Boat Deck Repair

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nasef3

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Sorry if I am doing this wrong, I am very new to this site and boats in general. I own a 16' aluminum Lund boat from the mid 80's. I believe that stringers are the supports that go from the front of the boat to the back of the boat. I have metal stringers and they are fine. The deck has rotted and I have torn it out. There was no fiberglass on the old wood where the pieces met each other or where the pieces met the side of the boat. I kept what I could for a template and did so with the carpet too. I would like to know if there are any kinds of alternatives to plywood because I don't want to do this again. If not then what kind of wood do I need? From what I understand, marine plywood is recommended but expensive. How do I prepare it (i.e. fiberglass, epoxy etc...). I have been reading information and have found that it is best to fiberglass or epoxy the wood but can't get a consistent answer to which one is best. Are there different kinds of fiberglass or epoxy to use since it is a marine application? Also, is carpet not recommended? I have seen that I can get vinyl but am not sure what is best. Again I am looking for durability and a long life. Money is not the first concern as I realize this will probably be pretty expensive. I am generally handy and am willing to try most things but I want to learn first. Any information would be appreciated and I can include pictures if anyone wants to help. Thanks again for any help and I apologize if I posted this in the wrong area.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Welcome to iboats.

I moved your post. Pretty straight forward repair ...... have a look at these aluminum boat restorations here http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=385090 and you will see what you are up against.

A few simple rules ...... do not use pressure treated wood in an aluminum hull because it reacts with the hull.......

You may or may not like the answers but we have some real pro's here.......

Ask any questions you have.....nothing is considered dumb :)
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Okay so first off thank you for your help. Those projects were very helpful and I learned alot of stuff. Now I have just a few questions and I think I can handle it.

1. Many of the guys used Marine grade plywood on their aluminum boats. I thought that was pressure treated and I thought you couldn't use pt wood in an aluminum boat. What should I use for my floor?

2. I think I already know the answer to #1 but I want to be sure. So assuming that I can use marine grade plywood as long as I use some kind of sealant on the bottom, what exactly do you recommend for that?. In the first link on the forum you linked me to, South Beach uses a resin and hardener mix but I can't tell exactly which product that is on the manufacturer's website.

3. In my boat there is some of that stupid spray foam and I guess the best thing to use is the closed cell foam from Home Depot or Lowe's. Do I just lay each individual sheet in there or do I need to glue the peices together to make one big block? I think I'm supposed to just lay it in there but again I just want to be sure.

4. As far as vinyl vs. carpet, I was set on high quality carpet but I guess I am willing to look at some vinyl now. Do you know of a good company on the internet to look at some good quality vinyl?

I'm going to try to put some pictures of my boat up on this thread. Hopefully then you might see some things I might need to double check. Thanks again for your help and the link, it has been very informative. I spent most of the day learning yesterday.
 

ezmobee

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

1. Marine plywood, contrary to popular belief is NOT treated against rot. It is simply a better quality wood/glue with far fewer voids. It is certainly a superior product but it's like double to triple the cost of regular exterior ply. Many of us have just gone with exterior.

2. Myself, North Beach, and numerous others have used epoxy resin to seal our decks. You can also use poly resin but if you do you will need to add fiberglass as poly has little strength on it's own. Marine spar varnish or quality porch and floor paint are also options. It all depends on how much you want to spend and how long you want it to last. A marine plywood deck sealed with epoxy and fiberglass will outlive you and your grandchildren :D

3. You can just lay the foam in there. I used pool noodles in mine.
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2378.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2383.jpg

4. You won't beat these guy's prices
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|10918|311409|311410&id=23740

I put vinyl in mine and am pretty happy with it.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2504.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2529.jpg
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Okay so here are some pictures of what I've got. My dad bought it in the late 1990's and we enjoyed it but when the floor started getting soft we stopped using it. Since then it has been at our farm so there are lots of ants in the foam and unfortunately there was a snake in there today. I am absolutely terrified of snakes but we got it out. Anyway, I got everything torn out except for the foam. I'll tear that out tomorrow and power wash it. Any easy way to remove carpet glue?
 

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nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Sorry, I don't know how to upload a big picture and I can only add 5 at a time so here are some more.

Okay, so those are the pictures I have so far. They don't show it but I have both the driver console and passenger consoles out and the rest of the floor. Now I have to tear out the foam. My overall plan is to seal the seams with that gluvit stuff. Buy the best flooring I can get and seal it with epoxy resin on the top bottom and edges with two coats. Or should I do more? Then I will lay it and probably just use the self tapping style screws that were already used to put that in since I have aluminum stringers. What kind of seal should I put around those screws so water doesn't seep in? Also, in one of the pictures you can see the gas tank. Should I take it out and inspect under it? Is it bolted in or just laying there? Also, should I make an access door in the new floor to access the whole tank? Then I will probably go with vinyl on the floor thanks to ezombee for the advice on that. Then I will get new wood and seal it all and replace the two consoles and all of the trim but I want to keep it looking the same. Then I'm going to have someone look at the motor because I have no idea how to mess with it.
 

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ezmobee

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

2 coats of epoxy should do you fine. What I did was put 2 coats on the bottoms, 1 coat on the tops and then install it in the boat (I used deck screws, pretty much what you're talking about) and then put the last coat on in the boat. This helped to seal my screws and I also added a strip of fiberglass over the seams.

I think what I would do is take the tank out and inspect it thoroughly. You'll want it out anyway to do the Gluvit. If it looks real good, I don't think I'd mess with trying to allow access to the whole tank. That's a big tank. I'd just make sure I had access to the hose connections and gauge sending unit. A couple deck plates could take care of that.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2394.jpg

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w200/ezmobee/New Boat/DSCF2393.jpg
 

Bob_VT

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Carpet glue....... an angle grinder with a cup brush will make short work of that BUT use a light touch....

