When shopping for a used sailboat, one of the most important things to look for is soft or springy spots in the deck. They’re a sure sign that water has seeped into the wooden core and caused rot that’s difficult and expensive to repair. Water damage is also common around the edges of wooden bulkheads, chain plate bolts, and anywhere else that hardware penetrates the exterior fiberglass. There is no easy fix for water damage but preventing it in the first place is quite simple if you seal all penetrations with butyl tape.

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