Need advice from the seasoned folks on here

[domandben]

Hello All,

New to this forum and looking to buy my first boat.  I looked at a '97 Osprey 245.  Everything looks really good and the price is great.  But there is one big glaring hairy issue.  There are large soft spots aft of the helm.  It looks like water got into the plywood under the deck from screws that weren't sealed properly in the leaning post.  My first instinct is to walk away but wanted to check with the folks on here that know this manufacturer and model if my concerns are overblown.  I would not move forward with any deal without an inspection by a good Marine Surveyor. The plan is to use this as a beginner boat to learn on for 2-3 yrs and then move up to something larger and newer to fish offshore.  I am not supper concerned with resale which I know would be low. Thanks for any insights you all could provide.  -Frank

[kaptainkoz]

Welcome to the site, welcome to possibly owning an Aquasport and welcome to the scenario that brought most of us here if not myself. You pose the scenario that many of us have pondered… rebuild or walk away. My personal opinion is depends on how much you like the boat. I LOVE my boat. There is not another boat (within reason) that I would want in its place. I want to restore it, build it to my custom touches and enjoy it. Floors are a lot of work but far from impossible. You also run the risk of opening a can of worms and doing more than you thought. A soft floor is not the end of the world and you may get by the next 2-3 years with no additional hull issues. I don’t know. I haven’t seen the boat and even if I did I cannot predict how long it may last or to what extend the intrusion is. Price obviously comes into play because if you can get it at a reasonable price then that helps. A marine Surveyor is not a bad idea but they may be pricey but worth the peace of mind. I can tell you that a large share of boats have water intrusion due to screws.
The transom is probably an area of larger concern where a failed transom is a safety issue and should not be overlooked.
I don’t know if you are thinking of repairing it but you can look through the massive catalog of posts and see if it is something you are interested in taking on. This site gave me the information I needed to attempt to go forward with mine.

[RickK]

Welcome aboard Domandben. 
This is a pic of how the stringers are in your boat and you can see that there is not much supporting the deck in the aft between the stringers


You also have an EuroTransom which adds to the complexity.
Is the deck just springy or can you tell it is rotten. Springy can be because of the lack of support.
Options:
1) cut out the deck and replace - a lot of work but has been done many times on this site
2) Inject thickened epoxy into holes you drill partially into the deck. We have example of this for you to study. It seems to be a permanent fix. Go to the upper portion of this page and find the Search box. Type Injecting epoxy and you'll get many results.

[domandben]

Thanks Rick.  This is very helpful.  I don't have a lot of experience to base this on, but it seemed likely it was pretty rotted to me.  aft of the leaning post it felt like I was on a trampoline, like there wasn't much under me than the fiberglass.  (I'm a pretty big guy).  I've been looking at injecting as a fix but not sure I want to take on a project boat and that still looks like it would be a larger job as we are probably talking about 1/3 of the boat that needs to be addressed.  I think this one is going to be a pass unfortunately.  Which sucks because it has 2019 twin Yamaha 115s on it with like 300 hrs and its owned by an older gentleman that is getting out of fishing and would do a great package deal for all his tackle.  If it just wasn't for that damn deck this would have been a perfect set up for me.  Thanks again for all the info

[domandben]

Thanks kaptainkoz.  I'm going to do a bit more research but I think this might be a bit more than I can tackle with my other projects.  I will let you guys know how it goes. 

[RickK]

I would suspect it is just the lack of support. It should have an access plate that you can peek down through - maybe not since it has the Eurotransom.

[domandben]

Thanks again Rick.  When you say lack of support can you explain what you mean by a that a bit more for me?  I've basically no knowledge when it comes to the structure and design of boats.  I'd need you to dumb it WAY down for someone like me.

[RickK]

LOL, Support meaning a cross support to hold up the deck from the bottom. The support would be glassed to the stringers. If you have basic carpentry skills you can do any of this. We are here to help too.

[domandben]

Okay Rick I think you have some how managed to educate the dumbest human you've met today.  If I'm understanding this, there are not a large number of stringers supporting the deck.  Therefore any rot on the plywood under the deck and around the stringers will cause a large degree of flex in the deck because there's little support structure underneath to begin with.  The rot on the deck while needing to be fixed isn't integral to the overall structure because the underlying support, which is encased in glass does that job.  If I  repair the deck maybe by doing an epoxy infusion, especially around the underlying support we can make a purse out of this sows ear?  As long as the underlying structure and transom are sound.  Have I got it in broad strokes?

[RickK]

The decking is made of 3/8" or 7/16" end grain Balsa that is encapsulated in fiberglass, so it may have been thought that it would span the two stringers and be sufficiently stiff, it was a little bouncy right from the factory in places. There is a current rebuild where the member is replacing the coring in his floor. I can't readily find the thread, maybe someone else remembers which it is?