[KewlBird]

Hi, I am in a process of redoing the interior of my new boat (1985 16' Starcraft). I will be replacing the floor since it feels a bit soft. I'm trying to figure out what kind of wood to use to replace it with. I've read a post that treated plywood may affect aluminum. So, can I just use standard plywood from Home Depot (there are two types: BC and CDX, BC being sanded and more expensive), then cover it with deckseal or polyurethane? Thanks.

[drewmitch44]

Use whatever has the most ply's from HD or lowes. As long as you glass it its ok!

[drewmitch44]

Im going to use stuff that is 1/2 inches and is 5 ply. Its up to you though a lot of others would go with 3/4 but i want to save weight.

[KewlBird]

Originally Posted by drewmitch44

Im going to use stuff that is 1/2 inches and is 5 ply. Its up to you though a lot of others would go with 3/4 but i want to save weight.

My original is 1/2 inch so I'll stick with it, so resin by itself is the way to go?

[flounderman]

Gluvit is good. I have used polyester resin also. What will your final surface be, carpet , vinyl or maybe TUFFCOAT ?

[oops!]

stay away from water seal or water proffing products...resin and glass will do just fine....seal it all even the sides of the ply

[KewlBird]

Originally Posted by flounderman

Gluvit is good. I have used polyester resin also. What will your final surface be, carpet , vinyl or maybe TUFFCOAT ?

Final surface will be carpet.

[tashasdaddy]

i use 5ply 1/2 inch exterior, home depot and lowes may not carry it. standard 1/2 is 3 ply.

[KewlBird]

Originally Posted by tashasdaddy

i use 5ply 1/2 inch exterior, home depot and lowes may not carry it. standard 1/2 is 3 ply.

The BC ply from Home Depot is 4-ply, however I'm not sure it's exterior grade. The CDX ply I don't know how many ply's it has but it is used for roofs and etc., however it looks very rough with many more voids. You think I'm safe going with the BC? And do I need to use fiberglass mat, if so what weight should I go with? By Friday night the old floor will be out, and hopefully the new one goes in on Saturday. I'm almost done with the teardown only about 15 screws away from having everything out of the boat except the floor. Thanks.


edit: Found the answer on the plywood. The BC plywood is made with exterior glue, so I'll go with it. This website has some good answers about differences in plywood - http://www.capitolcitylumber.com/plywood.cfm

[TonyD20]

I did the same thing to my 16' Starcraft - 1/2" Plywood and use Resin to seal it.. sides and all.... make sure you do it outside .. let dry real good..

[GregE]

Originally Posted by flounderman

Gluvit is good. I have used polyester resin also. What will your final surface be, carpet , vinyl or maybe TUFFCOAT ?

Any idea if TUFFCOAT adheres to epoxy-sealed wood? I know it's adheres to wood, but that may be uncoated, bare wood. Any idea?

[tashasdaddy]

tuff coat--
KEY FEATURES:

* Water Based
* No VOC's
* Single Component (no mixing)
* 19 Standard Colors
* Chemical Resistant
* Salt Resistant
* Highly Durable
* Rubberized (made of recycled rubber)


ADHERES TO:
* Metal
* Concrete
* Painted Surfaces
* Aluminum
* Fiberglass
* Wood
* Primers

[GregE]

Yea I saw that. I'm gonna email them but from that list one can possibly assume epoxy fits into the primer category. I guess the main thing with any coating is scuffing the surface pretty decent first. I know you've done tons of boat restoration. What's a good grit of sandpaper for pre-paint scuffing of epoxied wood?

[KewlBird]

Progress has been made...pictures to follow. The floor is all cut and covered in resin, just about every other piece is cut and painted/resined. The yellow foam in the boat is kind of wet, previous owner didn't have the boat covered. You can see wetness in the closeup of the picture of the foam. The foam is drying (the whole thing was wet), the only spots that are still wet are under the splashwell. I plan on leaving it without a floor for couple of days so foam gets a chance to dry out. There were also a few rivets that popped (see closeup), I put in new ones.

One piece is kind of worrying me, the piece that goes under the floor in the bilge. I wasn't sure how it would bend into place when covered in resin, so I attached the side holders and covered the bottom with resin (I know I missed a spot). I plan on putting it in place then covering the top in resin. I just hope it doesn't crack now that resin is hardened....

[KewlBird]

[gunner1]

Can you post a pic of the type of resin you used?

[KewlBird]

I used "Boat Yard" brand from Ace Hardware. Cheapest I found... http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...entPage=family

[gunner1]

Originally Posted by KewlBird

I used "Boat Yard" brand from Ace Hardware. Cheapest I found... http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...entPage=family

Did they have that "in store" or did you just order it? Did you just apply straight from the can and let dry? Why type of coverage did you get per gallon?

[KewlBird]

Originally Posted by gunner1

Did they have that "in store" or did you just order it? Did you just apply straight from the can and let dry? Why type of coverage did you get per gallon?

I bought it instore, it's $34 instore where I'm at. It comes with a hardener, so you'll mix a batch at a time. If you follow the directions you'll only have about 10-15 minutes to use up whatever you mixed up, so mix a little at a time. It covered both sides of what you see in the pictures, and I still have some left over.

[tashasdaddy]

nice work, should be great.

[GregE]

Looks great Kewlbird. Did you use resin without laying down any cloth?

With all the reading I've done on this board over the last few months, I'm confused on something. (yea, there's a shocker ) If not using cloth, wouldn't epoxy would be the way to go? I thought fiberglass resin wasn't preferred when using as a direct coating if cloth wasn't being used.

Can someone set me straight? I'm viewing from the same prospective use. Wood in an aluminum boat for decking/floor. Covering the wood with resin (fiberglass or epoxy??) which is then covered with carpet, vinyl, nonskid paint, etc.

[drewmitch44]

Greg, Yes its better to use matt or even cloth with the resin. But i have found that if you dont go crazy with the resin it dosent get brittle when you dont use any mat or cloth. If you put on thick layers of the resin itself then its pretty weak and can break easily. If it is a pretty thin layer than it should be ok in my opinion. Its not like he is building a 40' offshore boat so he should be fine with what he has done. It is most likely beter than it was when it was new from the manufac.

[GregE]

Great, thanks for the reply. So I'm not "totally" confused after all.

[CDN Fisher]

This is fantastic. I am excited that I found this site as I am currently replacing the floor in my 1976 Aluminum Starcraft Supersport. I am using resin as it was recommended by a friend that renovated his floor using the same. Your pictures are great; makes me confident I am heading in the right direction. I will take some pics tomorrow and post them as soon as possible. Up here in the Canadian north, I am rushed a little by the dropping temps. Take care and best of luck. I look forward to seeing and reading more of your success.

[CDN Fisher]

Just had to add a quick note. I saw that I am listed as a "cadet". I may actually be slightly lower in seaman's terms as I am a Canadian Air Force Officer (Tactical Helicopters); be gentle.