Repairing my Carolina skiff decks

[robertmayton]

Hello, I have a carolina skiff that has been somewhat neglected by the P.O. Both the front and rear decks have had numerous holes drilled and cut to mount seats, boxes, trolling motors, etc. All of the wood under the decks is completely rotten.

I pulled the front deck off the boat and cut the inner layer of fiberglass off. I then removed all of the water logged and rotten wood off of the bottom of the deck. Now, i have cleaned up the underside of the deck and I am ready to install a new pc of plywood and re-fiberglass the underside.

My local marine store sold me some csm/woven heavy duty glass and polyester boat yard resin as well as a gallon of cabosil.

They recommended that i put down a layer of resin on the underside of the deck and then set the plywood in the wet resin and place some heavy buckets or something on the plywood. Then, once cured and ground/sanded any resin that pushed out from under the wood, I mix up some resin and cabosil and fillet around the plywood. Then, once i sand the fillet and have a smooth transition off the plywood and onto the underside of the deck, I lay the fiberglass cloth over the plywood, down the fillet, across a couple inches of the deck past the wood and wet it out.

My plan is to then flip the deck back over and feather the edges where the P.O. cut the holes and lay up fiberglass until its smooth and repaint the whole topside.

I do not want to use EPOXY due to cost.

Does this seem like a reasonable repair plan? Have i purchased the correct items? Am i going about this TOTALLY wrong?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Repairing my Carolina skiff decks

They recommended that i put down a layer of resin on the underside of the deck and then set the plywood in the wet resin and place some heavy buckets or something on the plywood.

I wouldn't depend on polyester resin alone for a bonding agent, it's too weak by itself. You need to mix in some cabosil and flass fibers to strengthen it up... or just use some PL Premium adhesive.

I also would suggest more than one layup of of the CSM/Biax, 2 would be much better.

Post pics of you boat and intentions for the best help, verbal descriptions can be misleading.

Have you checked your floatation foam for saturation/waterlogging, this is important too. Saturated foam adds a lot of weight to a boat and slows it down considerably.

 

[robertmayton]

Re: Repairing my Carolina skiff decks

I wouldn't depend on polyester resin alone for a bonding agent, it's too weak by itself. You need to mix in some cabosil and flass fibers to strengthen it up... or just use some PL Premium adhesive.

I also would suggest more than one layup of of the CSM/Biax, 2 would be much better.

Post pics of you boat and intentions for the best help, verbal descriptions can be misleading.

Have you checked your floatation foam for saturation/waterlogging, this is important too. Saturated foam adds a lot of weight to a boat and slows it down considerably.

This is what i was thinking....i thought maybe i needed a layer of glass between the deck and the new wood (all at one time) or i would need to thicken the resin. I just wasnt sure how, how much, or what the best process is.

I bought enough to do multiple layers but this stuf is HEAVY. I think one layer will be considerably heavier than what Carolina Skiff had on there originally. Maybe do one coat over the whole plywood and then one extra strip at the seams?

I will try to get some pics this evening.

I have not checked the insulation as it would require me to cut out ALL of the floorboard of my boat and the boat is almost too light as it is. Carolina Skiff uses sideways (side to side rather then running the length of the boat) glass stringers with foam in between. This is a J16 boat and the hull is fine....I am just not fond of standing on a deck trying to cast as it flexes almost an inch under my feet!!

Just for clarification, the decks are not made into the hull, they are add-ons that get bolted in once the boat gets to the dealer and gets rigged.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Repairing my Carolina skiff decks

Hi and welcome robertmayton...
Pictures would definitely help us see what you see and be better able to give the right advice...
Here is a link to help with your decking by Iboats Member, "Woodonglass"...
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...lly-started-w-pics-384982-25.html#post3586813
If the original deck was compromised as to allow water to get into the foam, it may be water logged and cause performance problems along with compromising the floatation benefit...
It is not there to insulate the boat, it is there in case the boat gets swamped...it should provide a temporary island while you wait for rescue and if possible actually keep it from sinking...
The materials you acquired sound about right, so you should be OK there...
Best of Luck,
GT1M

 

[robertmayton]

Re: Repairing my Carolina skiff decks

Hi and welcome robertmayton...
Pictures would definitely help us see what you see and be better able to give the right advice...
Here is a link to help with your decking by Iboats Member, "Woodonglass"...
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...lly-started-w-pics-384982-25.html#post3586813
If the original deck was compromised as to allow water to get into the foam, it may be water logged and cause performance problems along with compromising the floatation benefit...
It is not there to insulate the boat, it is there in case the boat gets swamped...it should provide a temporary island while you wait for rescue and if possible actually keep it from sinking...
The materials you acquired sound about right, so you should be OK there...
Best of Luck,
GT1M

Ok. Just to clarify...I understand that the foam is for flotation. I had a brain fart and typed insulation. BUT, at any rate, the foam is located in the bottom of the boat. I am NOT working on the bottom of the boat, I am working on a deck. A removable deck that has been removed.

Here are some pictures of the deck in question...

Top of deck

Rear of deck (part that supports and faces aft)

Bottom of deck. You can see where the old wood was, and where i have ground it clean towards the top of the picture. I have a lot of grinding and prepping left to do.

Picture of where deck goes on boat

So...my question still remains, how do i adhere the wood to the bottom of this deck?

Also, why would Carolina Skiff use all of those little square pcs of plywood instead of one large pc?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: Repairing my Carolina skiff decks

It's not flat in either direction is it?

And not to be picky, but it's a raised fishing platform w/ 'open' storage below, accessed thru the 2 large oval openings in the aft facing bulkhead. Correct?

I suspect you said deck and it was interpreted to be entirely different type of deck.

This raised platform is more like a covered bow on a runabout rather then the deck on one.

If it isn't flat in either direction, that's why Carolina used all those small squares of plywood, rather then 1 large piece of 1/2-5/8-3/4 plywood.

Are you planning to rebuild w/ small squares of ply? Then possibly lay a couple layers of fiberglass over the bottom side to encapsulate & strengthen the laminate?

Once done, you plan to use typical fiberglass polyester resin & cloth to re-attach it along it's perimeter? Tabbing it to the existing lip of the hull? You'll need to grind back some gelcoat on the lip to allow 2 layers of overlapping tabbing. You may want to install some cleats under the lip allowing you to bed the platform against a cleat in thickened epoxy to better fully support the cut seam between the platform & remaining lip.


Ok. I'd use a slightly thickened epoxy to bed the squares (possibly bevel cut along their edges so they can more closely abut each other to match the contour of the underside of the platform) and adhere them to the bottom of the platform & each other. Then use unthickened epoxy to skim the surface of the squares & layup a layer of fiberglass 6-8oz, twice.

Since the epoxy is on the underside of the platform it won't be exposed to UV, so you won't 'need' to cover it w/ paint. And since it's on the underside, it won't interfere w/ using polyester resin to tab the platform back into place.