Factory repair to balsa coring on a Marlin and impact on value

[tish]

I've been Marlin hunting for about a year now and have recently come across two different 2004 Marlins which both recently had work performed by Grady White to address water intrusion to the balsa coring on the sides. The Grady repair facility apparently took off the outer skin, removed the rotted balsa, replaced the balsa with a new non-wood non-absorbent product, and then stitched it all back up with a new gelcoat etc. The work is warrantied for 2 years.

I'm not sure what to think about this and was hoping for some feedback from you guys. I'm already very aware of the water intrusion issues (both the balsa above the waterline and the bang cap on the transom) that some people encounter with Marlins pre 2010 so don't really have any questions about the how/why of that construction or about the intrusion problems themselves. What I am really wondering is about how I should think about this in terms of the value/desirability of the boat... is a boat that had intrusion which was repaired by Grady about the same value as a boat which has bone-dry balsa coring?

I am not new to boating (currently running a 17 foot Whaler) but am having a hard time wrapping my head around the repair, e.g. if this were a car and it had been damaged and professionally repaired to factory the car would still have a lower price/would be more difficult to resell later compared to the same model which had never had the damage and repair. Thanks in advance for your thoughts here!

 

[glacierbaze]

How many square inches, or square feet? Whoever had that repair done should have a lot of pictures, I know I would.

 

[seasick]

Ig Grady did the repairs, I would confident that it was done well.

 

[tish]

How many square inches, or square feet? Whoever had that repair done should have a lot of pictures, I know I would.

Not sure, I can try to find out... sounded very extensive (both sides, balsa completely mush, replaced it all) from my initial chat with seller.

Ig Grady did the repairs, I would confident that it was done well.

Yeah, I would assume there is nobody who could do the repairs better than them!


I guess my initial reaction was "so the result is a 2004 hull but without the balsa/water intrusion issues that people seem most concerned about, making it almost as desirable as a 2010 hull" but wasn't sure if there would be a stigma around having a boat which required such "major surgery."

 

[SkunkBoat]

If its just a small area near a low fitting then maybe "hey, you already have fixed what everyone else might need".

If the whole side was mush then the question is WHY? Sunk?, cracked? Someone put a hole where it didn't belong?

 

[DennisG01]

If it was done correctly, that repair wouldn't bother me one bit. Repairs on boats are different than on cars - it's not a fair comparison. In fact, it might make that particular boat worth MORE since it had a known issue professionally repaired. As opposed to a boat that hasn't had it done and "might" need it in the future. In any case, it certainly doesn't detract from the value.

 

[glacierbaze]

I think it's pretty rare for a boat production company to take a boat back into the factory for a major repair, they are not set up for it. And especially not 2 boats in the PNW, which were built in a North Carolina facility. Are you sure Grady "performed" the repair, or did they authorize a GW dealer to have the work done by a third party?

 

[tish]

I think it's pretty rare for a boat production company to take a boat back into the factory for a major repair, they are not set up for it. And especially not 2 boats in the PNW, which were built in a North Carolina facility. Are you sure Grady "performed" the repair, or did they authorize a GW dealer to have the work done by a third party?

Good question, both of these boats are in the Southeast so they're in the right neck of the woods and it is Grady White themselves providing the warranty on the repair.

 

[wspitler]

If it was me, I would check with Grady-White to confirm.

 

[Meanwhile]

I think it's pretty rare for a boat production company to take a boat back into the factory for a major repair, they are not set up for it. And especially not 2 boats in the PNW, which were built in a North Carolina facility. Are you sure Grady "performed" the repair, or did they authorize a GW dealer to have the work done by a third party?

I know of one Marlin that Grady transported from Oregon and replaced the bottom. When that boat was sold the owner listed the bottom and topside with different dates. It does happen.

 

[seasick]

The repairs I am aware of were done at the owners location. Grady has a travelling team that does some repairs in the field. In the case of the balsa issues on the side hulls, the are repaired can be quite large, several feet by a few feet tall. The repair was not obvious at all afterwards.
The cause of the issue is due to several factors: leaks in the deck to hull seam aft sides and 'poorly' sealed balsa. Balsa if not thoroughly sealed with epoxy on the end grain (the surface that faces the outer and inner skin) is like a super sponge. Water can wick and rot can grow quickly and extensively. The balsa used was above the water line, the lower hull is solid glass.

 

[Fishtales]

They have outsourced that team as I understood it. They do the cabin interior headliner repairs and some glass work as well under warranty. My guess is GW pays them to do the work.
They know the boats for sure as they originally worked for GW.