“The BIG PROBLEM with our Boat…” | Sailing Soulianis - Ep. 84

It seems ridiculous, but it’s the reason we worry so much about our boat. It’s the reason we agonize over every little decision about maintenance and upgrades. Our boat is too nice.
When we bought our boat, the surveyor declared it to be in Bristol condition. A 38 year-old boat! The previous owners took immaculate care of her, and now the torch - to care for this beautiful piece of nautical history - was being passed to us.
Oh but it’s just a boat. That’s also true. We haven’t babied her as much as her previous owners, for the plain facts that we’ve lived aboard full time and introduced her to harsh saltwater. But we’ve done our best to preserve her original glory while also doing the necessary things to keep her seaworthy and suit our cruising goals.
How much do we have to rip apart to make necessary repairs? is the question we wrestle with in this episode. We’ve got a chainplate leaking into the deck, and there might be more. We know there’s some rotten deck core, but how much? We don’t know without tearing things apart.
How much worse does it need to get before we can start to make it better?
Hope you enjoy,
Lauren & Kirk
FILMED: November 2019
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[@keebearfull]

I'm sure I'm the #1 fan of "Made for TV Arguments!" You two crack me up. Not everyone can make a segment of a video episode about chain plates and and deck rot entertaining, BUT somehow, you two DID!

[@aaronp1434]

Hello from Ontario Canada, love you’re channel! My suggestions, cut out enough trim to facilitate complete chain plate removal, order new wood and make pieces to cover in the chain plates again but which can easily be removed for future inspection. 2nd when you’re finished repairing your deck, treat your chain plates like bolts through the deck and use the “over-drill, fill (epoxy) and re-drill” method which leaves a small area of solid epoxy around the immediate penetration... in this way, if water gets “in” it cannot get into the core and cause rot again! Chin up, your boat is 40 years old and you’re JUST seeing some aging, many younger boats have bigger deck/core issues. Cheers!

[@edwardfinn4141]

I’m with Kirk, remove those suckers, do whatever is necessary to ensure you keep your rig up. Replace the trim later You’ll dress that out nicely later!

[@jamespppyacek342]

Then you throw some wood hardener in there. Squirt it in, rather. You must know about that. I wonder what you did. I'm staying tuned. (still watching you come out of Mobile!)

[@cjg6364]

These two are simply cuteness overload with a wonderful midwestern laid back vibe. Love your channel- better than anything you can find on lousy corporate media TV these days. I never get the sense I'm watching something staged or fake with Kirk and Lauren. They simply bring the camera along as if it were another friend hanging out and listening in on the conversation. Simply the most genuine and entertaining couple on KZbin. Btw, the "quacks" crack me up every time!

[@SailingSoulianis]

What a review! Thank you CJ

[@svduet400]

so true

[@erichaskell]

To say that you enjoy work most people think there is something wrong with you. The reality is that if you can find pleasure in the process and are proud with your accomplishments then there will be peace in your life.

[@boromirofmiddleearth557]

This Old Boat! Remember good drama and difficulties and overcoming them make for good stories! Yall have good stories and a great work ethic. You show the real deal about in port drydock dryland "sailing life"! And how healthy real couples work together communicate and get things done in good times and hard times! Keep on working together being real and showing how boat repair and maintenance is like life and marriage! Hard work but worth the effort! Thank you for sharing your story with us!

[@playerj8574]

You can't leave us on a cliffhanger like this! I need to see how much rot there is!

[@markmesic2527]

In my less then educated opinion, balsa is good for model airplanes and foam and honeycomb are good for deck core. On another subject, we are taking our Victory 35 to your favorite boat yard in Port Charlotte to do the bottom.

[@joseborja3831]

Watching all these sailing channels shows that one should save as much money as possible to buy a boat in great condition... or spend less money but a great deal of one's time time, nickel and diming repairs and in the end have just as much invested not including our labor. Thank you for the great content and safe travels.