Don't shoot the snakes or the bullets will go right through the hull ;) I don't like them either.
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Thanks for the advice on the snakes, I don't think I'll see anymore but I'll keep that in mind.

So today I got most of the foam out and it will take only about 20-30 mins to get the rest out tomorrow or maybe later today, not sure. Then I'll go ahead and clean with engine degreaser and brush the old glue off the walls with a grinder and brush. I noticed that there is a piece of wood where the motor clamps to the back of the boat, I guess it's called the transom, I will probably need to replace it. Based on my pictures how the heck do I get the motor off of the boat and do I just use the same wood as the floor? If you need better pictures of how the motor is attached let me know and I can supply them. Also I have little compartments running up the sides of the boat. They are riveted to the hull and have tons of rivets. Anyway there is a bunch of foam in there but I cannot get to it. Can I just seal off the seams between those riveted pieces and the hull and hope everything is okay? My concern is the colony of ants I have living in the darn thing. I am pretty sure they made their way into that foam.
 

ezmobee

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Check out any of the Starcraft threads. We've pretty much all done transoms. The inner piece is comprised typically of 2 layers of 3/4" plywood sandwiched together. If your boat has a piece of wood on the outside, well I feel it's optional and have eliminated it from both my project boat6.
 

CheapboatKev

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

BB Gun = Snake removal..Through the snake and bounce off the hull:D
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Well it has been raining here and without a covered shed to work in, I just have to wait. I did remember another question I had though. The spray in foam provides some structure support and when I dug it out the stringers were a little wobbly. Does the foam board provide enough support if I make it a tight fit in between the stringers?
 

ezmobee

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

I don't think the foam is structural. My stringers were also floppy. They'll be fine when attached to the deck.
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Thanks for the helpl ezombee, I could not do this without you guys. I'm beginning to think this is a lot of fun to do and I might want to do another one someday. Although I know there is a lot for me to learn.

I checked out the lumber I am going to buy and it is regular plywood, 3/4" and it is at Lowe's for about 35 bucks for a 4x8 sheet. The guys at three systems suggested to forget about marine grade and just use outside plywood. This stuff says that it is good for outside use if treated properly so I think it will work just fine. I'm going to pick it up and the foam today and order the gluvit and epoxy resin. I thought, for the trim on the boat, that I would buy the same plywood but much thinner. I wouldn't mind treating it before I reupholster it though. Can anybody recommend a nice set of new gauges for the instrument panel? I just need something simple that is easy to work with and accurate. Are they pretty universal or do I have to get a Yamaha set since my motor is Yamaha? I might continue using the ones I have but I'm not sure yet.
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Okay guys I have just powerwashed the inside of the hull and it looks a lot better but there are some spots I need to scrub with some type of degreaser. I also bought all of the wood for the floor and trim and some foam, not knowing how much to get. Tomorrow I plan on making cardboard templates of the floor and cutting the wood. Still waiting on the gluvit but we'll see if we get it tomorrow. The problem I have now is that there is a dent in the hull. I checked the outside and the rivet closest to the dent is slightly rusted but on the inside it looks great. How do I fix the dent in the hull? I could hammer it out and then sand the rivet to see if it needs to be replaced. I'm going to try and use the grinder and brush on the old carpet glue and clean the inside tonight.
 

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nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

I'm not sure if everybody is on vacation of something or if my thread is too boring to read. I'll ask another question and see what happens. I am cutting a new transom but when I pulled the old one out (in two pieces) the surrounding metal was riveted to it. I though that the rivets would go all the way through the transom but they all just went into the wood a little bit. Am I going to rivet it back that way and if so it is going to break the seal of epoxy I put on the wood so how do I protect the wood? Also, what is the process for joining the two pieces together and when do I seal it, before or after joining them together? I searched on the suggested forums but could not find a detailed description of how to prepare and reinstall the transom. Thanks for any help.
 

ezmobee

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

I haven't seen that rivet situation before. Our starcraft transoms all just slid down into the boat easily and then had an aluminum cap that got installed on top. There were numerous bolts that went through it which I sealed with 5200.

I laminated my two transom pieces together with epoxy then sealed the whole thing with epoxy.
 

thiker15

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Replacing the wood in a lund is simple, check out my project that i just completed. It's a 1988 pro v. One thing that I learned from these threads is some people take short cuts. I would use marine ply not exterior ply(there is a big difference), coat all sides with epoxy. Also take your time. If you need further help I can refer you to my sources that I used for help and materials.
 

nasef3

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

Okay guys here is a transom question. It seems that it's uncommon for a transom to have rivets that go about a quarter of the way through the wood so I thought I would cover those rivet holes with the JB Weld compound. In addition to the hole that drains the hull, I have two drain holes that go directly through the transom. There were two solid aluminum tubes that were flanged on both ends that went through these holes. In taking the transom out, there was no way to save them for later use. So what do I put in their place? Here is a picture of the two holes for you to see. Thanks again for the help.
 

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ezmobee

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Re: Boat Deck Repair

So what do I put in their place? Here is a picture of the two holes for you to see. Thanks again for the help.

BAM! http://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/S-D-520320-1/

Also, I filled some unnecessary holes in my last boat in the transom with JB. After I slid the new transom wood in place I "spackled" the unused holes with JB and later sanded them smooth. This didn't hold up. They didn't pop out but you could clearly see the outline of the holes and that the "plug" had separated a bit. On my current boat, faced with the same situation, before I installed the new transom, I filled the unneeded holes with JB and used a little sliver of aluminum flashing as a backer. So far it's held up better.
 
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