Deck rot, or not?

[jhack82]

Hello,
I contacted the surveyor this morning, he did not know about the dry wood chips, and he was very surprised and wanted to see the boat again, especially since the hole is currently only taped over. I will let you all know what he says when he gets back to me with what he finds. Thank you all for the perspectives, it has been very helpful, makes feel a bit justified for questioning he surveyor in this situation.

Regards,
Jordan

[christmasisland]

Some great advice and insight here:

Don Robertson's Marine Marketplace - The Use & Misuse of Moisture Meters

It's been said earlier ... if it was dry when you drilled it then it's dry.

If the surveyor is really concerned he could drill a few test holes just to the top of the core and use a probe to take additional readings. Repairing them is easy making them pretty ain't.

[Sailormann]

I don't trust moisture meters much, but I also know that it is possible to get dry core about a 1/2 inch away from rotten core...

The owner's reaction doesn't carry any weight here - he's trying to sell the boat and may or may not be honestly surprised.

The surveyor doesn't sound too bright either. Is he accredited. I hope you didn't mslecet the surveyor based on cost - this is the worst possible way to save moiney.

Because you state that you are not particularly experienced my advvice to you would be to keep looking. There are too many good boats on the market right now to end up getting stuck with a dud. As a matter of fact, there is an excellent likelihood that the deals in December will be so iuncrediuble that you'll kick yourself for buying anything right now.

Good Luck !

[countdemonet]

I agree with Gary M's advice. Get another surveyor who would focus on that one issue for a small fee.

I just went through this with an excellent surveyor, found some moisture and through soundings, some rot beneath stanchion bases. Got a repair quote and negotiated the sell price down by a like amount.

It's worth the effort if you like the boat.

[mikehoyt]

Sounds like you are satisfied with survey of all but deck.

Get the deck resurveyed by second surveyor or same surveyor with working equipment and an understanding of your concerns.

The hammer did make a different sound indicating something and two seperate moisture meters indicated some level of moisture in similar areas.

Also get a quote on repairing the two affected areas so thatyou are forewarned prior to making an offer. You can lower offer by a matching amount and it will cost you nothing to fix a problem on a boat you want.

As to the pilot hole - yes I have also seen bone dry core two inches from very wet core. Also - 15-25 are varying levels of wetness which seems to indicate some areas with more saturation than others verifying the thought that it could be dry here and wet there.

Regardless - this should not be a deal breaker.

Good luck

Mike
Nut Case
J27 #150

[jhack82]

Hello, thank you all for your advice. I got another surveyor to come and look at the deck first for a fee, and finish the survey if the deck was good. He looked over the entire deck, and right near the mast, where the previous owner re-embedded the mast post with a significantly larger compression post and a metal plate next to the deck, he got 18% right near the mast and 15% across the rest of the deck. he was beaffled by the fact another surveyor called the entire deck wet. we finished tthe survey and i pick up the boat on the 11th. thank you all very much for the advice. My feeling is the previous surveyor was used to new boats, not good old boats. again,thank you for the help and advice.

Regards,
Jordan Hackney