[@joshuaharlow4241]

I work with wire a decent amount.... you Sir get a gold star for that reel setup!!! Very creative.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thanks 👍

[@johnhaywood6358]

Great video. Not arguments, More like a Think Tank with strong feelings. I'm surprised the builders didn't use marine grade plywood in places they would be going through the deck. I really did enjoy the video. I used to build glass yachts back in the early 70's the moved over to Wooden boats. Loved wooden boats and I owned a Malabar Jr. 30 ft. I would never buy a wood boat again. Hell I'm 71 yrs old I'll never buy another boat. lol

[@techmeister3208]

Still binging and continually impressed with your work. You come up with the coolest techniques and tips bits. I've done a fare amount of cabling including vhf on land m, sea, and air and have never seen anyone tin the weave before it's cut. Your research is impressive. Thank you.

[@MrHubris1]

Love your videos! And the “argument”........plays out better than any movie scene I’ve ever seen. Oscar winning humor!

[@jimmerriman6920]

I like it when people can put their heads together and figure out, without being emotional, just how to figure out really hard problems. No one wants to start cutting up their nice sailing vessels when there's a chance they don't have to, understandably. But you made the hard choice to do the right thing to fix the issue. Can't wait to see how it comes out. Well done!

[@trailingarm63]

Interesting film. That composite deck idea looks like one of those things which seem brilliant when new but turn into a pain in the ass when older. So many well-kept classics be they cars, houses, motorhomes, boats, whatever, can look great on the surface while concealing acres of rot underneath. A sound boat is more important than fancy trim, so I wouldn't beat yourselves up over any slash & burn necessary to get it sorted. Out with the old, in with the new. Best of luck!

[@digitalcanvas4444]

ARRRGGGG!!! Are you kidding me? You left us on a cliff-hanger??? 😝 Nice work, you guys. I have to agree with Kirk on this one. If you plan to keep the boat for awhile, best to know what's in there.

[@DerekHoiem]

Over the last three weeks, I binge watched all 84 episodes and now realized I'm up to date. I'm so used to watching Sailing Soulianis episodes back to back, and I don't know what to do with myself now that I have to wait for new episodes.

[@AccidentalSailorGirl]

That’s awesome! Oasis is a great boatyard. We are down the road from y’all, next to Marine Supply and Oil. Paper Sailor Inc. We have pieces of structural foam from various jobs you can use instead of balsa if you want.

[@Ron-zr6se]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. It is far better to make sure that it is good than to find out later that it was not as good as you thought.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Excellent words of wisdom.

[@Riley_1955]

Hate to see you going through this every year but every time I see people with sailing vessels and all the work involved just to keep it up and running is astounding and it makes me happy I'm a small vessel motorboater.

[@brianmiller7934]

It’s good you continued with the inspection/ repair on all the chain plates. You’re already into it, so do it now and be done with it. As for the wood panel, cut a piece of contrasting material to cover the mess (like a bezel) and attach it over. Will look great and make future inspections a breeze. Keep up the good work. You provide entertainment, information and encouragement to many.

[@robertsteven108]

By exposing the mechanicals that need maintenance, you are helping your boat, not hurting her...thanks for sharing!

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thanks for watching!

[@BrianStDenis-pj1tq]

So much to like about this video. I'm a huge fan of "quack". Love how you show exactly how life is not easy. "Fix the leaks." Yeah, so easy. Not! Anyway, enjoyed this one more than most (which means I really loved it.) Thanks.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thank you Brian!

[@christiancormier7847]

Awesome work you two!

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thanks so much!

[@michaels1997]

Brilliant episode - love the "Made For TV Argument"!😂 For what it's worth, I'd cut whatever I needed to to get the plate off, then made a wooden cover with bevelled edges to cover the hole and make it look pretty afterwards - it may actually look better than when you started!! Anyway, you're doing great work to keep Soulianis in top shape. Greetings from a cold, snowy and locked down UK!!

