Is the cabin bunk wood structural?

[whitecap]

Hello, my friend picked up a CP16 yesterday & the wood on the small, flat floor area around the mast is rotted (as in delaminated) & also the wood under the cabin bunks is rotted.  Is this wood considered to be structural by the designer or just to provide a nice, flat place to put the cushions to sleep on?  My concern is if he trailers it & hits bumps in the road & sails it as it is now in large waves where the boat may "hobby horse" or pound a little hitting big whitecaps & power boat wakes, could that rotted wood allow unwanted flexing of the hull that could put unintended strain on the fiberglass & allow weakening or cracking of the hull over time?  Is it ok to sail it as-is or must the wood be replaced?  He just got the boat & wants to use it a little before he decommissions it for refitting.  -thanks for any info.

[MacGyver]

Any chance youcan get pictures? I think I know what your talking about but want to be sure.....

Maybe someone else will chime in with more knowledge of the situation you talk of, but it would be easier to answer for sure with some pics of the damage.

Mac

[NateD]

The wood is not structural, you can tear it out and sail as-is. The only piece that carries any weight (that I am aware of) is the vertical piece that the compression post (directly under the mast) attaches to. The horizontal wood surface below the mast/fore deck isn't structural, and was half rotted on my 16. My 16 was also missing the compression post altogether, so even if the compression post is attached to some soft wood, it wouldn't stop me from sailing it.

There should also be a large foam block underneath the cockpit sole, that is there for added support to the sole and should be left in place (or a different support method devised).

[skip1930]

No, but the bulkheads may be. But they stiffen the bulkheads.
Which came first? The chicken or the eggs?

Look at it this way, "What keeps the water from squishing the hull together? That's structural.

skip.