Boat Decking

[Moparmadness316]

I am going to replace the deck on an 18 foot 1984 Sea Raider bow rider. I see so many different discussions about replacing the deck. I removed carpet because you can feel soft spots in the floor. What I found under there is horrible. I have seen this stuff in Lowe's. I think its used on walls in a house. I think it is called OSB. I don't think that this has any place being on a boat. But the question is.... what is the best thing to use to replace it? Plywood? MDF? What is the best finish to use after? I have seen posts that range from Poly resin, to epoxy resin to just paint. I am going to put a marine grade carpet back down. Advice please...

 

[jbcurt00]

Marine ply
Aurauco (sp?) ply
MDO (Medium Density Overlay NOTMDF)
ACX exterior grade ply (NOT pressure treated)

^^^ are all good choices, and you are correct: OSB is not

Polyester resin and both 1708 and CSM fiberglass

Plywood w/out resin and glass is not suitable in a fiberglass boat.

Expect to have more work ahead then you expect (hope?) once you pull the plywood.

IMO a 1984 boat w/ a few soft spots in an OSB deck has had les then sufficient 'repairs' done in the past. Might even be a deck over, w new OSB ply laid directly over the bad original plywood.

A pix of the exterior isn't helpful when asking advice about redoing the interior of the boat.

 

[Twainer]

Yeah unfortunately the chances of the stingers & transom being in good shape are slim to none. This is a BIG job but if you are a handy man you can do it all yourself with the help of some of the pros on here. Just be sure to NOT cut corners & follow the procedures shown on here. Otherwise you will be wasting a lot of time & money.

 

[Woodonglass]

This might be helpful to instruct how to properly install a deck.
You need to check the stingers and transom BEFORE you put the deck back down.

Fabricating Decks, Stringers, and Transoms

 

[JASinIL2006]

Woody's pages are great; they tell you what you need to know.

Prepare to find more bad news after you pull the deck... If the previous owner used OSB, odds are good he did an incomplete or halt-arsed job. I hope all is well below the deck.