Floorboard question...

jimyoung

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May 28, 2007
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I have a 20 yr old Avon Redseal, But I dont have a floor.....is it required(seems it would be), where can I buy or find a set of plans for the floor boards, has anyone here ever made their own? I assume they come in pieces for ease of installation.
Thanks for any help or suggestions........
 

Drowned Rat

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Jan 20, 2004
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Re: Floorboard question...

You can float the boat without them in a pinch, but it's much nicer having them installed. You can make the new boards yourself fairly easy if you're handy with a table saw, but the problem is going to be finding the metal rails that attach to the boards. Perhaps you could search ebay for a set of old boards.
 

deejaycee_2000

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Re: Floorboard question...

you can make your own out of marine ply and paint them with waterproof paint (glatex 8) not sure if you get that in your country .... or you can cover it with PVC .... it is normally 3 pieces ....
 

jimyoung

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Re: Floorboard question...

Thanks for the response'....I am ok with the table saw (still got 8 fingers and 2 thumbs)....just not sure about how tight the fit should be.....I like varnish on any wood related to water myself......what are the metal pieces for? I will look on ebay too...........
 

hebby

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Apr 2, 2009
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Re: Floorboard question...

The metal pieces are to connect the 3 floor pieces together to make it rigid. They usually run along the outer edges of the floor where they fit under the tubes.
 

Chris in Indiana

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Re: Floorboard question...

I'm currently replacing the floor in my Achilles and have been researching materials quite a bit. The defender website mentioned in the prior reply is definitly a great place to buy the H joints and side rails, but used on EBAY would be cheaper. I'm going to use expanded PVC sheet for my new floor, which is available at most sign shops and plastic suppliers for about $70 for a 4x8 sheet (10mm thick). It's cheaper than marine plywood, UV stable, doesn't need painting and just as easy to cut and router the edges.
 

jimyoung

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Re: Floorboard question...

Jim,
Thanks for the link...on my way there now....
 

jimyoung

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Re: Floorboard question...

Chris,
I have never heard of expanded pvc....tell me more, sounds like it would outlast wood...
 

Chris in Indiana

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Re: Floorboard question...

I'm one of those nerdy engineer types, which means I'm a cheapskate and tend to look for better options. Paying $600 or so for a plywood floor seems rediculous to me.

Anyway, I spent some time talking to a couple of plastic specialists I know and they reccomended a few options. Expanded PVC sheet is used for outdoor signs and is inexpensive. Essentially it's just like PVC plumbing pipe except the inner core has been expanded like styrofoam, but it's a hard, closed cell foam (water can't seep in) that's really quite strong and very light. The only downside is that the surface is slick so some type of peel & stick treads (bathtub daisies) would be required. There are two basic qualifications for flooring material on a boat: It has to be UV stable and must not shatter or splinter upon failure. This eliminates ABS, Acrylic and many others.
The best stuff out there, which costs twice as much as PVC, is Boatboard which is a variation on HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene). It's heavier but much stronger and it has a non-slip surface finish. Plus there are some color options (PVC only comes in white). If I had a large, and/or high dollar boat this is what I would definitly use. Densilite is another variation on the theme with a diamond type pattern surface. Incidentally you can cut, router and drill all of these yourself, but it's generally only about $100 to have a supplier do it for you with a water jet. That makes shipping easier unless your lucky enought to find a local supplier and have a pickup truck to haul a full sheet home.
All this sounds like a pain but it pretty much amounts to measuring your old floor, making some sketches and then waiting for the new boards to get sent out. Once they arrive there is no sanding, staining or any of that mess and this will still cost less than an all new set from Achilles, Avon or whomever. Just my 2 cents!
 

jimyoung

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Re: Floorboard question...

Chris...that makes me rethink wood for sure......where can I locate it?
My other thought is UHMW....again a variation on polymers....I work with engineers every day( I am the power transmission/motion control sales guy),though I think UHMW may be a little heavy in a 3/4 cross section. I dont think any less will have the rigidity needed.
 

Chris in Indiana

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May 29, 2008
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Re: Floorboard question...

UHMW was also another good option, but I think was much more expensive than Boatboard $400+ for 1 sheet! Maybe not, it's been a while.
On the thickness issue most inflatable boat floors are 3/8 (10mm) so that's the size of H joints and side rails you will find. A 3/4 sheet of anything would be well over $500 I would think. Gotta run - may write more later.
 

seawolfcatfish

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Jun 14, 2009
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Re: Floorboard question...

i live in the philippines and there's very limited supply of parts and accessories for inflatables here. i have a 10'2" achilles inflatable with no floors. does anyone have a plan or something so i can make my own floorboard. preferable material is marine ply. we have that here. thanks.
 

Ducati John

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Sep 4, 2009
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Re: Floorboard question...

I'm new here and have been doing a search on various things I need to restore my 15 year old Zodiac (Z131). One of which is making a missing section of floorboard. I spent the better part of a day detailing the boat and sanding/painting the transom. Before I make and install the missing floorboard I'll have to reseal alot of delaminated floor. Making the missing section out of marine grade plywood shouldn't be a problem, but without the connecting slates and the two aluminum side runners, it would be impossible to keep the floorboards together. That would be the biggest obstacle. Fortunately I have those parts.
 

dlindeblad

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Jul 9, 2009
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Re: Floorboard question...

I had to repaint my floorboards with a good marine paint. So the walking surface was not slick as snot I went to West Marine and rubberised marine paint. It was grey, or white if you wish, and has little pieces of rubber in the paint. If you don't like grey or white a dying agent can be used. BTW stringers are a must to keep board together and not porposing when you ride.
 

squidwood

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Apr 11, 2010
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Re: Floorboard question...

Hi all,

I have come across the same problem (bought an inflatable with no floor) so I cut some boards out of ply then I use this to join the boards together

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Soffit-Jointi...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item33578a44f5

Its cheap and being plastic makes it easy to cut, it doesn't require painting, and it will not rot!!

I plan on using plastic boards, I made some boards out of ply before I bought the plastic.

The 'I' or 'H' section will accept a board 10mm thick and is available in brown too incase you want to use wooden boards

Dave
 
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