Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

[valkyr]

Guys,

While winterizing my boat I happened to find a soft spot in the floor in the ski locker area. The ski locker (for lack of a better word) is in the middle of the boat and has a drain. However, it looks like the floor was poorly designed and any water actually collected in front of the drain. The floor is carpeted (sp?) in the whole boat. I'm wondering how big of an issue this is or might be. Its the only soft spot I can find in the boat. What might be a good way to repair this or at least mitigate any future damage. Already determined to make sure skis are put away dry instead of dripping wet.

Thougths?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

carpet has no place in a boat, imho, it holds water, and germs. if that is rotted, it won't belong before more is, if not already.

 

[valkyr]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

carpet has no place in a boat, imho, it holds water, and germs. if that is rotted, it won't belong before more is, if not already.

I agree with that about the carpet, but what can you do? I can't just strip out all the carpet and walk around on the wood underneath.

 

[backwater dawg]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

How about rip out all the old rotten carpet and install new carpet that you can snap in place---then you can pull it out to dry when you're not using the boat---good luck Steve

 

[skeat]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

Same thing happened to my boat right around the ski storage under the floor. I thought it was just local but once I started the project, I ended up removing all the carpet, and the deck flooring and some of the stringers underneath. That carpet gets wet and stays wet. I rebuilt it all and put Nautilex fooring on top. Doesn't absorb water and looks nice

 

[srothfuss]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

Most definently remove and repair the soft spot now before it gets worse. I'm not up to speed on powerboats but if it's a fiberglass floor, the glass strands will hold water and weaken more over time + add weight to the boat.

After you repair maybe put a towel down in the locker to absorb the water from your ski equipment? Leave the lid open when you are not using the boat to help air dry?

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

My bet is that there is moisture trapped below the floor(s) and any topical repairs from above are useless unless your repairing obvious spots that are allowing water inside.
Do you get any water drainage from below the floor(s), ever? If you do, is there enough ventilation to get the chamber dry within a couple of days?
If not, the rotting process will continue until there is no more food for the fungus to eat.

If the space immediately below the soft spot is not to deep, I might try to inject some expanding aerosol foam under the soft spot.

And I would try to treat the chambers under the floor with fungicide.

 

[valkyr]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

Do you get any water drainage from below the floor(s), ever? If you do, is there enough ventilation to get the chamber dry within a couple of days?
If not, the rotting process will continue until there is no more food for the fungus to eat.
.

"Not sure what you mean about drainage from below the floor(s)?"

Where would I see this drainage?

Attached is a similar (but not exact) picture of the way my boat floor looks with the ski locker. (The right side picture, not the rotted wood picture on the left) - Pulled this off a website a min ago because ski locker looked like mine.

 

[Ezrider_92356]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

i will never install carpet in any boat. in the boat that im working on right now every single peice of wood that was coved in carpet was rotten to the point where you could break it apart in your hands. i plan on using paint mixed with playsand to re cover the interior

 

[jnewtonsem]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

I pulled up the carpet and then sealed the floor and all exposed wood with CEPS from The Rot Doctor. CEPS is a very thin exoxy that penetrates into cracks and hardens and seals the wood. I then installed new carpet on the outside floor only. Left the ski locker bare so I could monitor problems. No problems for several years when I sold the boat.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

Guys, The carpet is not the culprit. Carpet does not force water thru the fiberglass resin and into the wood. The water that rotted out the floor did that because the water either got under the floor via a leak somewhere inside or outside the boat, or the water got onto the wood in the floor via a defect in the floor and rotted it out from the top.

A lot of folks do not like carpet in boats, however, the presence of carpet will not rot out a floor, if the floor is protected by resin and cloth in the proper proportions.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

what exactly is it that appears to be a design flaw, does the water not drain out, is the drain in the wrong place? In my ski locker the drain leads to the bilge and if the bilge gets more than a couple inches of water in it the ski locker will take on water but only at level plane, also on mine the entire box is encapsulated in fiberglass, I had to pull the carpet because of mold but underneath was solid and watertight.

 

[skeat]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

my storage had a teak grate and limber holes for the water to drain to the back of the boat where the bilge pump was patiently waiting, so there appeared to be plenty of ventilation & water drainage, yet the plywood in the storage area was the softest of all. Just constantly being wet all the time took it's toll and of course the holes in the flooring for the seats and other items (not being properly sealed) allowed the water to get under the cloth. I didn't put cloth on top of the plywood when I replaced it, I gave it 3 coats of epoxy...so far so good.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Hmm...Floor rot in ski locker area - Thoughts?

I had similar problems in my 88 Four Winns, the worst rot was under the seat bases and rear seat, unsealed holes, thin layer of resin/glass on top and carpet. Turned into a whole deck stringer replacement. I had it finished in non skid gelcoat, no carpet on the deck, only on the sides under the coaming panels. Usually this is due to a combination of unsealed wood, poor drainage, humidity under the boat cover and the carpet does not help, if water gets under it it never dries out. I'd rip all the carpet up and see what you got. If its only a few spots, you can cut it out and fix it that way, I'd cover the deck in Durabak if you want to do it yourself. Then make sure you use a cover with venting and keep water out as much as you can. Open up the cover often over the winter to allow air circulation.