Replacing floor of center console boat.

[JBuzzard]

I'm replacing the floof of an 18' center console. PLywood went soft. Stringers are ok. Whaat are the alternatives to plywood. Foam sandwich?

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome: to iBoats . . .

The short answer is yes . . . A fiberglass floor with foam backing encased in fiberglass is a way to go. Others may have some additional suggestions. The challenge will be making 'the sandwich'.

After you have a few posts, you can post pictures so that the folks here can better visualize what you are dealing with.

Also, I would triple check those stingers, bulkheads and transom. Lots of folks rip up the floor and think the stringers look/feel OK, only to later find out that they are not.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Welcome aboard

As Ted mentioned, go back and check the stringers and transom. the floor is always the last to rot.

 

[gm280]

If you have a rotted floor without rotted stringers and such, it would be amazing. But I think the stringers are merely hiding a surprise inside. Take a drill and do a few test drills looking for light colored shaving to come out. If the shavings are dark and/or wet, they are gone! If you do have quality stringers the test holes can be plugged over.

Oh and welcome to iboats. Glad to have you as a new member. :welcome:

 

[JBuzzard]

We're doing the transom and the stringers are glass channels. No wood.

My question is what core material. Coosa (aka Penske)? which one? Core-Cell? Divinycell?

Biggest span is about 18"

 

[kcassells]

pics

 

[Mad Props]

Any of those options above have very little tensile/shear strength, so you will need to compensate for that with quite a bit more fiberglass/resin than a standard wood build. Nothing wrong with that, but just going to cost more money. If it were me, I wouldn't even use a core material for the stringers if you're not going to use wood. I would make template forms for each stringer out of wood or plastic, and then layup your stringers over it and then remove the filler and glass them in hollow. You could also pour structural expanding foam in each stringer to give it some extra stiffness.

The transom definitely needs a core and any of the above will work great because its almost entirely compressive loading which they are great at.

 

[JBuzzard]

The stringers are fine.
I'm replacing the deck that rests on the stringers and am lookng for non-plywood alternatives that won't rot out and will be lighter.

 

[chevymaher]

It is coosa board and it is cubic dollars more.

 

[tpenfield]

Pictures :noidea: