After the debacle with surveyor 1, I had to quickly regroup and find a second surveyor. I called around and found Jim Hilton out of Tiverton, RI. When he and I spoke on the phone, it was a 180 degree turn-around from what I was getting from surveyor 1. He was organized, a good communicator from the get go, and he was available on short notice. He also priced his services in line with the going rate of about $20 a foot for a survey. Surveyor 1 was double that and, to his annoyance, I talked him down to just 50% above the going rate. I filled Jim in on my previous experience and he was not surprised to hear it when I somewhat reluctantly named who performed the previous survey.
Jim got to work quickly and within a couple of days I had a full survey report. He found the same moisture meter readings as previously detected. However, he was methodical about how he went about measuring and he determined that the readings were completely symmetrical. The high readings abruptly stopped at the same place, port and starboard sides, close to the chain plates. There were a couple of other spots he found farther aft, also symmetrically placed. Now, if water is going to get into decks, it’s going to randomly seep into spots and there is no possible explanation that any of us could fathom where these readings were caused by actual moisture penetration. Jim’s theory is that there were materials used in construction that are causing erroneous readings. The rest of the survey came back glowingly. Basically, expired flares and fire extinguishers were the worst of it.
You might note that I’ve not yet mentioned a sea trial and in-water survey as the boat was on the hard for the winter. The offer I made on Wonder was contingent on survey results and included a hold-back to cover issues that might be found at sea trial. Jim and I will take the boat out in mid-May for the sea trial and, if all is well, I’ll release the remaining amount to Jeff and Wendy.
So what to do about these concerning moisture meter readings? I’m not really that concerned that it’s water in the decks, Jim found no delamination anywhere and it had already been well below freezing. If there had been moisture in the decks, trapped expanding ice would delaminate the fiberglass. I am concerned that a future prospective buyer and surveyor might find these readings as troublesome as I did and not investigate further. My plan is to perform some destructive testing from below decks and document the results. I’ll drill a few core samples and test for water. I’ll patch the holes with epoxy, choose spots that won’t be visible, and I’ll have my answer. Am I taking a bit of a risk? Yes, however I feel I’ve gotten expert advice and I can document the results of testing for any future buyers to examine. If it is in fact water in the decks, it can be dealt with but it would put a major damper on my summer cruising plans.
Ultimately, I felt the odds were on my side that this wasn’t a real problem; it might cost me but I don’t think so. What worthwhile endeavors are without risk? I’m going for it!
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