Floor question

[cwd56]

Hello, new here and just got a project boat. I am going to start pulling things apart tomorrow to see what all is rotted, but I know the top plywood is soft and the one board I can see in the rear of the storage area is starting to get bad. What I am wondering is, just because the top pieces are bad, does that mean the stringers will most likely be rotted as well, or is there a chance they could be ok? The boat is a 1972 Tri Sonic with a 165 mercruiser. The upholstery is actually in good shape, accept for 1 seat that their dog got a hold of. I will post some pics tomorrow. Thanks in advance.

Chris

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Floor question

Welcome to iboats.

Your boat has a DECK (not a floor )

Once you do surgery and cut the deck open you will have access to the flotation and stringers. The bad news is that boats rot from the inside out ........... the only true way is to see and test them. No one will be able to guess for you.

 

[badkins50]

Re: Floor question

yeah - right now it's a guessing game. open it up and investigate what you got. tapping a hammer goes along way. my deck was soft in spots but it was because when the previous owner removed the original swival seats and installed lounge seats the original holes were not sealed at all. my transom and stringers where not affacted at all and were glassed perfectly. one thing for sure once you start cutting out the deck you might as well cut it all out and start new if your going to keep it.

 

[geedubcpa]

Re: Floor question

my guess is you have rot below....only one way to find out.

 

[cwd56]

Re: Floor question

Thanks for the replies guys. I am going to start pulling seats and carpet today and should be able to get enough of the deck up to see the stringers. I know the only way to know is to look, I was just hoping to get some positive encouragement that it could be ok. I am hoping the stringers are in good shape, or at least not completely rotted. Once I get in there though, I will be doing what needs to be done and not trying to just put a bandaid on it. This is going to be a good learning experience for me and I feel I am up to the challenge.
In your guys opinion, should I make sure the motor is good before getting in to far? The oil looks fine, all freeze plugs are in tact and I don't see anything wrong at a glance. I picked up a new coil today that I will be putting on this afternoon. I am getting power to the coil, but nothing out of the coil to the dist. The dist has been converted from points to elec ign. Everything sounds good when she's just turning over, I just wasn't getting any fire. All the hyd work and aren't leaking anywhere and the motor has set for 3 or 4 years but was running before they stopped using it. The wiring harnesses all look to be in good shape and actually fairly clean. I did try pulling all the wires minus the dist wire off of the - side of the coil and there was still no fire, but power still remained on the + side. So I am assuming it's just a bad coil.



Chris

 

[cwd56]

Re: Floor question

Well, I've got some good news and bad news. Good news is, I am about to learn a whole lot more about boats, bad news is the stringer/keel board is rotted to hell. Here's what I got done this afternoon.

Any and all help would be great. Thanks guys.


Chris

PS The water is from me rinsing some of the crap out, it's breaking up so small that some of it will actually just go right out the drain holes.

 

[cedarjunki]

Re: Floor question

the best help and advice to be givin here is probably gonna be.....check out all of the restoration threads... lots of great pictures and many answers too.


any specific questions?

 

[badkins50]

Re: Floor question

Yeah there is a lot of great people on here with a ton of information. That's a great start. Keep us posted with pics. Good luck.

 

[cwd56]

Re: Floor question

Thanks guys, I do have a couple of questions.

1) What would be the best lumber to use to replace the stringer and platform for the motor mount?

2) Before I apply resin and fiberglass, do I need to coat it with anything other than at least 1 coat of resin to let it soak some up before glassing?


Thanks,
Chris

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Floor question

Plywood........ and yes it should be sealed with polyester resin and csm which is the least costly way

 

[cwd56]

Re: Floor question

So even the stringer/keel board is made of plywood? I honestly can not tell what the one that was in it was made of.

Chris

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: Floor question

Ply is stronger, and many use it for their stringers. My boat was built with dimensional (solid) wood, and thats what I put back down. If the stringer is longer than 8' and you want to use ply, it will have to be scarfed. I decided to use select pine and make sure my glasswork is solid.

Terry

 

[cwd56]

Re: Floor question

Thanks for clarifying that. At a local marine repair shop the guy told me that a lot of people use "sign board" instead of marine grade plywood. He said they are very close to the same thing, but the sign board was less money. Anyone have any experience with this?



Chris

 

[cwd56]

Re: Floor question

Are these stringers or ?? I ask because they were only a single layer of plywood, were as the middle one appeared to be a 2x4. And I was also wondering if it would be ok to leave the foam? It doesn't seem to be water logged or to torn up.

Chris

 

[cedarjunki]

Re: Floor question

Are these stringers or ?? I ask because they were only a single layer of plywood, were as the middle one appeared to be a 2x4. And I was also wondering if it would be ok to leave the foam? It doesn't seem to be water logged or to torn up.

Chris

yes those are stringers as well. i would just take a couple samples out of the foam in different places. checking the bottom of it. a piece of small pvc pipe or exhaust pipe or any pipe will work. push down twisting, wiggle, pull up.

you may find your lucky and those outer sections are still good...

as for ply stringers.....if original is say 1 1/2" thick, using plywood glued or epoxied together to get the correct thickness gives you far more strength than dimensional lumber.

if it is over 8' then they offset the joints in the ply, (overlapping/sandwiching) together and create whatever length needed.


(stringers in my 69 sc were actually rough cut lumber)