Soft cockpit floor on my newly purchased 2008 22 cruiser....

C

Chedder

New member
Hey all, I am the proud owner of a recently purchased 2008 22 Cruiser. I am creating the fix it / change it lists. One of my concerns is that the cockpit floor flexes and feels soft. This model has a raised floor. I have seen photos of the raised floor on 2008's up to 2011's in my brief searches for other years with the raised floor. I am afraid water my be finding its way into the gap between the deck and the hull. Has anyone experienced this issue. I am hoping to get direction on what steps I need to take to confirm and resolve this problem?
Any input will be appreciated... Thanks
 
There is a stringer down the center. I drilled a hole 1/2" in the vertical piece between the gas tanks and put a camera in there it was dry as a bone. I sealed it back up with a well nut so I could check it in the future. You really need two holes one right and on left of center. When I drilled the first one and it was so dry I didn't bother with the second one. You might want to have the boat weighed. Then your going to have to know the real weight and not the fake one that the factory publishes.
 
The floor should be fully sealed and there should be no core water intrusion, unless someone put a hole in it.

Some of the boats with one piece glassed in cockpit floors have had water under the floor, so it is worth checking out. Often the water comes in from an area not adequately sealed in the aft part of the cockpit. An inspection port of some type need to be put in...
 
Jody, Thank you for the quick response. I can tell that the experiences and knowledge that is collected here will be extremley helpful.
What caused you to drill and scope the gap? Is your deck spongy? When you scoped did you see foam or fill of any kind?
The previous owner haphazardly applied silicone the seam between the cabin and cockpit deck. It was poorly accomplished and most certainly is not going to prevent water from getting in. Was this gap sealed by the manufacturer when you received your new 2008 22?
 
I also have a 2008 cruiser I purchased a few years ago. I suspected water under the cockpit floor so I added a 4" removable inspection plate near the stern on the port side of the center stringer. I think one inspection point is enough since the center stringer does not extend the full length of the floor so water on one side will also be on the other. There was water under the floor which I dried quickly with a small fan placed in the inspection port. There were multiple culprits: The vertical fiberglass gas tank covers were screwed directly into the floor (non-cored area), the screws were loose or missing so the screw holes allowed water in. There were several items screwed down in the bilge that may have leaked (I relocated all of that). And finally, as mentioned before, the gap between the cockpit floor and the cabin needed resealing. Since fixing all that the space between the cockpit floor and hull has remained dry.
My cockpit floor did not feel spongy. It is cored with balsa so look for any place the fiberglass skin has been punctured with screws. Check for moisture there. My boat had some added, larger steps on each side that were screwed to the cockpit floor. I removed those and found minor moisture issues around some of the screws. None of the screw penetrations were bedded correctly.
Enjoy your boat! I love mine.
 
I was just wondering if water was condensing under there. The floor at the bulkhead is glassed in by the factory and is balsa cored. The caulking there just fills the gap and shouldn't let water in. I talked to the factory about this. There isn't any foam just a layer of fiberglass on the bottom. My floor isn't spongy. I do have the 2 holes for the vertical panels that are drilled through solid fiberglass and caulked with 3M 4000 to seal them. You might want to cut in an inspection port and check the core. You could drill some small holes and then fill them with epoxy, get a moisture meter. If it is wet core you will have to cut the floor top off and replace the core lots of work.
 
Is there foam or fill of some type between the hull and the cockpit floor to the port and starboard of the center beam? Is is common for the deck to have give?
 
In my 2008 there is no foam between the cockpit floor and the hull. My cockpit floor feel pretty stiff. Is yours softer on one side or the other? It should feel very stiff down the centerline because of the stringer there. The floor itself is over 3/4" thick with 1/2" balsa core. If you tap on it, it should have a nice ring to it everywhere.
 
I suspect it is wet core. I will start with an inspection port. I may to cut the floor top off and replace the core. Does anyone have any photos of the floor being cut out? Or know of anyone who has had to do this?
 
It should give some, but not feel spongy. It should be at least as stiff as 1" plywood. I'm not an expert on water intrusion in the balsa core but as long as the core is solid and well bonded to the skins, the floor should be stiff. Try tapping all around on the floor with a small ball-peen hammer, you will a sharp difference between good areas and areas with separation or core rot.
 
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