Deck Flex

dwpruitt

New Member
I've got a 1976 AMF Alcort Sunfish. I bought it last summer from a Boy Scout troop who were selling all their sail boats and moving to a kayaking program. I got the sailing basics down last summer and sailed as much as I could all fall and winter. I'm hooked and looking ahead to what I can do with this little diamond in the rough. I started a refurbishment project this spring (rudder/daggerboard) and am looking toward the deck and hull. I noticed that the portion of the deck aft of the mast and forward of the coaming has some flex - more than I expected. In the picture you can see the degree of flex - that's a 3/16" drill bit. The flex is pretty symmetric. Aft of the coaming and forward of the cockpit, there is some flex, but it doesn't strike me as a problem. There is virtually no flex aft of the cockpit. Anybody know how much flex I should expect forward of the coaming? If this is too much, is there a problem/prescription?
tvkno0vbts251.jpg
 
The deck flex will not affect performance and can be safely ignored. There are blocks of foam under the deck and one of the blocks may have separated
from the underside of the deck resulting in a soft spot. Fixing it would require installing a deck inspection port and then re-glassing the foam and bracing it snug until the fiberglass resin cures. It is a messy and somewhat expensive.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY
 
I second what Alan says. That is very common and has likely been the case with that boat for years with no ill effect. Enjoy the boat!!
 

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