trendsetter
Active Member
If there is water getting under the floor then it will eventually rot the wood. It's a matter of how well the original stringers and floor were sealed. But if there is wood in there it will rot.
If there are no soft spots on the deck or transom then that is a good sign; but there could still be rot under the floor. Only way to tell is to remove part or all of the floor and check. You could possibly check with a drill if you find on the deck there are screws that follow a longitudinal pattern then they are probably screwed into the stringers. Remove the screws and check for rotted wood in the screw holes. Also you could drill a shallow hole into the stringers and check the wood as well.
Just be careful not to drill to deep or into the hull. Always reseal any new holes with 3m 5200.
As for your leak, yes it's better to seal from the inside out but sealing from the outside is better than nothing. Use 3m 5200 to seal and holes below the water line if you don't have or want to work with fiberglass.
If there are no soft spots on the deck or transom then that is a good sign; but there could still be rot under the floor. Only way to tell is to remove part or all of the floor and check. You could possibly check with a drill if you find on the deck there are screws that follow a longitudinal pattern then they are probably screwed into the stringers. Remove the screws and check for rotted wood in the screw holes. Also you could drill a shallow hole into the stringers and check the wood as well.
Just be careful not to drill to deep or into the hull. Always reseal any new holes with 3m 5200.
As for your leak, yes it's better to seal from the inside out but sealing from the outside is better than nothing. Use 3m 5200 to seal and holes below the water line if you don't have or want to work with fiberglass.