Rotted Raised Fiberglass Floor on Trihull

[jayard78]

I have a 17ft tri-hull Sirocco fishing boat I am working to restore. It spent a year in a salt water wetslipe with no cover and another year in a yard with no cover (I know Im an awful negective boat owner). At stern there is a piece of plywood the previous owner used to replace the front casting deck when the fiberglass and fishing chair started breaking through the floor.

I started restoring the boat and pulled up the plywood and found rotted plywood all over the front of the boat. The rotte d wood looks like 1/2 inch plywood and it is supporting the raised fiberglass floor. It is rotted in the casting deck area as well as the first couple feet of the lower floor.

I only see one stringer which is coated in fiberglass and goes down the center of the boat and seems solid.
I dont want my boat to rot away, so i need some tips on how to handle this floor rot. Im debating on cutting out the whole casting deck and the 2 ft of lower floor and replacing it all with a larger front casting deck but i dont know
How far the lower floor has rotted
or
how to fiberglass new replaced wood
or
how to attach a section of new wood to the old wood thats not rotted...etc.

Also, the steering cable is siezed up. Any suggestions other than pb buster and beat itwith a hammer?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Rotted Raised Fiberglass Floor on Trihull

moving this to the restoration section.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Rotted Raised Fiberglass Floor on Trihull

Post pics of your boat for the best help.

It sounds like your boat was already rotted when you got it and you just added a little fuel to the fire.

Your best bet will be to remove all of the decking in the boat, the rot you described sounds extensive and I doubt there is much if any decking in your boat worth saving.

Spend time here in the restoration forum and read the other resto threads and see how the other people are fixing/building their boats. This site is a great learning tool and has helped many folks turn an old rotten boat into something they can be proud of.

 

[NickMcCabe]

Re: Rotted Raised Fiberglass Floor on Trihull

This is close to the same job I am doing on my boat, I even have the stuck steering cable. About 2 weeks ago all I knew about a boat was that it floated. Check out my project thread, it starts when I bought the boat a few weeks ago and runs to where I am now which is having diagnosed the condition of my stringers, deck and transom and the scope of the repair. The experts on this site have walked me through how to determine whether parts of the boat need to be replaced and how to do it.

http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...wbie-questions-about-project-boat-621756.html

 

[JAMN' Mantis]

I agree pull out all of the decking . I'm working on the same project with a Bay liner and the wood was rotted under the fiberglass
and all over .

 

[jbcurt00]

Mantis
Its been 2.5yrs,.since he posted here or even signed on to iboats. Not likely to see your post.

Thanks