Spongy cabin floor in Mac 26x

[pha]

I just bought a 1999 26x last weekend and towed it home about 200 miles through Alligator Alley, from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale. Surprisingly easy, although it looked like I was pulling the Queen Mary behind our little SUV! Most everything looks OK with the boat, just minor dings here and there. But there is one thing I didn't expect: The cabin floor between the galley and the table is spongy - it feels and sounds like there is water collected there. I have read a few other internet postings which seem to say that this is expected and not to worry. Some have drilled small holes to siphon out the water. But I don't understand why water would collect there in the first place. I bought the boat from a dealer who claimed it had been out of the water, on the trailer, for a long time. So it could be rainwater, or it could be the fact that he power-washed the boat very thorougly before I picked it up. Or something else that I don't understand . .

I'd rather not put any holes in the boat until I learn more about it, so I'm hoping that what I've read is correct, and I can safely ignore this for now. Can anyone comment?

Thanks

[Herschel]

I can't say why there is a spongy feeling on your cabin floor, but, as a 1998 26X owner, I can say that I have never experienced that with my boat. I think it is important to get to the bottom of it.

[dlandersson]

Try to get it under cover and get to the bottom of it.

Possibly some dehumidifier packets/buckets would be in order.

I just bought a 1999 26x last weekend and towed it home about 200 miles through Alligator Alley, from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale. Surprisingly easy, although it looked like I was pulling the Queen Mary behind our little SUV! Most everything looks OK with the boat, just minor dings here and there. But there is one thing I didn't expect: The cabin floor between the galley and the table is spongy - it feels and sounds like there is water collected there. I have read a few other internet postings which seem to say that this is expected and not to worry. Some have drilled small holes to siphon out the water. But I don't understand why water would collect there in the first place. I bought the boat from a dealer who claimed it had been out of the water, on the trailer, for a long time. So it could be rainwater, or it could be the fact that he power-washed the boat very thorougly before I picked it up. Or something else that I don't understand . .

I'd rather not put any holes in the boat until I learn more about it, so I'm hoping that what I've read is correct, and I can safely ignore this for now. Can anyone comment?

Thanks

[RobertB]

Is the fiberglass floor spongy or flooring material on top of the fiberglass?

I would be very concerned about spongy fiberglass.

[Ivan Awfulitch]

The floor there is fiberglass with foam-filled stringers. In our boat, the stringers at that point seem to be quite thin and there's a slight bit of "give" when you step there. Looks like they didn't add enough fiberglass as you can see spots where the foam is not completely covered (had a someone with video inspection camera). I wouldn't worry about water in there as you'd have much greater problems such as water coming in the weep hole by the rear bunk area before anything would get in there. My marine shop says they can reinforce that area pretty easily (just costs money) if it were to bother me, but it hasn't changed or gotten any worse in the 5 years we've owned the boat.

[DaveB]

Thats were the water ballest runs tru. it should be solid there with slight deflection as you walk on it. (Sole).
I wonder if it's the 1999 Mac.x I looked at 4 years ago in Ft.Myers that sat on a lift for years as devorce settlement.
That boat was covered with green slime, sails riped and hatch left open. It had a 50 Honda on it.
Dave

I just bought a 1999 26x last weekend and towed it home about 200 miles through Alligator Alley, from Ft. Myers to Ft. Lauderdale. Surprisingly easy, although it looked like I was pulling the Queen Mary behind our little SUV! Most everything looks OK with the boat, just minor dings here and there. But there is one thing I didn't expect: The cabin floor between the galley and the table is spongy - it feels and sounds like there is water collected there. I have read a few other internet postings which seem to say that this is expected and not to worry. Some have drilled small holes to siphon out the water. But I don't understand why water would collect there in the first place. I bought the boat from a dealer who claimed it had been out of the water, on the trailer, for a long time. So it could be rainwater, or it could be the fact that he power-washed the boat very thorougly before I picked it up. Or something else that I don't understand . .

I'd rather not put any holes in the boat until I learn more about it, so I'm hoping that what I've read is correct, and I can safely ignore this for now. Can anyone comment?

Thanks

[pha]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your replies.

I looked a little more closely last night and realized that the dealer's power washing did force quite a lot of water into the boat, in various places. So I sponged up as much as I could and I've left the hatches open all day today, will check some more tomorrow and see how it looks. To add some more detail:

- Yes, it is definitely the fiberglass floor section which is bounded by the galley on the port side and the head on the starboard side. There is no carpet or other covering there; just the fiberglass. I can definitely hear water squishing in there when I step on it, which is puzzling. Looking at the cross-sectional drawing in the manual, it seems the water ballast tank should be separated from the floor panel by air space and supported by the foam stringers mentioned by Ivan. Maybe the foam is just soaked with water and dry out eventually.

- DaveB, I don't think this is the same boat (I hope not!). This one is very clean and it has a Suzuki outboard. I said it was in Ft. Myers but in reality it was Port Charlotte . .

[RobertB]

Is the fiberglass floor intact - does it have any holes or cracks? This could explain why moisture entered during power washing or due to standing water. If not cracks or holes, standing water may have permeated into the fiberglass - this is more difficult to fix.

Without being to actually see the floor, I will offer my best guess on how to repair.

