G3 plywood deck/floor rebuild

Hendu2875

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Mar 26, 2017
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Ok guys. I've been doing a lot of research.
I have a G3 v175 angler. I ripped out all the carpet and plywood. There was no rot but it was weathered...Its 13 years old. I decided I'm going to go with AC 5/8 or 3/4.
I'd like to put down vinyl. Nautolex or something similar. Reviews are good and bad on a lot. I will be installing the vinyl with glue and folded over and stapled with stainless steel.. my biggest question is what can I use for sealing the plywood. I'm not going the resin route. Can I deal with rustoleum top coat or bottom coat? Can I use a polyurethane? Can I use Helmans spar? What would you choose? The plywood that was in There had NO COATING on it...
And it sure didn't look like marine either. There was a couple footballs here and there... Thanks for any advice. I also found my leak... Live well hose had a hole in it!!! Assuming that's the only leak.
 

DeepBlue2010

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I am not sure where the SS staples fit in your plan. Can you elaborate?

All the product you mentioned are not good sealers for marine environment. If you drop a knife or any other sharp object, you will puncture both the vinyl and the thin coat of paint. If I am doing this, I would choose between two options

Epoxy resin alone (no glass)
Poly resin with two layers of CSM put on top of each other so that the seams between two adjacent peaces in one layer never in the same place as the layer above it

This way, I am not relying on the vinyl (or whatever top coat or finish I use) to protect the integrity of the deck itself.

Again, this is what I would do and of course, to each his own. Best of luck
 

ondarvr

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Apr 6, 2005
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In trying to water proof plywood it's an all or nothing type effort. You either do it 100% right, or go the other way and make it easy to replace, which on most aluminum boats it is.

​Vinyl doesn't act like a protective coating for long, as DeepBlue said, it will get nicked and cut, and once the water gets in the wood it's not going to dry out, plus every staple and screw is an opportunity for water to get in.

​I've sort surrendered on small aluminum boats that need the floor replaced, I just use a good sheet of plywood, paint it with a non skid porch paint, and don't put a bunch of screws in to hold it down, this makes it very cheap and easy to replace. Plus, if you're energetic, you can pull the floor out for storage if you don't use it in the winter.
 
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Hendu2875

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Mar 26, 2017
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The staples were to help hold the vinyl in place on back side after folding..,read that was what to do. Maybe I'm wrong.
 

Hendu2875

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Mar 26, 2017
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I don't want just a painted floor. I've even contemplated using aluminum diamond plate
 

ezmobee

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If I wasn't going to seal it with epoxy, spar varnish would be my second choice. I LOVE my nautolex flooring that I put in. 7 years later and it's still flawless.
 

DeepBlue2010

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Aluminum diamond plate?! That is an unnecessary weight to carry and it will cost you in gas; and it will not solve your problem but it actually can make it worse. It is not the material for this specific job M8.

You are over thinking this. I would fiberglass the deck to the hull and put down to layers of csm on it and call it good. Then you can even brush on a decking finish if you want and have a peace of mind that the deck is well protected.
 

DeepBlue2010

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I did not pay attention that you boat is aluminum hull. Forget fiberglassing to the hull. If you fiberglass on top of the deck and need to remove a panel, you can cut around it with cutting wheel, do what needs to be done and reglass it in. At the end, it is your boat and you can do with it whatever you see fit. We are only offering ideas to help you think through it.
 

ondarvr

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Apr 6, 2005
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Since you said G3, I'm assuming it's aluminum.

​You can skip the plywood altogether and just use diamond plate, this works very well and is a forever surface, we've done that on many boats.

​The aluminum jet boats built around here typically came with vinyl as the low coast base option, and after a few years it starts to show it's age from hard use, after replacing the vinyl a couple of times it becomes clear it's not a good surface for how we used the boats. Aluminum is the upgraded floor option, but new they sometimes just put it over the plywood, we pull every bit of wood out, put in a few braces if needed, then put down diamond plate.

The other thing is we secure it place with Velcro, you can get rolls of it on line, and we can report no issues after years of use.
 

Hendu2875

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Mar 26, 2017
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Yea it's aluminum. I can't upload a picture or I'd show you. Do you have a recommended size thickness for the diamond plate?
 

211libwtfo

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Jul 29, 2016
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I re-did my Starcraft 16' v bottom cheaply. With new wood and carpet it cost me about $55 I could replace it all in about 4 hours when it sat outside it would last 3 years. I would never do it any other way. I've assisted with the "right way" to do it. And no thanks.
 
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