Re: Floorboard question...
I'm one of those nerdy engineer types, which means I'm a cheapskate and tend to look for better options. Paying $600 or so for a plywood floor seems rediculous to me.
Anyway, I spent some time talking to a couple of plastic specialists I know and they reccomended a few options. Expanded PVC sheet is used for outdoor signs and is inexpensive. Essentially it's just like PVC plumbing pipe except the inner core has been expanded like styrofoam, but it's a hard, closed cell foam (water can't seep in) that's really quite strong and very light. The only downside is that the surface is slick so some type of peel & stick treads (bathtub daisies) would be required. There are two basic qualifications for flooring material on a boat: It has to be UV stable and must not shatter or splinter upon failure. This eliminates ABS, Acrylic and many others.
The best stuff out there, which costs twice as much as PVC, is Boatboard which is a variation on HDPE (High Density PolyEthylene). It's heavier but much stronger and it has a non-slip surface finish. Plus there are some color options (PVC only comes in white). If I had a large, and/or high dollar boat this is what I would definitly use. Densilite is another variation on the theme with a diamond type pattern surface. Incidentally you can cut, router and drill all of these yourself, but it's generally only about $100 to have a supplier do it for you with a water jet. That makes shipping easier unless your lucky enought to find a local supplier and have a pickup truck to haul a full sheet home.
All this sounds like a pain but it pretty much amounts to measuring your old floor, making some sketches and then waiting for the new boards to get sent out. Once they arrive there is no sanding, staining or any of that mess and this will still cost less than an all new set from Achilles, Avon or whomever. Just my 2 cents!
