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[leninator1954]

We own a 1986 36' Mariner that we purchased in 2001. We've upgraded just about everything in the interior from the hot water tank to the upholstery. Currently about to take on repairing another section of the totally saturated deck. This time the bow area. I can't get anyone around the lake to take on the job so I guess it's mine again. I've already done 3 sections since purchasing the boat but this will be the biggest. Perfect boat except for the balsa cored decks and swim platform.

[waybomb]

Welcome aboard!

[dgreene]

I own a1988 36’ Mariner and would love to see some pics of your deck repair & other projects, if you’re willing to post them here.

I need to repair my decks, but I don’t really want to go back with balsa. I’d love to hear if anyone has thoughts on alternatives to re-coring with balsa. Is it possible just to remove the old balsa core and reinforce with more fiberglass without any coring?

[Viper]

Welcome aboard. Start a thread for your deck repairs and throw in some picks of your progress along the way. I'm sure there are some folks here contemplating the same type of job.

[g36]

Welcome aboard

[Viper]

There's a selection of synthetic core materials out there but there's nothing wrong with using balsa IF you do it right AND you use proper methods when fastening anything to the deck. If all you do is screw something down and use some caulking, chances are the core will rot again in time. While synthetic materials won't rot, they don't solve some of the issues resulting from water intrusion. The key here no matter what core you use, is to prevent water from getting in. There are specific techniques used to prevent that.

For structural reasons, you want a core, you don't want it to be hollow if it's a surface you're walking on, and you don't want to fill that void with solid fiberglass because that would add a lot of weight and expense.