Deck Repair

[IDFISHER]

I feel kind of foolish asking this after looking at everyone's impressive restorations and beautiful finished boats but here it goes anyway...

I just picked up a 1976 Starcraft SS and when I picked it up I knew I would be replacing the carpet but now that I've pulled up the carpet it appears that the first layer and maybe a little more of the plywood underneath is getting soft. I don't have the tools, skills, or desire at the moment to rip everything out and start from scratch. So i'm wondering if perhaps I could tear the carpet out, lay a sheet of 1/4" or 3/8" plywood down over the existing flooring and adhere my new carpet to the new plywood. If I could get 3-5 years out of this I'd be happy and might be more willing to do it again and do it right down the road.

Are there any issues that I might run into with this method or any other methods to consider?

Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[kcon]

If I've learned anything from reading just about every thread with deck rot issues, and trying to replace my own semi-rotted deck with similar intentions as you (just replace the deck with fresh wood) I can tell you with great certainty (as I'm sure the more experienced guys here can as well) that if your deck has rot issues you likely have many more rot issues elsewhere in the boat, likely in more important spots such as the transom and stringers. Wood rots bottom up in boats. My deck had one small soft spot, once I pulled it out I found the stringers to be 70% rotten, and a 100% rotten transom. (It's a wonder I didn't sink, seriously the transom was all mush)

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome aboard.

The nice thing about your SS is the stringers won't rot, they are aluminum. Decks and transoms go mulchy in tinnies.

Replacing the deck with new plywood is a weekend job if you plan it out and isn't much more time than doing the bandaid cover-up which won't last as long as you think.

 

[Scott Danforth]

A floor in a tinny is a weekend job