Plywood for flooring?

[Bearcamp]

Is there anything wrong with using treated plywood for a floor and deck on a 14 ft. 72 inch wide Jon boat. Should last a while, since it'll be covered when not in use. How bout some thoughts.

 

[Bearcamp]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Also would it be wise to paint it or seal it first? If I seal it the glue to glue down the carpet might not stick.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

sure it will last, as long is it doesnt get very wet...<br /><br />just use regular , non sealed plywood , and cover the crap outa it with epoxie...problem solved

 

[Ken G]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

I used B/C exterior grade plywood with a couple of coats of spar urethane varnish on my first project. The carpet adhesive sticks great and so far the floor is holding up fine. My boat is stored inside so if it gets wet (and it does) it dries out and stays dry.<br /><br />Epoxy would be ideal but when you figure the coverage for a couple of coats on all sides of the plywood the price adds up quick.

 

[davejnz]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

I used a Urethane base coat to cover both sides of regular 1/2" plywood,installed it then rolled urethane top coat over it with rubber granules to give it a non-slip grip.

 

[Bearcamp]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Lot's of good ideas people. Keep'em coming cause the carpet goes on next week. Bottom line is, the boat is going to be covered. But, I want that extra protection. I don't want to be ripping it up in 2-4 years cause I didn't do it right the first time. Sounds like a quality pitch

 

[Gus Mortimer]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

for my floor I used 1/2" MDO, it is a very low void ply used mainly for sign making and has a paper barier on it. aperantly this ply is resistant to weather all by itself. it seems I heard somewhere that pressure treated wood will not soak up resins like epoxy very well. <br /> I soaked both sides of the ply in resin and then cloth and more resin on top. im not sure this is what you are looking for but its what I did.

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

CPES from rotdoctor over marine grade. It's the shizznit.

 

[Bearcamp]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Just talked to a person and he said not to put anything on it at all. Reason why is the treated plywood will rot from the inside out cause your sealing it and treated plywood is really wet when you get most if it. Needs plenty of time to dry. Pretty much said I'm better off doing nothing. So,,,,,I don't know. But I'll kick around everything I've heard.

 

[gewf631]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

I'll agree that the stuff is really wet as you purchase it. When I did the floor in my '75 Starcraft, I used 3/4" pressure-treated, but let the stuff dry for 2 months before I put it in the boat. I carpeted, without any additional protection, and it's holding up fine (it gets wet all the time with tubing and fishing, but it does get a chance to dry).<br /> Had I tried to install right from the lumber yard, the stuff probably would have shrunk as it dried, and I probably would have had trouble with the glue.

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

That's why you shouldn't use pressure treated wood. Just a good marine grade ply if you are going to coat it with something. Marine grade saturated with CPES or epoxy will outlast pressure treated wood by a long shot. Probably at least ten times longer. Maybe more.

 

[brokeboater]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

i had used treated for a floor on my aluminum john boat. i had made it so i could remove to clean out from under. upon removal for cleaning i notice everywhere wood contacted aluminum was a white powder. upon furthur inspection it turns out it was pitting the alum. i was told it comes from the preservative in the wood. fwiw

 

[davejnz]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

That is true.I have heard horror stories with pressure treated in an alumium boat.

 

[ztim]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Hi Bearcamp. I used wood and sealed it like the above guys said. When you put the floor in, cut it to go around the ribs seating it firmly on the installed styrofome (glued down) flotation cells. doing that will also allow you to pick it up for drying or cleaning beacause it won't need to be nailed down. I used out door astro-turf. Lasts a long time.

 

[BillP]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

My 1996 MonArc pontoon boat has 3/4" PT ply flooring and has zero problems. It has been hanging in a boatlift over the water 95% of its life and gets plenty of rot inducing elements. I rinse the underside of the floor with fresh water after every trip too...which makes rot even more likely. There is no coating on the underside and the topside is covered with carpet. They put caulking under the ply where it is bolted to the aluminum framework. I inspected it closly last weekend and the ply still looks A1. That makes 8 yrs sitting outside and it is still perfect. I wouldn't even consider regular ply for a pontoon deck or ever buy one with regular ply, no matter how much "sealing" was done.

 

[davejnz]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

I guess if you insulate the PT ply from the aluminum ,you wouldn't have corrosion issues.I on the other hand would never use PT ply on an aluminum boat.There are too many good products out there that will last almost indefinately if applied correctly to regular ply and stored properly.I am in the condo waterproofing business<br />and have access to the commercial products from FL waterproofing.Sonneborn/ChemRex makes some of the best sealants out there.They regularly have to stand up to the FL coastline (salt,wind,humidity,heat) and have seen there products hold up 15+ years in an exposed environment.I also didn't fasten my floor down,did like ZTIM said and cut around te ribs and with the surface friction capabilities of urethane it holds in place very well.I also designed the floor in 2 sections with a seam in the middle to let water drain.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Marine-grade plywood by definition is made with the same waterproof glue as exterior-grade, plus it has no interior voids. That is, no knot-holes in any of the interior plys. Exterior-grade plywood can rot from the inside because of interior moisture content.<br /><br />West Marine in Dallas advised me to use marine-grade, and to paint it with polyester resin (with hardener), as many coats as it will absorb. Putting it near a heat source as it dries will help it absorb more. I'm putting off my floor & deck job until this fall, but I'm planning on following this procedure, unless of course I get convinced that something less pricey will do an adequate job.<br /><br />jtw

 

[datawire]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Wow... you guys have some great ideas. I'm planning on replacing my floor since a previous owner floored over the center (long) storage hatches. <br />davejnz - the center seam idea is brilliant and I will certainly follow suit. Thanks

 

[SCO]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

I wouldnt spend too much money, exterior ply painted on the bottom and top with exterior house latex and primer. Dont know about the carpet glue and how it would stick to the latex...would check that out 1st, maybe use spar varnish on top where glue attaches. Supposedly, the latex allows the wood to breath, so it can dry out after painting. I think of it like insulation. It is a barrier to fast moisture transfer, but dries out well in the garage between fishing trips if you drain the water out of the hull. The floor on my boat is treated like this but with no carpet or fiberglass covering. approx 20 times a year it gets wet after wade fishing, and it is in great shape after 3 years.

 

[ztim]

Re: Plywood for flooring?

Just regular ol' contact cement will work just fine. Follow directions and it will last years.