[@tarivard]

I did cut the underside and filled the complete thickness with solid glass. You can then re-cut the slot and bed the plate with butyl. Daunting but not that hard to do. I had a section rotted out.

[@drewshippy5051]

Fantastic episode.

[@antonysmyth2464]

Hi guys, welcome back. We did the Chainplates, all 16, trim got cut and looks no worse, can access any time now, wish she had been built that way, peace of mind huge, at 22 yrs old now most future buyers would ask about the plates. Whole job incl bulkhead behind the plate and inside the deck is only credible and safe approach. Well done, that was a master mariners decision.

[@SailingSoulianis]

16 Chainplates! ARGH.

[@jackrabbit5047]

Following your deck repair with great interest as I have the exact same issue with my Aloha 32, and am also reluctant to create an ugly repair patch. You can reproduce your non-skid pattern to cover the repair tape by making a "female" mold using thickened epoxy on a backing plate which you push down onto a waxed intact area of the deck. This can then be used to imprint the non-skid pattern onto your repair area.

[@peterengel7885]

A channel that has a lot of useful information is " BoatworksToday"

[@OldGuySailing]

Hi Guys This is what I did to seal my deck. I drilled the holes larger than original all the core was in great shape except for two of my six chain plates Once I had drilled larger holes I put tape on the bottom of the hole then I mixed up some thickened epoxy filled the holes then re drilled through the epoxy if they leak the water will not touch the balsa core since the hole is through the solid epoxy Hope this helps

[@varad17]

.....I wise person once told me something that I keep in mind when repairing my boat: " if you can't hide it, highlight it ! " works amazing .

[@TheDecguy]

First comment. Congratulations on the “Sailrite”. I was thrilled to see the box when you were getting it out of the van. Next up my rant about chainplates is not directed at you but instead at the way production boats are built. Eventually all chainplates going through the decks are going to leak, we know that. Much of the damage could have been avoided by having a solid fiberglass core layup and eliminating moisture sensitive material for an area of maybe 12 inches for and aft of the deck penetration. Problem solved 47 years ago. I’ll save my ranting about attaching the plates to plywood bulkheads for another day. Sort for going on and on. I love watching you guys.

[@Old_Scratch]

I know this happened months ago now, but some thoughts below if it's still relevant. Great post. Clever fishing of the mast cables. I look forward to the next. Visibility and access are must haves to keep boats maintained long-term. You can always make a detachable trim inset and just match the stain. On the topsides you can make a pattern negative for the deck nonskid, and then use it to mold any deck patches. It would also just work for the cutlines and drilled holes already done. It's the same way they fix plastic trim in cars once it gets a deep scratch. It takes some practice, but done well it's fairly undetectable.

[@joshinnc9882]

Great to see you guys back at it, love the content as always

[@SimonShinn]

Great vid as usual..not just content but production too. Thank yo for introducing me to D Mill at 15:30...brilliant.

[@jeffreystephens8982]

Enjoy you sharing your journey with us. Great progress keep moving forward. “Joy’s soul lies in the doing”.....Shakespeare

[@Skymanfoob]

You do such a great job editing. I know how much work goes into that, and you make it seem simply logical and easy- which is the sign of real talent.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Wow, thank you!

[@patrickcote2392]

Realy, realy like your videos. You not only show that boat life is not just fun and sailing but there's always boat work to be done.

[@rexyaw6473]

To Lauren & Kirk Thank you ;D nice to hear that music "Adventures" by A Himitsu on your videos again every time i hear that makes me feel like I'm in Chicago on your very first motoring journey down south :D PS: Really loved all the videos, i mean all of it. thank you so much and god bless. from Philippines with love.

[@waynedoeblin6801]

Hi guys,I was thinking about you two before I went to bed last night,and here you are thismorning 🙂Good old chain plates,I think it better to stop the ingress of water before it starts too,a fair bit of effort involved,but worth every bit.See you next time,best wishes 🙂

[@minimonte1]

I was surprised that once you had settled on the 'drill a million holes' method that you didn't do that from below. I had no idea until this episode that there was such a time lag. Keep up the good work.

