soft floor int he stearn

[yknot]

looking at a 21 with a soft floor around the bulge hatch in the back. I am looking for advice on the repair for this, do you cut that part of the floor and hatch out and use the box that is under the floor meaning the two stringers and the bulkhead at the fuel tank, to support the new floor. or make and fiberglass a wooden or other materal under the soft spot by digging out the rotten wood. that way I dont need to pull up the deck and repair that. if you have done the repair I also would like to know about how much the repair costs thanks

 

[windknotnc]

Cut just through the deck in the middle of the stringers and replace the section. The problem is the hatch does not have any rear support except the splash well and transom. Are the stringers under the soft spots good? Is this the only soft place?

 

[yknot]

I think just the floor but I am still dealing with the owner on the price the deal said they can fix it for $300 and dont cut out the floor just hollow the rot out and replace it with new wood

 

[windknotnc]

Probably true, but why did it rot? It is odd to have floor rot without some compromise in the deck. I would inspect the stringers well and thoroughly check the rest of the floor, particularly around the console, t-top if one is on it, bait tank, leaning post or seats. Anywhere holes may have been drilled into the deck.

In response to removing rotten wood and putting new wood back, I would not use wood to fill a void between layers of glass. There are some good composite materials and epoxy systems that would be the best solution. If you can take some pics for us I am sure someone will have have some additional thoughts.