Crackling cockpit

[Gary G]

I've got a 1983 E28+ with a cockpit floor that crackles a bit in places when its stepped on. It does not seem to be soft. There are a few fine cracks visible if one looks closely. I have not detected any water leaking through but I'd like to repair it. It almost seems as though at some point in time somebody dropped something heavy in the cockpit or a really heavy person jumped off the dock into it. Any suggestions about the best way to approach fixing this?

 

[Frank Langer]

Gary, if it was my boat I would use a rubber mallet or similar to try to sound out any difference in sound between the area you are concerned about and the rest of the cockpit, to get a sense of the size/area of the problem. I would drill 1/4" holes in this area, about 6" apart, but just in the top skin and if it is balsa cored, through the balsa, but not through the bottom (underside) skin. Check what comes out on the drill bit--if dry, that's good; if it is wet balsa, it will have to be removed (do a search for posts on this).

If dry, I would then inject liquid epoxy into the holes until it began to come out all the holes (ie. until the space is filled). Let that dry and cure. I would fill any remaining spots in the drilled holes, and any cracks, with gelcoat matched to the colour of the cockpit. If my matching wasn't good, I might also paint the cockpit with a matching or appropriate colour.

All of this is on the assumption that maybe there was a void in the cockpit that caused the initial cracking/soft spot, or someone unusually heavy, and that otherwise, it is structurally sound.

Hope that helps. Others may also have better ideas.

Frank.