85 VIP Restoration... Question about wood...

I'm beginning the basic restoration of my new to me 85 VIP tri hull. It's a great all around boat. I'm planning a fair bit of fishing, tubing, and being lazy on the water. I'm not going to mess with the deck at this point though I know it needs some work. I want to work above deck for the time being.

So the previous owner/owners decided the rear casting deck had no place on a boat. I'm going to build up a basic deck to hold a fishing seat and a ski pylon up top and have some open storage below. I'm looking to keep weight down but still have some good support considering it will be the base for the ski pylon.

I don't plan to glass it. I don't want to add the expense and labor until I gut and redeck it. But I'll seal it with some epoxy paint and/or resin.

To the point... Does anyone have any suggestions on wood? Will basically anything do if sealed?

I'm not new to woodworking or electrical or mechanical. I am however new at applying those skills to a boat. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!

Re: 85 VIP Restoration... Question about wood...

Welcome to iBoats!!

3/4 " Ext. Grade Ply. 2/3 coats of Basic Polyurethane. (Pay CLOSE attention to the edges). I might even use some 10 minute epoxy on the edges. Two coats of Rustoleum Professional Industrial Oil Based Enamel and it should last 5+ years.

Re: 85 VIP Restoration... Question about wood...

Awesome. Thanks! I haven't dug down under the carpet yet so I don't know what all lurks beneath. I'll be doing that as soon as I escape from work today. But, based on my rather comical fall (I wish someone had caught that on camera!), I figure it's in dire need.

I see you recommend polyurethane. I've been wondering what I need to use to seal it. I've been thinking about glassing the edges and seams. Would you recommend that? Or would you recommend going a bit lighter on the seams as I may have to do this again in a few years? I really want to do it right and I haven't factored in the idea of having to do this again a few years down the line. I'm kinda hoping to get this thing in good enough shape that I can sell er off and be in a Carolina Skiff in a few years!

Also, I don't know what sort of stringers or stringer damage is down there. With moderate woodworking and construction skills, are these really that hard to replace? I may have to move soon and I wanna get this thing lined out before I lose my garage!

Thanks for the insight!!

God bless!

P.S. I guess I should've mentioned I'm considering replacing the deck now too based on what I've read and the condition I know the boat to be in. So the question really applies to the framework above as well as the deck below. Sorry for leaving that little tid bit out...

Re: 85 VIP Restoration... Question about wood...

Lots of info on rebuilding the below deck structure in this section
Post some pics of what your working with we will be happy to give you some help.

Re: 85 VIP Restoration... Question about wood...

Will do. I have a lot of before shots already. I'm gonna dig down to the deck tonight to see what's what and I'll start a new thread for the restoration then. It will be restored, or at least fixed up, to some degree. If nothing else, I need to paint it. The baby blue has to go!