Holy crap

 

This looks harmless enough does it not? It is the drain, there are two port and starboard on the swim platform of a well known boat manufacturer. All looks good from above but when you look underneath you see this..............

A hole is simply bored through the swim platform with a hole saw and the plastic drain cover screwed in from the top with the merest bit of 4200 under the flange. That brown looking material that you see in the picture is the wood core completely unsealed where it has absorbed water not only from the inevitable water that drains through from above but also from sea water splashing up from under the boat. I find it beyond belief that this manufacturer makes no attempt to even seal the balsa core at all. This boat was almost brand new but serious delamination has already taken hold and will eventually cost the boat owner hundreds if not thousands to put right. It would be so easy to have a solid fiberglass plug molded into the swim platform when the boat was built so that when the hole was bored it would be going through solid glass thus avoiding problems and costs for the owner  later. With quality control like this the builder does not deserve to stay in business.

Comments

[Rick G]

Mark, which builder is it?
If they are willing to build it this way they should be willing to let everyone know.

Thanks for your blog.
Rick

[Mark]

Not wanting to get myself into trouble lest to say it is a very well known builder. That's all I am saying.