Assuming the fiberglass itself is holding water, you may need to drill a bunch of small holes to drain the water (I understand that sometimes when a fiberglass boat is pulled out of the water and found to weigh a bit more than it should, drilling a bunch of holes in the hull will cause water to trickle out for days). There is also the possibility that the foam fillers in the braces underneath are holding water but how did it get there?

After draining, I would suggest sealing and even strengthening the floor. I would rough sand all surfaces and use epoxy and fiberglass. You could use polyester resin, less expensive, but polyester is not waterproof. After fairing and sanding smooth, finish with gellcoat or paint. Maybe texture the surface or install some flooring material (I used Lonseal from Defender and it looks great).

[DaveB]

The interior Fiberglass liner is seperated from the Ballast keel. Don't drill any holes in this area as it may penatrate the ballast. If you use depth controled drill and know the thickness of interior sole,than maybe. I just don't get your problem, pictures?
Dave

- DaveB, I don't think this is the same boat (I hope not!). This one is very clean and it has a Suzuki outboard. I said it was in Ft. Myers but in reality it was Port Charlotte . .

[pha]

There are some hairline cracks in this area, so maybe that's what happened. However, after drying everything out with a fan for a few days, I'm no longer sure there is water in there. It definitely flexes a little when I step on it, but the noise I hear could just as well be foam compressing as water. I guess I'll keep monitoring it to see whether it changes, and if not, will assume it's just the foam that others have mentioned. I may decide to have the floor strengthened at some point in the future, but I want to spend some time on the water and see how much it bothers me, first.

Thanks again to all who advised on this!

Is the fiberglass floor intact - does it have any holes or cracks? This could explain why moisture entered during power washing or due to standing water. If not cracks or holes, standing water may have permeated into the fiberglass - this is more difficult to fix.

Without being to actually see the floor, I will offer my best guess on how to repair.

Assuming the fiberglass itself is holding water, you may need to drill a bunch of small holes to drain the water (I understand that sometimes when a fiberglass boat is pulled out of the water and found to weigh a bit more than it should, drilling a bunch of holes in the hull will cause water to trickle out for days). There is also the possibility that the foam fillers in the braces underneath are holding water but how did it get there?

After draining, I would suggest sealing and even strengthening the floor. I would rough sand all surfaces and use epoxy and fiberglass. You could use polyester resin, less expensive, but polyester is not waterproof. After fairing and sanding smooth, finish with gellcoat or paint. Maybe texture the surface or install some flooring material (I used Lonseal from Defender and it looks great).

[Catigale]

Pha....my 2002 floor moves a little under my 220# dough a**....it has since it was delivered new...not to worry...

[Ixneigh]

The floor of my brand new M flexes a small amount. These boats are made to be light so they plane. I made a floorboard out of half inch ply with thin teak veneer. It looks nice and feels very solid. It also acts as a dirt trap. All the dirt goes underneath where itis easily swept up once every few days. In my opinion, Forget fiberglassing it. It's very hard to get a perfect finish plus fiberglassing inside is horrible. I hired a professional to applie a layer of glass around the mast where there was some slight flexing that annoyed me. It was expensive and since I wish to applie aggressive nonskid over that whole area for while I am Reefing sails, he did not even have to achieve a perfect finish.
Ixneigh

[pha]

Well after several days on the trailer, with a fan blowing to air things out, the floor does feel less squishy now. I can believe there was some residual water in there and now I'm just left with the slight give that others have reported, so I won't worry about it, at least until I get it on the water for the first time and check to see whether any water is coming in where it shouldn't!

I like the idea of a wood floor in there, for support and for looks, and I'm a reasonably competent woodworker, so I'll probably go that route in the future. Thanks to everyone for your advice, much appreciated.

[ROAD Soldier]

Well after several days on the trailer, with a fan blowing to air things out, the floor does feel less squishy now. I can believe there was some residual water in there and now I'm just left with the slight give that others have reported, so I won't worry about it, at least until I get it on the water for the first time and check to see whether any water is coming in where it shouldn't!

I like the idea of a wood floor in there, for support and for looks, and I'm a reasonably competent woodworker, so I'll probably go that route in the future. Thanks to everyone for your advice, much appreciated.

Ok somewhere deep in the archives of this site I had this exact situation with the exact make, model, year Mac. My email has changed and I cant find my password for photobucket. However in 2008 I placed an article on this and even made a access panel right there. All was unnecessary. Ivan is right it is the foam with weak fiberglass between the floor and the water ballast tanks that are quite strong. If you get those spongy you will be sinking. So if you are not sinking you are getting water from ever screw, chainplate, and calked area between the upper deck and the lower one. I resealed all of mine and keep air dryers in the boat it keeps most of it out. I cut a big whole in the back of the boat under the cockpit on the inner liner on the pizza oven berth area. You will find lots of water in there too. So bottom line forget about it or do a lot of work for educations purposes than real problem solving ones. Not that there is anything wrong with getting an education. However make sure you educate yourself and not listen to anyone who has never done it. Now for people that have done it like myself make sure you send photos in that show all the cuts and rashes you received playing with a that foam and fiberglass. So you can feel my pain .

[Johnacuda]

I had the same issue with my 2000X. I pumped out evey bilge and put in a can of dessicant. The funny thing is that she only collected water while she was on the trailer. Since she has been rigged and in the water, I have been checking after every storm, and we are bone dry.