1996 Four Winn floor repair

[Tlide]

I have a 1996 Four Winn Horizon that I inherited from a relative. I need to repair the floor around the ski storage area. Seems from looking on line this is a common issue. I have pulled the carpet back and can see where it splices up to the next sheet of plywood behind the two bucket seats. My first question is how is this flooring held in. I can tell that it is glassed over but do not see any form of fasteners. The other question is if anyone know of a place near Brunswick Georgia or Jacksonville Florida that does this kind of work. Just in case I decide not to tackle it. I'm good with wood working and have also worked with fiberglass during the construction of two strip built kayaks. I don't mind getting dirty and doing the work, but I like to know what I'm doing while I'm getting dirty. Just hate to make things harder or worse than they need be.

Thank,

Tracy

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1996 Four Winn floor repair

Hi and welcome to the Iboats Dry Dock, Tracy...

You will find that a couple of things are going to help make this decision to restore or not...

The age of the boat and how it was stored...
In a nice covered garage for all of its life, or outdoors in the elements without a cover...?
If the floor is soft, there may be deeper issues...
Most boat floors are usually just attached at the edges with resin and cloth, called tabbing...and some are fastened with staples to the stringers, then glassed over...

All of the boats restored on this site are usually done by guys just like you who have never done this type of thing before, but are handy, willing to learn and are determined...

It isn't rocket science but it isn't a cake walk either...

Paying someone to do the work is almost always going to be too expensive and will never be done to the best possible standards...it just isn't profitable to take the time to it the right way...

You may as well save your money and buy a new boat and make payments for a zillion months...

With the amazing amount of knowledge available here on the forum, you can do this and end up with a boat that is put together better than the factory ever could...

The first thing we are going to be asking you for pictures...it helps us see what you see and give the best possible advice on how to proceed...get a free photobucket account...Photo and image hosting, free photo galleries, photo editing

Here is a great place to start getting a lot of info...http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...r/how-tos-other-great-information-288451.html

Read through some of the other restorations going on and look to the signatures of the guys posting for links to their rebuilds...lots to learn...

Once you tear up all the old carpet, you need to remove some of the decking using a circular saw set to just barely cut through...remove and begin looking for signs of water intrusion, wet floatation foam and wood rot...

Then you can begin to decide if this is a project that is doable...

Another thing to consider is the condition of the engine/drive...

And don't forget trailers need maintenance and repairs, also...

Best of luck and have fun!
Gus

 

[Tlide]

Re: 1996 Four Winn floor repair

Thanks for the reponse Gus. I have pulled back the carpet and checked the rest of the floor and the transom. At this time I do not see any concerns in any other areas. I know that may change when I cut the Floor out around the rotted area. I just need to know how this floor is held down to the stringers.

Tracy