Tampaseville
Recruit
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2011
- Messages
- 2
I recently bought a 1988 Sea Ray Seville, 21.5ft Cuddy. This boat is in amazing shape other than some expected minor repairs/improvements expected from a 23 year old boat.
I had some soft wood with some rot which I have cut out to make room for the new wood. As all of you who take on repairs yourself may know, when it comes to repairing rotted wood decking, there seems to be a million options, all of which are somewhat costly. I was told to be sure I epoxy the new wood to ensure that it was waterproof. When pricing the epoxy material, it just didn't make sense to pay almost $70 for enough epoxy to treat a 17" square piece of replacement wood. Instead, I tried something very different. Rustoleum makes a product that is designed to resurface kitchen and bath countertops. It's called Countertop Coating and it is available at Lowes and Home Depot for around $20. It's liquid properties allow it to soak into the plywood and it creates a completely water resistant coating. Water runs completely off of it. Give it a shot, it really works.
Here is what I did, materials I used and cost of each to remove rotted wood and rebuild bad floor section:
1. Pulled up carpet to identify bad areas.
2. Spent about a full week DRYING all wet areas. Don't be impatient
with this step,
TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE THOROUGH. To use the following products,
the wood MUST be dry.
3. Use Engine Starter spray with ETHER, available at Autozone, for use
on areas you cannot reach or that are saturated. This REALLY DOES
works and dries wet wood almost instantly! ($2.65)
4. Once wood is dry, I used "Git-Rot" to treat rotted wood. This liquid epoxy seeps
into the fibers of the rotted wood and cures very hard. Be sure to follow the
directions EXACTLY. ($20 for small bottle, $45 for large)
5. Rebuild sections of rotted away wood with marine wood putty or marine grade
Bondo. (both run about $20-$40)
6. Replacement plywood (17"x15", $5)
7. Countertop Coating for new piece of replacement plywood. ($20)
8. Fiberglass materials ($35-$45)
This project was NOT difficult but it was somewhat time consuming. It is very important to make sure all wood is dry, the Git-Rot dries completely as does the wood putty/Bondo, Countertop Coating and new Fiberglass. The 17" section I replaced took about a week to complete but the new section is stronger than the original floor. I thought for sure this project would be too involved for me but, after looking at it, I realized that time was the most needed part of it. Now that it is finished, I have a great sense of accomplishment and I am confident that I can work on my boat myself. Knowing that allows me to enjoy boat ownership even more.
I had some soft wood with some rot which I have cut out to make room for the new wood. As all of you who take on repairs yourself may know, when it comes to repairing rotted wood decking, there seems to be a million options, all of which are somewhat costly. I was told to be sure I epoxy the new wood to ensure that it was waterproof. When pricing the epoxy material, it just didn't make sense to pay almost $70 for enough epoxy to treat a 17" square piece of replacement wood. Instead, I tried something very different. Rustoleum makes a product that is designed to resurface kitchen and bath countertops. It's called Countertop Coating and it is available at Lowes and Home Depot for around $20. It's liquid properties allow it to soak into the plywood and it creates a completely water resistant coating. Water runs completely off of it. Give it a shot, it really works.
Here is what I did, materials I used and cost of each to remove rotted wood and rebuild bad floor section:
1. Pulled up carpet to identify bad areas.
2. Spent about a full week DRYING all wet areas. Don't be impatient
with this step,
TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE THOROUGH. To use the following products,
the wood MUST be dry.
3. Use Engine Starter spray with ETHER, available at Autozone, for use
on areas you cannot reach or that are saturated. This REALLY DOES
works and dries wet wood almost instantly! ($2.65)
4. Once wood is dry, I used "Git-Rot" to treat rotted wood. This liquid epoxy seeps
into the fibers of the rotted wood and cures very hard. Be sure to follow the
directions EXACTLY. ($20 for small bottle, $45 for large)
5. Rebuild sections of rotted away wood with marine wood putty or marine grade
Bondo. (both run about $20-$40)
6. Replacement plywood (17"x15", $5)
7. Countertop Coating for new piece of replacement plywood. ($20)
8. Fiberglass materials ($35-$45)
This project was NOT difficult but it was somewhat time consuming. It is very important to make sure all wood is dry, the Git-Rot dries completely as does the wood putty/Bondo, Countertop Coating and new Fiberglass. The 17" section I replaced took about a week to complete but the new section is stronger than the original floor. I thought for sure this project would be too involved for me but, after looking at it, I realized that time was the most needed part of it. Now that it is finished, I have a great sense of accomplishment and I am confident that I can work on my boat myself. Knowing that allows me to enjoy boat ownership even more.
.
