Hi Rick, I am no boat building expert but I have a similar problem with my M-23. In my case I have been told that there is balsa under my tabernacle. My tabernacle area has been leaking for some time and I did not realize that was where the leak was until last summer. In my case the ceiling is more collapsed but similar kind of damage (hole in ceiling liner where the mast loads have punched through the support board). I am not sailing my boat until this is repaired as it is not structurally sound. I have the boat over at Herrington Harbor North and the composite shop there took a moisture meter and measured the extent of the saturation to see how much of the deck will need to be opened up and rebuilt. You could have someone do this as well to figure out how much of the deck will need to be replaced. There are a lot of really good books on doing this your self but I am opting to have one of the yard shops work on this as my time is too limited. The shop I am using is Osprey Composites in Deal MD but that is because they are on site where my boat is. They have not started the project yet (and you know why if you live around here). For DIY, Sail boat hull and deck repair by Don Casey covers it and there is some instruction stuff online as well http://www.westsystem.com/ss/fiberglass-deck-repair-part-1-replacing-damaged.... Based on what I have read this is a pretty extensive repair including rebuilding the deck with fiberglass and then putting the gel coat back in place if you want it to match the rest of the deck. In my case, I am going to roll on new non skid so I am not having the shop replace the gel coat. But having sprayed gel coat I would not consider it very easy. Sorry you have this issue and let me know if you have more questions or anything I can help with. Thanks Robbin On 3/23/2014 3:00 PM, Rick Davies wrote:
Hi all,
I'd like to solicit the experts for some advice. I've attached some pictures of damage to the cabin overhead below the mast step that I just found today when I was getting the boat ready for spring sailing. It looks as if there's a leak around the step which has deposited some crud into the light dome, and I found a few drops of dried rusty water on the V berth directly underneath. In the past I have sometimes found a little water in the well below the compression post next to the battery, but thought it came through the post along the wire bundle coming from the mast. I don't quite understand how the fittings around the step are attached to the compression post, nor how the weight is distributed.
My questions are:
Is the boat safe to sail?
How serious is the apparent damage? How can I assess it in more detail?
How can I find out if there's water in the balsa core? There doesn't seem to be any sponginess yet.
I've never done fiberglass work myself, so I'd need a yard if this is going to involve major reconstruction. Does any one know a yard in the DC - Annapolis area they'd recommend for this type of work?
Sure would appreciate any advice and help I can get.
Thanks,
Rick M17 #633 Lynne L