I have just acquired a 1979 J-30 which needs extensive restoration work and some replacement parts.

The first thing I need are new boards for the companion way, the old teak ones that came with the boat are falling apart, and are so swollen that they don't slide in and out very easily. Does anyone know where I can get new ones made in the Baltimore/Annapolis area? I will also need replacement floorboards, the ones on the boat are so swollen they can't be removed, so I'm probably going to have to cut them out to get in to the bilge area.

The starboard side of the hull is wet just below the waterline from about 3 ft. back of the bow all the way to the stern, and about half way up the transom. Any ideas on how to find the source of the moisture and stop it before I go through the process of drying out the hull? There do not appear to be any blisters, and the hull seems solid when sounded, so I am hopeful that I don't have any significant delamination issues.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have heard that the exhaust tube isn't secured very well in the transom. That area is cored, so if water gets in there, it's got access to the balsa core in the transom and the hull, and can cause the type of problem you're describing. The hull was built in two halves and glassed together down the center, so a wet stbd side is consistent with a leaky exhaust.

I've seen other people talk about the same problem in this forum.

Good luck!

Check out this link:
http://j30.us/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/3071/J30_parts_for_sale.html#Post3071

Evidently the transom is two halves, too. One other person noted water halfway up the transom and in the stbd side of the hull due to a leaking exhaust tube.

I haven't inspected it closely, but the exhaust tube doesn't appear to be loose. It does look like there might have been a problem with the drain from the anchor well, has any one had problems with leaking in that area?

Before you cut out the floorboards, try drying out the boat. When we stored Feriation indoors over the winter, the floorboards which had been tight in the autuman were tight loose by the spring.

The funny thing about my floorboards are that when they've swelled tight, I can't remove them myself.... But with a second person, both of us pulling up at the same time, it's fairly easy. The issue seems to be that lifting one end up at an angle is a lot harder than lifting the whole thing straight up.

Does anyone know how to get in touch with the owner of hull #83? I'd like to find out how he went about drying his hull core, and what level of sucess he had.

I've done some test borings on mine, and the good news is that the balsa core is still light in color and does not appear to have deteriorated significantly.

I am considering trying to dry the hull passively with a dehumidifer by drilling holes thru the interior shell and applying heat, but I have also heard that vacuum bagging can be an effective drying method.