Boat floor repair

GLE3

Cadet
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
27
I have a 1977 Chrysler that has two soft spots within 3 foot of each other. I satisfied with only doing a marine grade patch repair on it. I'm hoping I can get a bit of help as I have read quite a few things but don't see all my answers.

1) Can I remove the indoor / outdoor carpet in a way that after I make my patch repair, I can re-adhese the same carpet back on? Use a stripper on a dremel for removal? Use a solvent like goo gone?

2) Does it matter what kind of saw blade I use to cut through the wood and fiberglass. I have a circular and jig saw.

3) Will I have to remove some of the foam under the sole/deck in order to plant a frame around the area to mount my patch to?

4) Is stainless steel wood screws the way to go when mounting patch? Or can this be done without screws?

5) I will take recommendations on products that get this job done. Adhesive, waterproofing the patch, fiberglassing after the patch is placed..

Thanks in advance for any help!
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,524
You might have better luck if you post this in (or if a mod could move it to) the Boat Restoration, Building, and Hull Repair sub-forum on this board. Lots of good help to be had there.

One of the things you'll be asked is whether you've checked the boat's structure and foam for water damage. Decks are usually the last thing to rot, so soft spots in the deck are often indicative of bigger problems beneath.

Anyway, if you ask a moderator to move your topic, you'll probably get a lot more help.

Good luck!
 

H20Rat

Vice Admiral
Joined
Mar 8, 2009
Messages
5,199
Boats rot from the bottom up. 99% of the time, when you have soft spots in the floor, everything else below (and behind) it is probably bad also.

Why are you cutting fiberglass? Shouldn't have a need to cut fiberglass for a simple floor repair.

As far as the rest, it really depends what you want to do. Have you checked if the transom is solid? (put the motor down, stand on it, bounce some, watch to see if the transom flexes) If you don't want or need to do a full resto, the correct way is to remove the entire floor and replace with the proper materials.

No one is really going to recommend just doing a patch, that is a very short term temporary fix. (I'm ashamed to admit I've done similar, as well as just laying a sheet of plywood over the original floor to get another couple of years out of a boat that was at the end of its life.)
 

GLE3

Cadet
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
27
Thanks for the response! To be honest I don't exactly know what is underneath the floor as far as potential damage. The transom seems solid, when you say flex you mean movement at top edge of transom? It 'flexed' slightly but I assume a little is ok..

Guess I'm showing my inexperience here but I thought laying some degree of fiberglass is necessary to keep water out. So are you saying just epoxy would be needed?

I understand why some may not want to help as they don't agree with my methods. I still hope others will share there experience if they have done something similar. The time and money for a full floor repair just doesn't seem doable now. Once winter rolls around I could look into a full floor repair maybe. Sources on this kind of exact thing are limited. Does the link below accurately cover my repair?

https://www.sportsrec.com/256883-how-to-repair-a-damaged-floor-in-a-boat.html
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,524
I don’t think a solid transom should flex at all, not even a little bit.

The reason that you probably won’t get a lot of support for a quick patch is that, without investigating, you don’t really know if your boat is structurally sound and safe. (Soft spots in deck + flex in transom + 42 year old boat = reason to suspect more significant problems)
 

Redtruck12

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 25, 2018
Messages
344
“A little bit of flex “
kind of like a little bit pregnant
or
a little bit of Cancer

you our need to read and educate yourself on what you need to do and how to go about it 🤔
 

matt167

Captain
Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
3,630
Sources that come from a media account are usually just blatent lies to get readers/ viewers. Everything about that article sounds wrong. That's why you don't find a lot of info, because the info is plain wrong.

Transom is generally 1.5" thick plywood from the top edge to the keel. Flex is not supposed to be there. Along with that Chrysler boats were built pretty cheap and we have watched some restorations on them..

This is just the first Youtube video I found on a collapsed transom. You can find others https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE1ufZspnEA
 
Last edited:

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,924
Transoms Don't flex at all!!! All wood in a fiberglass boat should be coated with resin and glass so yes you will need to cut the glass that is encapsulating the wood cores of the transom, stringers and deck. Almost ALL 42 year old boats will need to have a Total Restoration. The second link below will be good info for you.
 

CrazyFinn

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Dec 12, 2016
Messages
357
Once you follow the advice given by the others here, that circular saw will be your friend. Just set the blade depth so you don't cut through the hull, and cut out the floor. Then dig out all the rot you find down there - which likely will be almost everything. Then cut the inner skin from the transom to get at the rotten wood (that is allowing it to flex).

Just being a realist here so you can be prepared for what you will likely find.

Read the links the good people above have posted for you. Just patching the floor is kinda like putting a band-aid on cancer. Won't fix the problems hidden under the floor...
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,296
Transoms should be stiffer and more stout than the rock of Gibraltar.

any flex means its rotted.

start by going thru all the links in this sticky https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...r/295740-how-to-s-and-other-great-information

specifically start with link 14 in its entirety. watch every video, etc. then link 18, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b

soft floor means the transom and stringers long ago rotted

If you want to keep the boat, you will need to restore it properly

you wont be saving the carpet

you will be completely de-rigging the boat, removing all the interior, etc, maybe even the cap

you will be building a cradle for the hull

you will be cutting out the floor

you will be completely gutting everything

you will be replacing your stringers, transom, bulkheads, foam and floor

estimated cost will be about $3-4000 for wood, resin, fiberglass, PPE, foam, gel, carpet, etc.
 

buxmj

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 9, 2018
Messages
294
Although all the advice above sounds daunting and maybe depressing, safety is what everyone is trying to emphasize. I am in the middle of my full restoration of my 65 LynCraft 15' runabout. There is so much great help here and you won't get any condescending attitudes from others. I am learning that everyone who gives you advice here was once where you and I are now when it comes to knowledge on what to do and how to do it. As the above YouTube video shows and many have said, having problems on a boat is not like breaking down in a car, you want to be sure that boat is completely safe. The first one I bought didn't make it to restoration, too much rot to save. This is my 2nd try at boat restoration and hoping this one splashes someday! I have already learned so much from this forum and looking forward to the reconstruction now that most of the deconstruction is done. Good Luck!
 
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