rebuilding inside floor of my boat.

[ondarvr]

Paint does a very poor job of sealing wood, then putting carpet over it is certain death (as in it will rot away quickly). Keep reading other threads here on this type of repair, there are hundreds, and every short cut has been discussed.

The lowest cost method is to just lay a new plywood floor in over what's there and glue a piece of cheap carpet over that. it's not good or safe, but is quick and low cost.

 

[Woodonglass]

The people here on this forum have more combined experience with boat restoration than anywhere you could possibly go. Not All of it is correct all the time but if you take the time to search the forum and See and Read what others have done you'll start to get the knowledge about what IS the proper methods and techniques for restoring your boat the proper and safe way. Some ways are more expensive than others. Some materials are more expensive than others but the bottom line is most of the time the members here on iBoats have SAFETY and LONGEVITY as their #1 thought in mind when it comes to restoring your boat and saving money is a big item on the list too!!! But if it costs you safety then we normally won't sacrifice the money. In your case all the advice about checking the stringers and transom to ensure they are structurally sound before you put the new deck down is extremely valid. The advice about sealing the deck with more than paint is also valid. Experience and multiple other restorations by other members have proven this fact. Others have tried to do what you have suggested and they have not been successful in the Long Run. As long as you are aware of what to expect if you do something a certain way then I guess as I always say...It's your Boat and you can do as you see fit!!!

 

[kcassells]

ps,
Why do you keep ignoring the information from so many people who have done, are in the middle of doing and have completed projects over years and years of the same trials/projects and questions you have posted?
Nobody here wants to misdirect you but you need to gather the information presented by the same people like you and make your choices. You can post all day long and recieve great info. That's what IBoats is all about.
Jumping in full tilt to restore can be overwhelming at times I'll admit that myself. But once your mind set plugs in....the rest is history and the boat gets done.
You can doit!:joyous:

 

[jigngrub]

Take a look at this thread on a 25 yr. old boat:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...-repair/9194349-1989-skeeter-sd-125-bass-boat

Your boat is 40 yrs. old and will be in worse shape internally.

 

[Scott Danforth]

before you spend a single dollar on your boat to repair your rotten floor

read thru this entire thread http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...nature-deck-and-stringer-restoration?t=510077

99.999999% of fiberglass boats rot from the bottom up, starting at the lowest point of the keel..... period. is it possible you have the 1 in a million chance that your boat only has a rotten floor... possible, however no where probable.

first step is to simply follow the steps in Frisco's post and cut up the existing floor and visually inspect. most likely you will find mush where the transom and stringers once were. you will find the foam is black from mold and soaking wet.

at that point you have to make the decision. do I fix the boat properly - full gut and restore, or do I scrap the hull? can you do a gut and restore for $600. possible, however not likely. $1500 - $2500 in materials and consumables is more in the ball park.

can you band-aid the boat by slapping a second floor over your existing floor - yes. however it still isnt safe and the band-aid will rot out shortly.

 

[sportrider]

just to give you a realistic idea what those "soft spots" will cost to fix yourself... I too have a limited boat budget so naturally my time frame to restore my boat had to be extended so I could exceed my budget. as of right now just in resin I've spent $500 for the 12 gallons used and I still need a minimum of 3 more before I need 1 or 2 more after that. just in CSM I've spent $140.00 for the 90yrds used to date. about $400 on 1708, $150 on lumber, but I still need another sheet to rebuild the rear interior. I spent $112 shipped from floatation foam, don't forget about all the rubber gloves, paint brushes, rollers, mixing buckets, respirators etc. I guess the point I'm trying to make is when the guys say $1500-2000 dollars they may actually be right. I had no experience with boat fiberglass boat repairs before this but the deeper I dug the more rot I found, the only thing I was lucky on was my transom wasn't rotted my boat had been stored bow down by the PO which I'm pretty sure caused all the problems in the first place. if you decide to go for it, do it right once... or do it wrong as many times as you want. good luck!!!

 

[Watermann]

On a budget deck replacement. WOG has a great formula for spar and boiled linseed oil to seal up the wood or just use the spar alone. That paint won't go very far and is not what I would use to protect the plywood. I normally use spar and not resin. Yes the carpet glue will stick to the spar surface.

 

[jigngrub]

On a budget deck replacement. WOG has a great formula for spar and boiled linseed oil to seal up the wood or just use the spar alone. That paint won't go very far and is not what I would use to protect the plywood. I normally use spar and not resin. Yes the carpet glue will stick to the spar surface.

That doesn't work on fiberglass boats.

 

[kcassells]

Ummm. Hello guys. This fella you are all bickering about {me included} hasn't responded in 2 days.
And yes Wogs Crab Seasoning recipe does work grub.

 

[jigngrub]

And yes Wogs Crab Seasoning recipe does work grub.

So you're going to layup fiberglass over a spar finish? Absolutely brilliant!!!