[@jerrysmith3515]

Good luck with all your maintenance problems. Be safe.

[@robcatterton8244]

Thanks for sharing. You two will get through it and will be the smarter for it!

[@appick01]

I wouldn't worry too much about the holes. It's always best to lay some fresh glass then try and match the nonskid texture. Trying to bevel and reuse that small of a piece or any sized deck piece really doesn't hide anything. Best to put fresh glass layup down and tie it in properly then take your pick of non slip options.

[@svlamancha9877]

Great to see you folks back on the boat. Cheer up. Blue seas and fair winds await. 👍

[@MrPenguinsfan66]

For aircraft when you are filling damaged composite core, never inject solid epoxy. Use chopped fiber glass or microballoons. More strength and lighter. Should have mentioned, this is added to the epoxy.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thanks for the tips!

[@alanhortin9620]

You guys rock at all the maintenance you have been doing...tackling all of the "new" techniques like sewing, metal work, and electrical. I'm really impressed as electrical totally freaks me out. Well done. Lauren, I would like to hire you as a chef as your meals look fantastic! Blessing and best wished for a great sailing season! Alan H. PA. Editing and production are excellent! :}

[@SailingSoulianis]

Thanks so much Alan!! 🙏🙏

[@johnhaywood6358]

I once got some Mould Wax, taped off a rectangular section of my deck, waxed the hell out of it, painted it with white gel coat then fiberglassed a couple of layers of fiberglass mat. once this was dry, I pulled it off. This became a sort of "stamp" that I used on the repaired section of deck, to give the repair the same texture as the rest of the deck. For sure you could see the rectangular outline of the stamp However the deck texture was a match. remember the stamp doesn't stay on the repair its only used to create the texture in the new deck repair.

[@timohan100]

I feel your pain on replacing the deck core. I am currently replacing the entire deck core on my boat. It is worth it in the end knowing that everything has be repaired properly. If you find the right paint color you should be able to blend in your repair without a problem. Cheers!

[@djart]

Great job on the antenna cable! I do that for a living, there is an amazing water tight kit that we use on outdoor antenna install on towers. It's works like this , Wrap the cable in electrical tape , then wrap this rubberized stuff that feels like hard play-doe then wrap the play-do back in tape. Boom water tight connection . PM me and I can ship you a kit or two my treat, it's great for anytype of connection you want to keep water out of . Only down side is it takes a few min to remove is you need to remove it .

[@JohnBobRoger]

Epoxy is relatively new in the grand scheme of things! Yes Mads the Dane at Sail Life is an animal and the standard for amateur sailboat refitting. But this crew is amazing and sharp and humble in all things.

[@halfan100]

I love to watch you sailing and working on the boat, but now I was really surprised to see PBS SpaceTime on the laptop which I like as much. Lookes like we are some kind of soulmates.

[@Johndadiver]

So awesome to see you work together I usually had to come up with creative ways to do things by myself. How I wished I had a mate to help.

[@SailingSoulianis]

I am so lucky to have Lauren to help! I feel for you guys going solo. You can do it!

[@dviolinman]

I might recommend you wrap those electrical lines within the mast with some plumbing pipe insulation it’ll help stop the banging noise from inside the mast. Easy and cheap to do now before you step it back onto the boat. Keep up the great videos. Thanks

[@jginmt]

Chain Plate drinking games, sounds fun, cheers.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Just don't drink the thickened epoxy :)

[@woodman1133]

So glad you decided to remove the deck area around the leaking chain plate! There was no other option, and it looks like you struck paydirt!

[@SailingSoulianis]

We definitely struck some sort of dirt. Would probably have made a pretty good composting material for the pooper! :)

[@corkymcgee9666]

hey crew, stay true and all good things come to those who are...glad you're back.

[@svtinker]

I’m just glad you guys are back. There’s something to be said about working outdoors.

