Rotten Foredeck

[RonNP]

Friend of mine is looking at 53 Hatteras MY with a rotten foredeck that has been surveyed as structurally unsound. Boat also has diesel fuel pooling on top of the fiberglass tanks. I've told him to walk away but he still thinks it is a good deal. I'm thinking maybe 100 boat bucks to fix both issues. Thoughts?

 

[oscarvan]

Friend of mine is looking at 53 Hatteras MY with a rotten foredeck that has been surveyed as structurally unsound. Boat also has diesel fuel pooling on top of the fiberglass tanks. I've told him to walk away but he still thinks it is a good deal. I'm thinking maybe 100 boat bucks to fix both issues. Thoughts?

Estimating repair costs without in depth investigation is dangerous business. It is always worse than you thought.

 

[SEVEN]

The core will be the easier of the two. Cracks in the fuel tanks can be tricky unless you can see the split.

 

[Captain Ralph]

Fuel on tank tops.
Bad fuel hose clamp, Hose, loose fitting and many other ideas come to mind before I would state a Hatt fuel tank has an issue. Possible but highly un-likley (still looking for that flying pig)..
And I don't like Hatteras's (Old Bertram owner).

Structurally un-sound deck? That would take a lot to convince me of that also.
Call in a real surveyor.

 

[Cricket]

In addition to what Ralph posted about the tanks with fuel laying on the top, could be bad/rotten gaskets under the bronze/brass plates for supply/return/vents/gauge and fill hose.
The Hatteras fuel tanks are pretty indestructible, if there's an issue its usually in the seam/joint where the top/lid connects with the rest of the tank. Of course these issues do not include forced errors.....

The balsa may be gone but I doubt very much you could fall through the deck.

 

[Pascal]

I doubt the tanks are leaking. I d check if it s not a fill hose issue. How much fuel is in the tanks? Unless they re full I don’t see how fuel would end up on top.

As to the deck, nobody is going to fall thru but it is a structural issue. A cored deck needs the core for strength. No core left and all you have is two flappy skins. Depending on how big the area is, it could be easy to fix or not so easy ...

 

[Retired1]

Friend of mine is looking at 53 Hatteras MY with a rotten foredeck that has been surveyed as structurally unsound. Boat also has diesel fuel pooling on top of the fiberglass tanks. I've told him to walk away but he still thinks it is a good deal. I'm thinking maybe 100 boat bucks to fix both issues. Thoughts?

Is it possible that this vessel was banged around in a hurricane at some point? I remember after Andrew, there were several Hatteras’s piled up on Bayshore Dr., and others at the end of canals after taking out every dock and boat in the way.Kinda weird to see old Hatt’s having the same issues as old Bayliners. Getting old sucks.

 

[Pascal]

Rotted core is rarely caused by banging or hurricane damage but always caused by water intrusion rotting through core. You need to remember that on the older boats, fiberglass and coring was pretty new technology so builders didn’t have a lot of experience sealing cored deck. Nowadays everybody understand that you should not rely on sealant to seal screws and bolts. Nowadays Nobody would bolt deck boxes or cleats directly thru core but instead you would have a section of solid glass around the area.

Of course when it comes to the top deck Hatteras it no new heights by screwing the FB assembly using 2000 screws...

 

[Bob Bradley]

I dont think that tanks typically leak upward. They would have to be filled to the top and have a crack and be in rough seas to leak upward. A pool of diesel underneath the tanks would be a much bigger concern. The foredeck probably started under the pulpit due to the windlass being installed without proper bedding. Its possible that rainwater managed to seep under the pulpit and down the bolts from the windlass if indeed it was properly bedded.

 

[whoover]

I just finished my rotten core replacement in the bow. Bad windlass and pulpit install by a previous owner. It still had a lot of strength even wet, the upper and lower skins are 1/4" thick. I did all the work myself, cost of materials was one boat buck for 15 square feet. I also did it the hard way from underneath. Even though my fore deck needs to be painted I could not bear cutting into it.

Walt Hoover

 

[jim rosenthal]

Sounds like he ought to keep looking, and find another boat.

 

[Captain Ralph]

Sounds like he ought to keep looking, and find another boat.

Ah, er, oh, eee.
If it's a good boat and the price is adjusted for the repairs, he may get a bargain.
As we have been trying to say, these items may not be that bad or reality at all.
A real surveyor may need to get involved and jobs estimated.

If we could see the selling ad, Our thoughts could get closer to reality.

 

[RonNP]

https://deltamarinesales.com/boats-for-sale/53-hatteras-1977-yacht-fisherman/

Here is the listing
The survey that was done in 2016 states the vessel is "unsound" due to rot in the foredeck.

 

[RonNP]

 

[Retired1]

https://deltamarinesales.com/boats-for-sale/53-hatteras-1977-yacht-fisherman/Here is the listingThe survey that was done in 2016 states the vessel is "unsound" due to rot in the foredeck.

It doesn’t rain much there in the Delta does it, so if being used as a cruiser/liveaboard there, what difference does it matter?

 

[RonNP]

It rains a lot during the rainy season. Southern Cal gets all of their water from Nor Cal.

 

[Scarlett]

I am a surveyor and I find it hard to understand how he can say the boat is unsound in one sentence then say it is in very good condition in the valuation section. Seems like it has to be one or the other

 

[Avenger]

Maybe it's semantics, but what would we consider a deck with a failed core? The deck was designed and built as a cored, laminated structure. Do we consider a spongy deck to be "sound?"

 

[dottieshusband]

Like others have mentioned, and I have experienced. The diesel fill lines do wear out. Mine cracked at the bend where they turned under the aft guest stateroom floor. They were pretty easy to replace, but caulked in with what I assume was 5200. Digging it out was the hard part. Access was behind the closet. Haven't had the pleasure of repairing soft deck yet. If your friend is not a pretty advanced DIY'r with time on his hands, tell him to Run Forest Run.