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Hey Ya’ll


Just inspected my Bertram quickly for the first time & I noticed a couple of soft spots on the bow deck & a few areas were the bottom paint was peeling (she was painted 4 months ago)

I am more worried about the soft bow. Can anyone relate?

Thanks

Fez

Around the hatch? Any pictures?

Is it soft or does it flex?

My bow deck does have some flex...I figure as its not a laminate, having no core to secure movement it flexs "some".
Where the glass is molded in shapes around the gunnel and such or places with a rib under its solid.

I have peeling bottom paint in spots too...but I blame that on the applicator...me.

As Mike said...a couple pictures would give us an idea as to what your seeing.

Around the bow hatch doesn't have any coring as Carl said, Raybo Marine glassed in plywood on either side and my deck is now super solid

The foredeck/bow isn't cored. There are f'glassed in stiffeners that run sort of fore and aft. As pointed out, a little flex is normal.

Not sure how to send/post pictures

Definitely flexing back & forth as heavy weight goes on it (me stepping on the bow)

Two main areas opposite each other on the bow facing each other from the window hatch.

Had a look and there was no sign of rot. But colour of fiberglass was brown in that area not green.

Thanks

Seamonkeyfez,
I take it that you dropped the headliner above the V berth to check on soft spots. The forward deck has glassed in stiffeners as Carl said. If the surrounding fiberglass is brown in color, that tells me that there has been water getting into this area either from around the screws holding the hatch hinge or anything else that has been screwed into the deck surface without a good caulking job or no caulking at all. My 52 year old express was all green glass after all these years. When I replaced the rub rail I re-bedded all the fittings ei; rail bases, anchor chocking, bow light/chock, anchor hawse pipe and what ever else was up there.
Brown glass where it should be green is a sign of water intrusion into the laminate schedule.
Pete Fallon