5 posts
Ok so I've moved on from the Roberts and now looking at Gazelle. I'm not sure if they were widely sold in Australia although I know they were marketed there.
I looked at one yesterday which was surprisingly smart in the internet add.... and surprisingly rough in the flesh.
One key issue was that the deck was spongy in places. It seems that the fibreglass has delaminated from the ply underneath. (It actually didn't look like ply... more like tempered hardboard but hard to tell since it was carpeted over) In one place on the foredeck the ply still seems solid underneath but over the cabin the ply seems spongy.
I'm guessing that water has seeped in through a deck fitting and caused the delamination. The deck looks ok aesthetically but will need strengthening.
I anticipate that you're all going to tell me to run away... but if the boat was dirt cheap... is this fixable without taking the entire deck off? I'm thinking maybe stripping the ply off underneath and increasing strength somehow from underneath.... anyone had a go at this... or am I dreaming?
NSW
7758 posts
The deck sounds like a foam sandwich. The foam is supposed to be closed cell but water does get in and it turns to mush. It can be repaired if its in isolated areas. Usually around the mast and where there is some traffic. Plenty of sources of info on the net for this repair. Basically it entails drilling a series of holes down through the outer skin. Bent nail in an electric drill and rip the old foam out. After drying the holes are filled with epoxy/microballoon mixture and the deck painted over. If it was me and the area was not too great it would not deter me, especially if it was a boat I really wanted and was priced right.
