Floor repair

You won’t learn much by inspecting the top of the foam layer... even on boats that are soaked, it’s usually dry up there. You’d need to dig to the bottom to really inspect, the bottom inch or so (against the hull) will tell the real story. Of course, the delam/soft spot at the top is another issue altogether- likely unrelated to wet foam. That’s just not a failure mode that occurs- at least not that I’ve seen in these boats. Maybe don’t go digging if you don’t want to know the truth.

What kind of foam is it? Also, the soft spots are on the outside of the engine mount stringers. If I did drill and find moisture, I'd need to essentially cut where the soft area is, replace the foam, and then patch the part I cut up back in. I don't see cracks in the fiberglass, so I'm hoping it is as you say, just wear and tear; the worst spot is on the port side where people board from the dock..

If it's wet, how do you remove and replace it? Not through a 1" hold (I assume).

AlfaDon wrote: Hi all The floor on my 96 176 has a couple of soft spots, I’m guessing from years of foot traffic compressing the foam underneath the fiberglass. The foam is dry. It also has some random variations with bumps and dips that annoy me when I’m walking around on it. I’m going to be removing the carpet to replace it. Would it be possible to scrape the carpet glue and then spread a layer of epoxy to fill the low spots? Would I need to use cloth everywhere to add 1/8” ? Thanks Don

I'm in the process of replacing my carpet in my '97. I notice a couple of soft spots in the floor this evening; actually in the same areas on both side of the boat. How did you determine the foam is dry? Drill a small hole? I was just planning on putting 2-3 layers of fiberglass on the areas. Should I be drilling down to check the foam? If it's wet, what can be done?

If you have soft spots maybe you can drill hole in the center & use foam-in-can to add density. Then add a layer of epoxy glass.