[pattimac]

I'am new to this forum. I have a 91' 21 foot open bow bayliner. I removed the carpet to install new. It's clear that the thin layer of epoxy or Poly layer they put over the plywood floor is cracking and flacking away. In a few places, (about 5 or 6), the top layer of the plywood is gone (approx silver dollar size each). The plywood, even in these places seems rock solid and I can't push a screwdriver into it at all. There is one place below the steering wheel where there was actually a round whole about 2 inches where it looks like they either missed coating the plywood OR they "shot" foam into the hull through it. Anyway, the foam beneath is not damp either.

The areas under the rear seats are clean and dry like the day we bought it and the sprayed covering over all the wood is excellent...except for the main floor as I have described. My question is...since there doesn't seem to be any damage below the top layer of plywood in these few areas, can I simply sand down all the flacking epoxy or Poly on the floor and reglass the main area?

I would put pictures in, but I can't figure out how to do that!

If that seems reasonable, do I use the Poly or epoxy over the glass mesh! I bought it new, so whatever was stock on the floor is still there.


Any comments would be appreciated.

[gcboat]

If you feel certain that the stringers and transom are in good shape then your plan of attack is OK. You'll need to properly sand and clean the area and then just roll on your choice of product. From the factory it was probably polyester but you could go the epoxy way if you wanted to.
Remember properly prepped and properly cleaned is the key to this project. Neither poly nor epoxy will adhere to dust, dirt or pretty much any contamination.
As far as pic posting is concerned go to the FAQ and look there. You'll find all the help you need.

[DrCox]

First,

Dont assume everything is good underneath just because the plwood is dry. I just started pulling out my decking on a restore project. Plywood was nice and dry, no wet rot apparent but below lies my real problem, rotten stringers. The problem is not all your water soaks into the bottom from your flat deck. Alot of water finds its way through very small holes or cracks in seams and along the transom. Wood can "wick" up the water and spread it throughout the underneath thus causing rot. So theoretically you could have everything rot out from under your nice fresh plywood.

Sorry, not trying to scare you but I was blown away how rot spread on some things and not others.

Here is my resto link if you are interested:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=275871

Good luck,

-DrCox