or reassemble.

 

[OllieC]

Can you core some of it out? I had a similar issue on the swim platform. I took an allen wrench, attached it to a cordless drill to spin it and pulled out as much wet wood as possible. The I filled it with six10 after letting it sit.

 

[Golfman25]

You should drill out the attachment holes... make them oversize and fill with West Epoxy Resin then re-drill to size. This will permanently seal the holes and prevent any more moisture from entering.

Yeah, that's the plan to put back together. Stop the intrusion permanently.

 

[Golfman25]

Another option would be heating the area with a heat gun letting it cool back to ambient temperatures will help sweat some of it out. Repeat over a couple days while you have it partially apart and then you can decide if there’s a need for additional holes or opening up further or reassemble.

I'll probably do a little bit of that too. May put a heat lamp on in while I'm there doing other things this winter.

 

[Golfman25]

Can you core some of it out? I had a similar issue on the swim platform. I took an allen wrench, attached it to a cordless drill to spin it and pulled out as much wet wood as possible. The I filled it with six10 after letting it sit.

It's pretty solid -- probably break my wrists. But I will seal it up with epoxy real good before I put it all back together.