pearson 424 coach roof flex

[jdinafrica]

I am looking at buying a sloop rigged pearson 424 . When I first looked at the boat I noticed that there was some slight flexing when I walked on the cabin roof just aft of the mast. I asked the owner about this and he said that this is his second 424 and the first had the same flexing.

I then proceeded to get a survey and noted to the surveyor to take special note of the flex on the roof. He did find that it flexed but found no water in the core or any voids. He did not seem to think it was a big problem.

This past weekend one of the few P424's in the Pacific NW came to my small Island and was invited aboard. I walked on his roof and found no signs of this flexing that I found on the one I am looking at. Hiswas a ketch rig but was otherwise the identical boat.

Should I be overly concerned? Should I get some more testing done on the deck? any thoughts would be apprecieated.

JD

[sailingdog]

It could just be a difference in the slight structural changes that occur between a ketch rigged boat and a sloop rigged boat. You're not really comparing apples to apples so to speak. If the surveyor found that there was no water in the core, no voids and no delamination, it probably isn't a big problem. However, that said, it is one that you might want to address, should you buy the boat... since flexing is not good for the deck.

[jdinafrica]

In what way would this be addressed. Is there a fix for this?

JD

[sailingdog]

You could add a beam across the deck underneath, you could add extra layers of glass to the deck in that area, you could add stringers under the cabintop... just to name a few ways to stiffen or reinforce a deck.