Fiberglass boat restoration help needed

Hello, we are about to start restoring this boat and we are very new to boats in general. I am pretty clear on restoring the fiberglass, however the deck is what I am having trouble with. The plywood between the hull and fiberglass deck is rotted, and I wanted to try and put a wood deck down instead of replacing the fiberglass. The question is, if I cut the deck around the edge to remove the plywood, would I be able to put a wood slat deck directly on the hull? I did not know if this would comprimise the sructure of the boat or if that weight would be too much. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Re: Fiberglass boat restoration help needed

Welcome to iboats Dry Dock,

It would not be advisable to use a slat deck, as yes, the plywood deck is a part of the boats structure.

You would have to modify the stringer system I'm sure to accomdate slats as well, I would go back with plywood as it was orginally.....there are several options for finishing the deck..

Re: Fiberglass boat restoration help needed

I agree with cadwelder, plus I think going with the original ply wod and glas would muc easier.

Re: Fiberglass boat restoration help needed

Cadwelder said:

Welcome to iboats Dry Dock,

It would not be advisable to use a slat deck, as yes, the plywood deck is a part of the boats structure.

You would have to modify the stringer system I'm sure to accomdate slats as well, I would go back with plywood as it was orginally.....there are several options for finishing the deck..

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, I was hoping to be able to get the look I wanted but it is not worth comprimising the structure. I Know reforming the glass would be much easier, but I dont mind putting in a lot more work if it would be possible. If I modified the stringer system and put a "rail" around the inside to mount the slats onto would that be a viable option to keep the structure?

I am very new to boat repairs, I want to research as much as possible before getting started so that I understand how the boat is built. If I have to go back with the original deck I will, but if anyone has any suggestions for something other than the plywood/glass deck let me know!

Re: Fiberglass boat restoration help needed

Welcome Aboard! Stick with the original design I would suspect if the deck is rotted you may have some underlying issues in the stringers and transom area... Post some pics of the deck removed so we can see what your working with