[@WayneSmith-yf3fg]

Good you're doing this. Buddy was selling his boat and took buyers out for sea trial when a gust came up and anchor plate let go from rot. Ut OH! No sale!

[@themindunset]

Hey Guys! Keep your spirit up! Leaks are so hard to track down and it's easy to get discouraged. Hang tough!

[@tjsailing5232]

Just went thru this with the decks on my boat.. moisture meter just shows a problem but to really know the extent and fix it correctly you have to open up the decks no other way to fix it completely or correctly. Good luck it’s a lot of work but can be done! I’ll be posting my completed pics soon and she is completely fixed and looking stunning !

[@kenpole1840]

All boats, including brand-new ones, are works in progress. Welcome back and stay safe.

[@brianmacclaren3294]

Kirk, don’t worry about the non-skid pattern on the deck... I’ve done the same project on my T37 and have an exact match mold of the pattern if you ever need to repair the surface. It’s a product from Gibco Flex-Mold.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Hi Brian, that's cool! I was looking for something that would match it perfectly. I ended up making a not-so-good mold. Would you mind sharing the product you used?

[@Unrivaledanime]

I have to Call P.E.T.A. so many ducks were killed in this episode....LOL

[@gordonkerr3471]

Unless you have gory pictures that they can use to make money, they will not care.

[@ghostman76015]

@@gordonkerr3471 amen, another political group that cares nothing for their namesake.

[@curiousnomadic]

@@ghostman76015 You must be clueless, but look 5:07 there's a tin foil hat wrapped around that cable.

[@ghostman76015]

@@curiousnomadic 1 minute of research would show you peta is nothing but a political group that cares nothing for animals, please.

[@dennybarlau8065]

I'm so glad you're back being I've watched you since your first episode. I can tell you this I know watch about 30 shows and I can tell you this listen to your subscribers on this one.Mads. from Sail Life you have to watch he's very good about helping fellow sailors this is an update you have made top 10 Sailing Shows. On You Tube yaaaaa. Denny from Minnesota

[@markperry7842]

Ok you two are just fun and funny to watch as you work on boat issues. Pretty cool to see. Thank you for a good laugh on this day. 😎✌️⛵️⛵️⛵️

[@lebarosky]

Once again, pushing the outside of the cuteness envelope, and also excellent sailors. Sweet.

[@andrewbrown2063]

I changed every bolt, washer and nut on my chain plates (actually almost every through deck bolt as all the glue was dead) on a 27 year old boat, that way I know they a good for another 20 plus years. I would just cut that difficult odd bolt with a grinder. It’s best to open up spaces to fix things so they stay fixed and worry less about aesthetics. That one chain plate you showed early on didn’t look too good to me. You are a very cute couple, have fun.

[@brucenickson1]

Super good ep. And funny.

[@jingbar]

I love Lauren's expressions. Thanks for another wonderful episode

[@thewedword]

Great episode guys, I was having one of "those" days and while watching this episode you made all of the drama just fade away! Thank you so much, also glad to see you made it through all of your "experiences" the last few months. Thanks for being back and sharing all of your wonderful smikes and happiness with us, don't worry, you got this, and that Kurt guy, pretty good craftsman. Loved the music! ✌

[@SailingSoulianis]

Awesome to hear we could provide you some escape :)

[@dougfaulkner6799]

Cut the holes for nessesary access and make teak trim peices to cover them so they are easily removable for future inspection and leak repair. Problem solved. I've done that on every boat I've ever owned and it is great. I took many lightning strikes on my masts in Florida and to be able to open and quickly inspect the chain plates cut down on the time spent repairing any damage.

[@Derick881]

Kirk of course has the right idea about fixing all he chain plate penetrations before all the core is ruined. I would eliminate the balsa core around the penetrations and just build it up with fiberglass or Coosa board. Then you know the problem is permanently eliminated and the deck will be much stronger. P.S. I would have gone from the underside if it was accessible. Messy but not as hard as restoring the non-skid gel coat areas.