 

[kcassells]

What are you talking about? Didn't you get this recipe?
QTY; 12 crabs;
1 quart water, bring to boil. 3 part Old Bay Seasoning {8 tbls}, Ground fresh black pepper{1 tbls}, 2 tbls fresh crushed garlic, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 bay leaf, crumbled. As the liquids reduce {@ 1/2 way} add in 1 can of beer or non-alchol beer/liquid of choice. Pinch of hot sauce to taste.
Bring back to a boil. Place steamer tray in bottom of pot.
Add cleaned crabs, when shells are red, pull, rotate and add add'l crabs. @ 5 minutes on rotations.
Place aside, eat hot or place in fridge to cool and serve later.
Couple of lemon slices to wash off your fingers or add flavor to the crabs.
Note; You can also add/sprinkle Old Bay to the crabs as they come out of the steamer. Makes for good taste.

 

[jigngrub]

What are you talking about? Didn't you get this recipe?
QTY; 12 crabs;
1 quart water, bring to boil. 3 part Old Bay Seasoning {8 tbls**, Ground fresh black pepper{1 tbls**, 2 tbls fresh crushed garlic, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 bay leaf, crumbled. As the liquids reduce {@ 1/2 way** add in 1 can of beer or non-alchol beer/liquid of choice. Pinch of hot sauce to taste.
Bring back to a boil. Place steamer tray in bottom of pot.
Add cleaned crabs, when shells are red, pull, rotate and add add'l crabs. @ 5 minutes on rotations.
Place aside, eat hot or place in fridge to cool and serve later.
Couple of lemon slices to wash off your fingers or add flavor to the crabs.
Note; You can also add/sprinkle Old Bay to the crabs as they come out of the steamer. Makes for good taste.

And this has what to do with boat building?... or post #27 or #28 of this thread?

 

[psdnakita]

So you're going to layup fiberglass over a spar finish? Absolutely brilliant!!!

my old deck (floor) is just wood and carpet and nothing more. nothing inside my boat is fiberglass only the hull

 

[jigngrub]

my old deck (floor) is just wood and carpet and nothing more. nothing inside my boat is fiberglass only the hull

And that's one of the reasons it has rotted out. Probably replaced improperly by a previous owner.

Decks in fiberglass boats should be tabbed to the sides of the hull with fiberglass tape/strips and then completely covered with 2 layers of fiberglass for strength and protection from the elements.

 

[Woodonglass]

PSDN, If in fact your floor is only wood and carpet then I don't think it came from the Factory that way. All Factory made fiberglass boats floors if they are wood, have glass coating and are glassed to the sides of the hull. I've never seen one that wasn't. If you are saying that your floor is not attached to the sides of your hull or to the transom then it is not factory. I don't think anyone here on the forum would advise you to put a new floor/deck in your boat and Not attach it to the sides or transom. This attachment is a critical structural element for the hulls structure. I guess if you were only going to be on a small lake, in calm water with a trolling motor only and never more than 50 yds from shore, you MIGHT get by with not doing it but that's about the only scenario I can think of where I'd even consider it. I understand what it's like to be on a very limited budget and wanting to do things as inexpensively as possible. Been there!!! But, you also have to ensure that with a boat restoration you do things in a safe manner. A powered boat on a Deep Lake going across big waves and wakes just would not be safe with a deck such as you are contemplating. All of us here on the forum are wanting to look out for your best interest and at the same time do it as inexpensively as possible.

 

[psdnakita]

PSDN, If in fact your floor is only wood and carpet then I don't think it came from the Factory that way. All Factory made fiberglass boats floors if they are wood, have glass coating and are glassed to the sides of the hull. I've never seen one that wasn't. If you are saying that your floor is not attached to the sides of your hull or to the transom then it is not factory. I don't think anyone here on the forum would advise you to put a new floor/deck in your boat and Not attach it to the sides or transom. This attachment is a critical structural element for the hulls structure. I guess if you were only going to be on a small lake, in calm water with a trolling motor only and never more than 50 yds from shore, you MIGHT get by with not doing it but that's about the only scenario I can think of where I'd even consider it. I understand what it's like to be on a very limited budget and wanting to do things as inexpensively as possible. Been there!!! But, you also have to ensure that with a boat restoration you do things in a safe manner. A powered boat on a Deep Lake going across big waves and wakes just would not be safe with a deck such as you are contemplating. All of us here on the forum are wanting to look out for your best interest and at the same time do it as inexpensively as possible.

I'm ok with what everyone has said and really like the help and that is why I was confused is because of what it has now. From what your saying I'm surprised it held on the 3 foot waves I had last summer

 

[ondarvr]

You may want to post a pic of the floor so we know what's being discussed, hard to give advise if we don't know the details.

 

[psdnakita]

You may want to post a pic of the floor so we know what's being discussed, hard to give advise if we don't know the details.

ok thank you all. I will get pictures and come back on here with in a few months when Wyoming winter ends and I can get pictures . thanks again

 

[jigngrub]

ok thank you all. I will get pictures and come back on here with in a few months when Wyoming winter ends and I can get pictures . thanks again

You should spend the time between now and ice out (spring) to read the different restorations in this forum and educate yourself in the ways of boat repair. It's not really that hard once you understand how the boats are built and you may actually enjoy fixing your own boat. It will give you a great sense of pride when you are done.