Spongy helm deck on 2003 bertram 45

Was there any comment on this from the surveyor?

Our 1978 has wood and alloy plate. Not sure when (if) they put balsa up there.
Wood or balsa, if it's soft, it a problem.
I'm assuming there is headliner under this deck. Could be an idea to cut out from below.

Not a huge deal, although by 2003 you d think bertram would have learned how to handle core! No wonder they r out of business

Spongy decks is pretty common on balsa cord decks, take it from an old hatteras owner. Wait, let me rephrase... Take it from the owner of an old hatteras.

It's an easy fix... Tao with a hammer to see how far the rotten core extends then as others mentioned you need to cut out the upper skin, replace the rottn core and glass the skin. The critical thing is to use epoxy where the pedestal bolts go thru. You can't rely on sealant like bertram did. You need to seal the core around the pedestal so any water can get to the core.


When replacing core, don't use balsa use Divinycell. It s closed cell foam core which can't rot and can a word water. More $$ than balsa but worth it

Th sooner you do it the better as with time the rot will expand

I have a number of soft spots on my old hatt, including a section of the brow above the windshield because some $100 an hour professional installer &$€]%}~>] used lag bolts to install the radar with about 2 tea spoon worth of sealant