[@davidmedley9652]

Hi Great video, you need to get all the mould spores out not just the moisture. I wouldnt replace balsa with balsa. There are plenty of none wood options.

[@davefoster7770]

Dude!!! That solder bead and cut thing was awesome. Never seen that before and I worked with a lot of cables but never fat RF. I learned a thing today. ThanksI Also like your optimism an no water's going to get into the core. Good luck and best wishes.

[@denzack1]

Soldering the shield should help make a better RF/electrical connection when the PL-239 is assembled. I've not tried that before either and will definitely do so in the future. Love your channel.

[@BillAndersonNS]

Right after the argument @ 20:00, you have a view of the most beautiful cloud bank ever. Thanks for the contrast. :)

[@ianwatson9450]

Closed cell foam not balsa then epoxy seal around plate for the core fix!!!. Our deck core 25mm ply but still got some small probs (53 y/o) boat. Agree with easy inspection.Our backing plates glassed in parallel to hull no easy way to inspect also not good design. Great videos keep them coming.

[@Redneckmfg]

Welcome back to the boat... glad you survived the tornados and family gatherings...

[@JTLaser1]

Catching up with you guys, it’s been rough here so I was a bit behind. So I’m sitting here enjoying watching you work on Soulianis when I hear, “editing, voiceovers, color...” WHAT!? You mean these videos aren’t just about the normal flow of your day? I’m shocked! P.S. I really love the videos and am grateful that you share your endeavors with me! ❤️

[@davecochran7324]

Great Job using the alen wrench but I agree with Kirk sometimes you just have t make the Cuts. Now at least the repair can be done al the way and sealed up properly, Yea that bolt is a Stumper. The Best is Yet to Come GO Easy and dont Sweat the Small Stuff Arooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@nhojcam]

Good on you guys for checking the chainplates. As you already know, they are the foundation of the standing rigging and without them being good, the best standing rigging will fail. Dang boat builders put them together in layers which makes for challenging maintenance and service to structural and electrical systems. For once, I would like to see boat manufacturers build a boat which takes into consideration future maintenance...kind of like an automobile. You guys are doing a great job with Soulianis (except for the composting toilet. That decision, i believe, was a mistake.) But don't listen to me, get the boat the way YOU guys want it. Enjoy!

[@SailingSoulianis]

Taking into consideration future maintenance... Wouldn’t that be something! No worries, we love our head. Less maintenance! ;) To each their own 🚽

[@johnhaywood6358]

19:42. Minutes the task could be finished by now. Lol love your videos. Happy your back 😊❤️

[@MrGolf1235]

Welcome back we missed you!

[@bake162]

Good choice on the Sailrite sewing machine

[@jlsinchina]

Should have circular epoxy barrier around all chain plates just like many do for bolts through deck.

[@vxnova1]

Sweet, welcome back

[@johnanderson3842]

You may want to check for rot in the bulkhead as well I had to recore the plywood core of my tartan 34c chainplate gusset due to deck leaks over the years

[@michaeldismukes4439]

Always remember that "perfection is the enemy of the practical."

[@drx1xym154]

and actually, "finishing" and "sailing".

[@Smitty65721]

I think the saying is from Voltaire, "Perfect is the enemy of good" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_is_the_enemy_of_good However, I think the idea is this: The pursuit of perfection is a waste of time after one has achieved a solution that is functional and esthetically pleasing. There is no such thing as perfection.

[@quantexhomeinspections]

Small World!....you mentioned a Kai Rysdaal podcast (Marketplace). Turns out I went to middle and high school with Kai. I think he was a year behind me....Class of "I'll Never Tell".

[@nacdaddy5591]

Nice to see you spent the money on the Ancor wire and soldered the VHF terminals as opposed to cheap hardware store wire and “easy, quick” crimped PL259 terminals as in the right way. The deck rot has been there for a long time. How could your original survey have missed it??? Chain plates are always among the usual suspects for core rot.

