2004 2400v - Deck Flex

[AlwaysAProject]

Looking for a little advice and hoping you guys can help.  I bought a 04 Pathfinder 2400v in January of 2022 and have been slowly restoring her since then.  First time out on the water with her, I noticed the bilge running more than it should and water leaking in through the scuppers.  Upgraded to the Rabud scuppers and replaced all the hoses from the deck drains that had rotted out, and then replaced all of the plumbing for the livewell and pumps.

Next I decided that I wanted a T-Top on her to stay out of the sun and had one built at a local shop.  At the same time, I wanted to give the dash an upgrade and got custom toggles made along with a carbon fiber plate to cover the old holes.

After that it was time to call Castaway Customs for SeaDek and I decided to do their 13mil across the entire floor from front to back on the walking surface as well as all of the hatches with their 6mil across part of the gunnels.

 

Since then most everything else has been general maintenance on the motor and accessories.  I absolutely love my boat,.... but I have one new problem that is outside of my comfort zone.

Last month when I was running back in through the bay, I noticed some flex in the floor in front of the center console.  It's only happening on the starboard side when running over 45mph but it looks like the deck is lifting off the stringer.  

I stumbled across a post on another forum where someone had cracked a stringer on their 2400v and pulled the deck which gave me some insight into what's under the deck and what I might be able to do.

Based on this picture, it looks like the there is an area in front of the center console that the fuel line runs across that I could cut out to gain access to the section where the deck is  and then add wedges to create some separation, clean the area, and re-attach the stringers to the bottom of the deck with FlexEpox or other adhesive.  Then I could use a deck hatch to go over the opening and place my cooler back over it.

I'm thinking that I can access the area I want with a 14.5" x 29" opening.  I hate the thought of having to cut through the SeaDek that's already down, but I think that if I take it to a fiberglass shop they're going to want to pull out a much larger area and remove all of the SeaDek from the front deck.  It looks like I can get this done for just under $800 if I do it on my own, with most of the cost being the new hatch, and if my fix doesn't work, then at least I'll have an opening with a hatch that I can use for storage that gives the shop I take it to a better look at what I've got going on.

What do you guys think?  Is this something worth trying on my own, or should I just take it in and bite the bullet on the SeaDeck and fiberglass work at a shop?  Either way, I don't want it to get worse before I do something about it.  Any advice or experience with something like this on your boats is greatly appreciated. 

 

[HoneyB]

The idea makes sense. If you get in there  and feel confidant that you can secure the deck you win. If you cut the hatch and see a crack across the stinger and have to carry it to a guy they can always close your hole up when they are done. 

[AlwaysAProject]

Thanks HoneyB.  I guess one of my biggest concerns is the cuts through the deck near the path the fuel line takes.  I'm guessing that the deck is 3/4" and the 13mm SeaDek is another 1/2" so I'll set a blade depth of 1 1/4" and then cut whatever we miss with the blade by hand slowly to try to make sure that I don't damage that fuel line if it's pushed up against the bottom of the deck somewhere.  

I'll keep you guys posted on progress, and thanks for the advice so far.

[Lap it Up]

A good buddy of mine has a 2004 2400V and it has a soft spot in about the same area.  His is on the deck between the two rod lockers.  It’s been that way for at least 8 plus years.  It’s never gotten worse, it’s never affected the ride or functionality.  
 

He’s not a forum member but I will show this to him.  We’ve talked about finding out why it’s soft and adding a cast net hatch up there for YEARS!  Let us know the outcome.  

[HoneyB]

I would not bet on the deck being 3/4. It may be half inch foam core flooring. If there is an access for the fuel tank under the console pull the surround up and check the floor thickness. 

[AlwaysAProject]

1 hour ago, Lap it Up said:

A good buddy of mine has a 2004 2400V and it has a soft spot in about the same area.  His is on the deck between the two rod lockers.  It’s been that way for at least 8 plus years.  It’s never gotten worse, it’s never affected the ride or functionality.  
 

He’s not a forum member but I will show this to him.  We’ve talked about finding out why it’s soft and adding a cast net hatch up there for YEARS!  Let us know the outcome.  

That's VERY encouraging!  Thanks for passing this along.  I'd love to hear what he thinks too.

[AlwaysAProject]

59 minutes ago, HoneyB said:

I would not bet on the deck being 3/4. It may be half inch foam core flooring. If there is an access for the fuel tank under the console pull the surround up and check the floor thickness. 

That's a very good point.  Unfortunately, there are 5 group 27 batteries sitting on top of that access point in the center console but I'll take a look.  Worst case scenario is that I start at a 1" depth and then slowly work my way down on the starboard side until I cut through both the SeaDek & the deck to make sure I stay away from the fuel line until I get the depth right.