A thought on flooring

Homerr

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What are your thoughts on setting your flooring a few degrees off level for drainage?<br /><br />It would make sense to me. Kinda like a concrete patio under your shed. It's recommended that a slight angle is applied to the pad for water drainage.<br /><br />I'm not saying place your stringers off level, that would be a bad thing. Just tilt your floor a bit.<br /><br />H.
 

crab bait

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Re: A thought on flooring

how would one do that ..?? if'n the stringers a level.. you lay the floor to the stringers.. <br /><br />anyway ,, there's no need.. it ain't goin' to be perfect anyway .. only takes a slight fall to get water rollin'<br /><br />also with the pitch & roll an the 'hang' in the back.. water on the deck wont be siitin' still.
 

Bondo

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Re: A thought on flooring

I'm with Crabbait on this one.....<br />When i built my semi-rigid bimini, friends told me it would hold water because i built it reasonabaly flat..... Quess what ? a boat Never sets level... on the trailer, in the water, Never....<br />when i installed my new 1/2" pressure treated plywood floor, i let it Breathe for a year(actually, ran out of time,Fishing is Much More Important).. Then coated it with epoxy,+ light weight cloth... while still "wet", i "dusted" with blast sand... when cured, i vacuumed up the remaining sand,+ painted with rustolium to seal from UV light...
 

Homerr

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Re: A thought on flooring

I have a few high spots in my cross-members on my floor. I can sand them out I suppose, but I thought if the floor was slightly titled in those places might help the run off. Besides...Getting tired of sanding, fiberglass and otherwise...<br /><br />I agree, a boat never sits level anyways.<br /><br />Bondo...<br /><br />How'd the pressure treated work out?<br /><br />I've heard that's a no-no in the boat building process.<br /><br />I still need to buy plywwod myself. I can't get AAX ir ABX around here easily. And go figure..I live in Oregon and 2 hours away from our largest plywood maker!<br /><br />I was thinking of ACX. Most of the floor will be in the cabin and below deck. None of it will be directly exposed to the elements.<br /><br />H.
 

crab bait

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Re: A thought on flooring

i wouldn't do any more sandin' .. if'n the stringers aren't perfect,, so what.. lay the floor.. an if it has a little slope ,,all the better..<br /><br />you just don't want a sharp hunka glob here & there on the stringer tops .. it would be like layin' carpet over walnuts.. but a<br /> smooth imperfection is fine.. <br /><br />the sand idea is a good one.. but i hear there gettin' away from that ,now.. <br />there usin' saw dust instead..<br /><br />about the 'ACX' ... well, you know how i feel about the junk...
 

Homerr

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Re: A thought on flooring

Thanks again Bait...<br /><br />Like I say, it's below deck anyways, and on a fishing boat. Cosmetics is the least of my worrries.<br />My goal is to have a tough, sturdy boat that I don't have to worry about running into the dock and scratching it. <br />Kinda like having that 'ol farm truck vs. your nice truck. It's nice to have both.<br />I like my runabout for the lakes, fun asnd fast, but I'm always worried about scratching it.<br /><br />I forgot to ask...<br /><br />When final laying the floor down, what would you use (if any) to bed it in place?<br /><br />Would you mix up some resin and filler, or could you use something else like liquid nails, etc...<br /><br />I'd prefer the filler/resin, but I have a lot of floor to cover. <br />I mentioned liquid nails, as the stuff bonds at the molecular level I think! (lol)<br />Very strong stuff. Worked great in my bathroom around the tub enclosure.<br /><br />Thaks,<br /><br />H.
 

Firewood

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Re: A thought on flooring

If I remeber correctly I used ACX for my floor. It has the same glue as marine grade, same type of wood (douglas fir). The face is "A" grade sanded and the back is "c" grade. The only difference worth mentioning is that marine grade has less voids in the middle sheets that are laminated. I wouldn't call ACX junk. I'll see if I can find the link to the break down of the plywood.<br /><br />I came up with this:http://www.rci-mercury.com/files/bz02046.pdf
 

crab bait

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Re: A thought on flooring

i wouldn't use anythin' but epoxy & fillers.. but since your usin' all poly resin,, i guess poly & fillers..<br /><br />either way,, use fillers..it's all to thin without them fillers..<br /><br />i wouldn't use liquid nails ..only cause i read in 'wooden boat mag ' not to.. <br />plus i think it's to soft.. but ask around..<br /><br />acx is junk for boat biuldin' imho.. just has to many big viods..<br /><br />the only way i'd use it [ but i wounldn't] is to glue down a 1/4 in sheet floor & glue another 1/4 sheet on top .. or 3/8 on 3/8's...
 

Homerr

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Re: A thought on flooring

Thanks Bait.<br /><br />As I said, this floor is all below deck. The only time it will see any weather is if I take the engine doors off, or forget to close a cabin window. If the water gets up high enough to reach the floor, then I'm already sunk!<br /><br />I was talking with the wood yard today, and he confirmed that it's the same glue as the marine stuff. It just has more voids like you said.<br /><br />The original ply that's in the port side of the boat is still in good shape. <br />The floor that I am replacing on the starboard side rotted mainly because water came in from the flybridge thru a pipe for the controls. <br /><br />The factory idiots didn't bother to run this pipe all the way down to the bilge, nor did the original owner cover the boat. <br /><br />So anyways, if I could have found AA, or AB, I might have bought it. I can't justify marine grade since it's not going to be exposed all the time.<br /><br />Thanks everyone!<br /><br />H.
 

Bondo

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Re: A thought on flooring

i also heard that p/t is a no-no, But, 3 years ago, i built a new 3 layer transom, glued with resorsonal... and put 1/2 on the floor... epoxied the next year... NO problems, Yet... i don't worry about the transom because there's enough hardware through it, that If the glue fails, it Still isn't going anywhere... the floor shows No sign of delamination.... of course, the stories i've read about p/t not working in boats, May have been written by authors who use.........."Polyester".........<br />And of course, we All know ... poly is a casting resin,+ epoxy is a bonding resin....<br /><br />(just Had to Beat that horse One more time)
 

Homerr

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Re: A thought on flooring

Yea yea yea...LOL<br /><br />I suppose if I was going to leave my boat in the water most of the time, I would have went with epoxy. <br />But as it will only see constant water for about 2 to 3 months in the summer when it's moored, poly will be OK.<br /><br />I am going to final coat with tinted epoxy anyways. It should help.<br /><br />H.
 

Bondo

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Re: A thought on flooring

Ya, you're going to have one hellof a boat when you're done.....i'm at your site looking at the mystery floor now.....Seems like you could turn that into usable space... i see where it may add strength, but as you are going to add bulkheads anyway... you're Lucky... your starting with a clean slate... build it anyway you like....
 

SCO

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Re: A thought on flooring

I'm with you Bondo. We put a lot of stock in epoxying plywood for transoms together, and I'm one of the worst, but you know they dont make plywood with epoxy. Next tome I might use the plastic glue "weldwood"
 

crab bait

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Re: A thought on flooring

they use a rescortial [ sp. is butchered]<br /><br />which some cliam better then epoxy.. <br /><br />but hard to work with an not user friendly <br /><br />if you ever take a piece of 1/4 in. piece an break it .. you'll see black glue.. it's that said glue..<br /><br />if'n your goin' to experiment.. use a polyurethan glue [ gorrilla glue ]
 
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