Flooring question

[63Electra]

Ok I'm sure there is a right and wrong on my flooring question and that's why I'm asking. I have a 1963 Texas Maid 20' cabin boat. We are completely restoring (redoing) it and I have a few questions about the floor.
the stringers are all aluminum and so is the hull. I saw a boat online that they used planks (not teak wood) that they did the whole floor in and it looked amazing. Naturally any water that was inside the boat would go through the floor and the bilge pump would remove. This boat also has a auto drain installed from the manufacturer. With it being all aluminum, does it hurt to have this kind of flooring and what am I not thinking about that might be a bad idea to do this? I looked into marine plywood but I'm also told that it will still deteriorate when exposed to water. Especially where the screws go through the wood. It would be easy to slap some marine wood down, carpet it and call it a day. I'm wanting something that looks different and is super durable. The stringers are about a foot apart and also has cross sections. Again I'm not saying that plank wood is the way to go, just looking for ideas. I also looked at "Carbon Core" flooring but cant find much online except from the company that makes it. Looking for ideas and pro's and con's. Thanks in advance!

 

[63Electra]

For example why couldnt I use synthetic decking that is waterproof?

 

[cptbill]

You could use anything as a floor if yo can keep it from being ruined by water or are willing to replace it all the time. That synthetic deck planking seems very slick to me, my brother in law has that stuff un his dock and it just seems slippery but maybe he just used the cheapest he could get, I don't know

 

[ahicks]

Have you considered using alum. as a flooring materiel? I have it (with carpet) in an older 22' Lowe deck boat. It doesn't have the solid feel some floors have, but there's no maintenance concerns either.

I'm in the process of doing a second 20' alum. deck boat (this one is a Grumman, also a total rebuild) and went with the marine ply. Each panel is wrapped in vinyl (Nautolex, glued and stapled) then fastened individually to facilitate easy access to the bottom of the boat for any reason (wiring, leaks, plumbing, etc.) later on.

The issue I've heard of with the synthetic might be weight. It's REALLY heavy! It also needs a lot of support to prevent sagging as it ages.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

Wood decking looks wonderful but remember any wood, water resistant like Western Red Cedar. Teak or White Oak will eventually rot when exposed to water unless one is ready to spend countless hours on it keeping it water resistant. Besides the upkeep on wood it ain't exactly cheap. If and when I replace the carpet in my StarCraft I am leaning towards a vinyl flooring with the checker plate finish for slip resistance made exclusively for marine applications.

 

[63Electra]

All good points. My boat is a monster. 7.6' wide and 20 ft long. I have regular redwood looking deck at my house. It's been through snows, rains, hot hot summers and still looks good. This is why I was considering it. It's easier to install than measuring and cutting plywood (crosswise vs lengthwise since my boat is so wide) and it eliminates carpeting holding in moisture. It will always be under a carport so the only sun and rain it will get would be at the lake.

I'm interested in the aluminum floor but not sure how big of sheets I can get of it or how much it costs comparative to slats or plywood. I like the fact that once down it's down! No deterioration. My stringers go the length of the boat and are also aluminum. I will be adding more sideways supports between the stringers for strength.

 

[ahicks]

Your boat is the same size as the one I'm doing (8'x20').

As far as wood needing replacement, that's pretty much a fact of life. It's not THAT bad though. The ply in this '93 Grumman is 26 years old. It still felt solid to walk on, mostly because it was well supported, but the ply was shot. That was obvious from looking closely around the edges, where the rot is usually noticed first.

I would not use carpet in any restoration as I believe it holds water as well. And sand. LOTS of sand! So the wood really struggles to dry out once it's been wet.

I've used vinyl floor covering twice now, and from what I see to date that's what I'll use from now on.

I wouldn't take a re floor project on if I were in a hurry. Cutting and measuring the wood is just not that big a deal with no deadline or people demanding to know when it's going to be done. Even if you do just one panel a day, it's going to take what, a week? The prep work is going to take longer than that, just to get it disassembled and ready to lay the new whatever you use.... I've been over 6 weeks on the project I'm on now and STILL have a lot to do! It is starting to look like a boat again, which is encouraging. Nowhere to go from here but up!

 

[roscoe]

The wood on your home deck is pressure treated.

You can't use pressure treated in an aluminum boat as the chemicals used in the wood will react with and corrode the aluminum boat.

 

[63Electra]

Thanks Ahicks! I dont mind doing plywood. My only thought is that I have torn this thing down to nothing...let's make it cool and as different as the boat.
my deck is not pressure treated wood. Its regular dried wood with a sealer on it.

 

[63Electra]

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[63Electra]

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[63Electra]

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[ahicks]

Knowing full well how you got there, from very recent memories, that doesn't look bad at all!

I should have taken more pics when I was at that stage. 1st pic shows all of the storage compartment doors in the floor I had to deal with and how the individually covered sections look like when installed. Second pic shows it a couple of days ago, after the sides, which were in terrible condition from dock and bumper damage, had the exterior skins replaced.

 

[cptbill]

Keep us posted on the outcome, looks like a great project

 

[Scott Danforth]

synthetic decking has zero structural elements to it. it needs to be supported with a wood framework on a deck.

it literally is recycled milk and soda bottles.

so that begs the question, what do you plan on using for structure to put plastic deck on?

 

[63Electra]

Scott, the aluminum framework is the same distance from each other as a deck. I have a customer that has it on their deck and I walked all over it. Even the edges were very stable. I also plan on running planks side to side vs lengthwise so they will be attached every foot. I'm adding aluminum side stringers also

 

[ahicks]

You better look at the weight before you get too far with your plan.

 

[63Electra]

I have a customer that has a deck made of composite materials. It's very sturdy and solid. My stringers are 1' apart. Closer than they are on a deck. I'm also adding side support to all my stringers. The boards would be installed sideways vs lengthwise

 

[63Electra]

I have a customer that has composite decking and it's very stable and sturdy. My stringers are 1' apart closer than on a deck. I'm also adding side braces between the stringers.

 

[63Electra]

Ok....I looked at the composite wood and holy crap that's 2 or 3 times heavier than wood! So that's out. I really want that wood look tho without rot