Should i worry about a soft deck near the starboard cleat on a used boat?

[Benjamin_M]

I’ve been looking at a used boat that seems perfect, but the survey flagged a soft spot in the deck near the starboard cleat. I’m worried this is a sign of serious core damage underneath the fiberglass, and I’m not sure if it’s a deal-breaker or something that can be properly repaired without costing a fortune.

[Abigail43]

I've chased a soft spot like that before. Sometimes it was water pooling under something, other times the foam underneath had taken on moisture. It can be repairable, but it can also be a big job depending on how far the water penetrated.

[Mark78]

On a boat I looked at, near a cleat, we peeled back a bit and found wet foam and some fiberglass delamination. We patched a small area and the bill still came in at a few thousand dollars for materials and labor, not counting the time.

[SavannahIR]

Do you think the moisture is localized to that spot or is it spreading?

[OliverL]

I once chased a 'minor' deck issue that the survey flagged, and the whole negotiation dragged on because the scope kept changing.