1990 Four Winns 190 Freedom Deck Questions

[foobarmeow]

Hey y'all.

Been learning a ton from this forum. We've owned our 1990 Four Winns 190 Freedom for 3 years now, and have loved every minute of it. My mechanic recently replaced the fuel pump, and we want to replace the deck before this season starts.

The only thing I am having trouble understanding is how to attach the new deck to the stringers. My understanding is that any hole in the stringers presents a risk of them being exposed to water. That said, can a new deck just be glued down as opposed to secured with glue and screws?

Thanks for any advice in advance. Hoping to do this project right, and have a deck that will last for many years.

Pictured is our beloved boat at Lake Powell (lucky we got to experience it before it started drying up). I'll be sure to add pictures as we begin the deck restoration process!

 

[tpenfield]

Welcome to iBoats. . .

Why do you want to replace the deck?
How do you know the stringers do not need some attention?
How about the transom?

The boat is 32 years old and was originally designed to last about 20 years.

It would help with responses to know more about the boat's condition and particularly the deck. If you've read through the restoration forum, you probably came across the saying . . . 'boats rot from the keel upwards and the deck is usually the last thing to go'.

 

[briangcc]

FourWinns went wood free in the early 2000's - my 2005 was touted as wood free construction. Before that you have wood stringers and transom.

If you've read through the forums here you have undoubtedly seen it mentioned that the deck is the very last thing to rot - stringers and transom go first.

A deck over is unsafe and adds weight to your boat. Inspect your stringers and transom by drilling test holes from the inside. If they're wet, you're in for a rebuild. **Tap test with a hammer won't tell ya bupkiss.

 

[foobarmeow]

The main reason for the work is that the carpet is in bad shape in most places of the deck. The piece of deck that goes over the fuel tank is in the worst condition, but does not appear to be coated in fiberglass. I think I might have been convinced that the whole deck is rotten, when really that one piece might be the only cause for concern. Additionally, I know of no soft spots on the deck, but am planning to do a thorough inspection once the boat is stored in the place where it will be worked on (which for a number of reasons, won't be until March) and I can tear out the seats and carpet.

Yes I've definitely read that if the deck is rotten, so are the stringers, but I don't yet have reason to believe that the deck is rotten. Additionally, I've discussed this with my mechanic, and he is of the opinion that because the deck sees the most water, it can often be the first to rot. In his experience, stringers and transoms are more likely to rot in boats that have been stored poorly, for instance, with the drain plug in. Not to say that he is correct and everyone else is wrong, just another piece of information I'm forming my opinion from.

I definitely don't intend to a do a "deck over", if I do have to replace any of the deck.

So let's say I find that I do need to replace the deck, but not the stringers: is glue and screws the only way to go, or is just gluing also an option?

 

[briangcc]

Floor is structural in a boat so I'd be securing it with "glue"/pb and screws.

If its truly just the carpet, a wire brush may make quick work of the remnants to give you enough of a clean surface to glue new carpet to. But if it were me in that case....I'd be cleaning up the floor, painting it with non-skid, and then get some snaps installed for a custom (and removable) carpet.

 

[foobarmeow]

Okay, that seems to be what I have read thus far as well. I was hoping not to drill any holes into my stringers, but if that's the way it's gotta be done, then that's the way! I think I will likely go with the cleat method in that case.

I think you're right on the money about the carpet! I'd really like to be able to take the carpet out and be able to thoroughly clean it, so I've for sure been thinking about installing it with snaps. Thanks for the advice briangcc!

 

[76SeaRay]

Plan for the worst. You may find that when you pull up the deck, pieces of the stringers will come out with it depending upon how it was originally secured. If the deck is rotted, then you likely have water into the floatation foam and that would need to be replaced. If you have to replace stringers, transom, and floatation foam it will take a while unless you can spend most of your time on it in the coming weeks and months. You will also need a warm dry place to work on it.

 

[76SeaRay]

Here is my thread on putting down a new deck. I am following the advice of others and using PB and stainless steel #8 screws to secure the deck to plywood stringers.

Laying the Deck Questions

I read through the decking sticky and it seemed to imply that the deck is just screwed down on the stringers dry. Is that what most everyone does or do you coat the stringer tops with wet resin or peanut butter so that there is a resin bond between the underside of the decking and the top of...

forums.iboats.com

 

[foobarmeow]

Here is my thread on putting down a new deck. I am following the advice of others and using PB and stainless steel #8 screws to secure the deck to plywood stringers.

Laying the Deck Questions

I read through the decking sticky and it seemed to imply that the deck is just screwed down on the stringers dry. Is that what most everyone does or do you coat the stringer tops with wet resin or peanut butter so that there is a resin bond between the underside of the decking and the top of...

forums.iboats.com

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Lou C]

Here's mine....these pix are about 15 years old...hope yours is easier....

 

[foobarmeow]

Here's mine....these pix are about 15 years old...hope yours is easier....

Oh I've definitely seen these before! The end result looks fantastic, I hope I can come close to this with our project.

 

[Lou C]

PS...
The Four Winns brand has gone way up market, there are no more inexpensive boats...the smallest Horizon (H-1) starts at approx 57K. This boat is a 20'1" whereas my old one is 20'9". However the outboard version has a nice big interior due to no sterndrive engine in the rear.
So fixing the older ones, as long as you're happy with how it turns out, maybe not such a bad idea.

H1

www.fourwinns.com