[@dmeneghello]

Can't wait to see what's under that top gel coat! Keep up the GREAT work. Loving your channel.

[@SailingSoulianis]

Cheers! 🙏

[@scubaseas1]

You are almost to the point you can proudly display a "boats suck" bumper sticker. The commercial boat guys up in NY had them for a few years back. My T37 had over 6' of rotted side deck and didn't show that bad on the moisture meter. Waiting to see the next episodes but hope you toss out some of those chain plates. You can't check crevice cracks or corrosion with your eyeball in a lot of cases. Balsa is so 70's Divynicel is the way to go as it's water proof and just as strong. Moral of the post is re-bed your chain plates.

[@danknox9986]

You might want to think about replacing the rotted balsa core with foam core. Good luck. Stay safe.

[@WillN2Go1]

Sorry to be such a busy body. I repaired a sea kayak that was bent in half (helpful neighbors had hauled it back on the dock full of water) - big holes. I tapered them back and then cut out concentric fiberglass patches 6-8 layers and used epoxy (Not sure if it was originally epoxy or vinylester, but it was kevlar and glass so the materials didn't match). It came out fair. the multiple layers were easy. Went down in one go. I wasn't neat but a light sanding and it's as good as new. I've been paddling it for a few years. So me? I'd tear that deck back to a good core, clean and rough up the inside layer of glass then fill up the missing wooden core with epoxy filler. Then I'd lay down as many layers of glass as possible to replace the missing deck. I'd worry about aesthetics last. I'd want all that rotten wood gone, and I'd want a strong leak proof bond with the lower glass. (I'd also be really sure I can find the exact spot the chain stay comes up through. ) I'm not an expert on balsa core but I wouldn't replace the rotted core with more balsa. You've probably figured out how the leak happened. Dried caulking separated from the chain stay. So that's probably a replace every year no matter what chore. Have I pestered you yet about the joys of Dielectric Grease? This is a grease that protects your electrical connections from corrosion. It never gets hard, never gets thin in the heat (and runs off or evaporates. My tube is 40 years old, I lost the cap at least 20 years ago - it's still the same). The purpose of the grease is to stop oxidation (corrosion) by keeping oxygen, water and salt away from the connection. I wouldn't use it on an iPhone plug, but I would and have used it on any 12v and up connection. Some videos and blogs say that you have to be careful not to block the contacts. This is wrong. In my long experience I learned to just put a glob on the contact points, say a plug and a post, don't worry about blocking anything. When you make the (mechanical) connection that will move any grease out of the way. To prove this point I slathered it on the AA battery (2 so 3v) contacts in my LED flashlight. So the stuff was blocking anything the light wouldn't work. I just screwed my flashlight back together- works great. The thing about corrosion is it starts out outside of a contact then works its way in to cause a bad connection (intermittent or reduced flow or a short), it can be invisible and still cause problems. I'm on such a high horse about it because after watching hundreds of how to and boat fix it videos I've yet to see anyone using it. (This may be why five year old boats can be such maintenance headaches. Of course your boat is as old as my tube of OxyGard but a lot prettier.) Also contact cleaner works really really well. Hope this helps.

[@Gmoney_72]

You TWO are AWESOME.

[@edkleinstuber2119]

welcome back, you have been missed

[@raythompson5920]

Your getting close to 100k subscriber's!! Well done!

[@SailingSoulianis]

🎉

[@Johnsouthshore]

Been there.. the running lights up on the bow were mounted on the bow pulpit. The wiring was up inside the pulpit. Over many years, it chafed and every time I turned them on in a juicy environment like fog or rain, the breaker would blow. Took me forever to find the issue.

[@danielclint1033]

The areas of deck penetration should be solid glass and to me, it is unforgivable that is not the case. I knew everyone at Tartan when your boat was built. The T-37 is a great boat but chainplate leakage has always been a problem. Some owners allow leakage until the bulkheads are rotted.