Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice here as I do not have experience with this.

I am selling my 29 Fountain, I have someone interested in buying it, a well reputable surveyor at LOTO came out and did a survey. He said the hammer test passed on the stringers and bulkhead, but the moisture meter was off the charts. Reading past stories online it sounds like these moisture meters can give false positives depending on a lot of different factors. I was not there during the survey so I wont have a lot of answers on how he did it or where. I am trying to find out how accurate these are and if the boat is truly wet then it is what it is, but I had the engine out last year and knocked around everywhere with a hammer and it all sounded super solid, being a fountain and the stories around them I was nervous myself. So I just want to essentially make sure that is accurate. I am asking around to see if anyone would be willing to do a core sample to confirm, but is this a waste of time and money?

I want to do the right thing here and not trying to screw anyone over, but I also think the boat is solid from what I know, so I also dont want to lose out on thousands of dollars and just seeing what my options are.

Thanks!

The quickest way to confirm wet or dry is to drill a hole in the stringer/transom. It's an easy fix if dry.

Seems strange if you had the motors out transom rot is normally pretty easy to see at the openings.

Like Sonic said, drill.

Here is my take on rotten/ dry boats and I have several Wellcraft Scarabs that were rotting before they left the factory. A hammer test is a good way to listen to voids in the hull if its delaminating and rotting. A moisture meter test is only as good as the skill of the guy using it. Was the boat inspected on a rainy day, the fact that you weren't there for the inspection, I would question the surveyor and how he did it. When I have checked boats with moisture meters, I look at how the meter will ramp up as you move it across the hull. If your getting high moisture in a area that is above the water line and doesn't have any penetrations in the fiberglass skins, then I would say the meter was off. Battery strength in the meter can throw it off too.
Since the buyer now has a survey that is tainted against the boat, what is his counteroffer?

Good to know I'm going down the right path. I wanted to confirm it was even worth it to start drilling to verify it was either dry or wet. Transom is dry and was able to see that through the back when the engine/exhaust/drive was out to your point. It was inspected on a rainy day, but I was told it has been stored in the show room since they demoed it on Sunday this week, but to my knowledge it has been sitting outside with the plugs out since early Aug on the lot.

I wanted to confirm it would even be the correct path to go down before asking the potential buyer any questions about drilling etc. But the counter offer right now is they got a quote to replace all the stringers and the bulkhead for 17k so 17k off the price was their offer essentially.

I will go back and have them ask the potential buyer what their thoughts are, but im also concerned that the survey being done and it showing high moisture content that this will "taint" the boat for future sales as well.

Do you know what the percent moisture was from the survey? Have you looked at the survey? $17K sounds about right for a transom and stringer replacement. What is the asking price of your boat? $17K off a boat your asking $50k for Id tell them to go get fu(ked, $17K off a boat your asking $200K is a different story. looks like the surveyor didnt know what he was doing if he inspected it on a rainy day. They say a boat has to be out of the water for 24 hours before checking it with a moisture meter.

my survey a few weeks ago indicate 2 places of higher moisture
but once tapped and inspected the stringers were dry
and the one bulkhead in the water tank area was not a structural member as its only a divider, so i its being fixed soon, it needs pulled and a new one cut and glassed in, its 12 x 20 with an angle

survey guy had me on the phone for over an hour discussing the 2 spots he found, and how he determined they were not show stoppers
i will try to share his report, but the pdf wont load ???/
it was 10 pages long and very very detailed
moisture meters are not absolute, lots of variables
boat in an ac garage then pulled out in sun
and vice versa
tap test and drill and fill if required
sono gram testing can also be done .

Have you ever been concerned about the "moisture" in the boat?
What is the moisture % that he determined bad?
Anything over 20% I'd be concerned. 7-13% normal, 13-18% yeah there is some moisture in there but still structural.
I'd tell the prospective buyer, it's an older boat that is structurally sound with a little moisture. Probably run another 10-15yrs as is, unless you don't believe it would.

As said before, tapping only show delamination area. That same area csn still be very wet, and still tap good with a hammer... and if it freezes, will then delaminate!

very fragile science in moisture reading...

im curious how a moisture reading tool would work on a boat that is sitting on a hoist in the water, would it automatically read high since it is above the water.
later