Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

[Vile]

Greets:

I've seen a few posts in the forum about floor restoration and rebuilds. Some look pretty scary, others look not so scary.

I have a 90's Javelin Bass Boat that's 15 ft. It's a small boat, but I love everything about it. Unfortunately, the previous owner seemed to have pulled a fast one over on me. He put brand new carpet over the rotted wood of the boat. I didn't notice this because it was covered and I didn't check under every aspect of the boat. I only later found out about the rot when I bought the boat and sat in the passenger seat. When I fell backwards as the seat mount gave way to the rot, that's when I discovered that I need to repair the flooring.

With that said, I don't know the extent of the rot. The seats are mounted on what looks to be foam/plastic/metal brackets in the floor. The wood around it is rotted and therefore, the bracket bolts and etc are stripping out the rotted wood. My guess is the entire floor needs to be replaced, but I guess I won't know fully until I pull up the carpet.

I'm no boat expert nor good with a hammer. But, I have family who is that can help me. I just need some good suggestions on what supplies I may need to replace the flooring.

I also don't know the wording for this, but my boat does not have a second floor or second deck like most bass boats. This is my chance to add a second one and customize my storage the way I want it. Thus, any suggestions on that would be much appreciated.


Regards,

 

[Vile]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

Also!

As I have not actually pulled up the rest of the carpet, what are some good ways to test the wood to see if it's rotted? Right now, I've only seen what's around the seats due to the mounts breaking free. The color of the wood is very dark and brittle, which is why I assume it's rotted. Are there any other good tricks to check for rot? I assume a combination of color and durability?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

Sorry to say but you have rot. Pull the carpet and be prepared for the worse. The deck rots from the inside out.

No tricks no shortcuts. Have you ever contacted the previous owner??? What else is hidden? How is the transom?

 

[GT1000000]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

Hi and welcome, Vile...
Yep, what Bob said...
Be prepared for the worst...
Post up some pics and the guys here will help you out with all the info you'll need to properly restore this boat...
If that's what you want...
Best of luck and have fun!

 

[Vile]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

Sorry to say but you have rot. Pull the carpet and be prepared for the worse. The deck rots from the inside out.

No tricks no shortcuts. Have you ever contacted the previous owner??? What else is hidden? How is the transom?

Well, I've had the boat for a couple years now. The previous owner had moved and that's why he sold it. There is no point trying to track him down. I'll just fix the flooring. The boat was bought very cheap.

The flooring only started to become a problem last summer. Prior to that, I only assumed it was with the mounts. Now that I look closer, it looks like it's much more than that. This is why I need to get this fixed this spring to ensure the floor is going to hold up for this summers activities.

The boat motor had some issues and the motor had some work. It's pretty much a brand new motor based on his experience. He didn't note anything particular bad on his end, and I assume he would have noted something about the back of the boat where the transom and so forth was if so.

But, that does not mean there is no issues with the inner transom right? I guess I won't know until I pull up the carpet and see what lies beneath. If it's bad, I'll just gut it out and replace it all with my family. I'm sure we can get this done with the help I have. I just wanted to get the ball rolling with some suply lists first.

That all said, I've had the boat out on a huge lake for the past few seasons. It's a small boat and has taken some major pressure due to it's size. I've had no issues in the past crashing through big wakes at full speeds or anything like that. It worries me that there could have been with the rot of course, but that's why I need this fixed this spring too. The outside of the boat is all good and crisp. The inside is pretty decent too. The problems of course just seem to lie under the carpet and likely under the floor.

My budget is about $1,000 to get Marine plywood and carpet. If anyone has any insight on costs for a typical 15 foot bass boat floor, then please let me know. I assume I should be in business with what I have.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

1K is fine for a deck. Myself I would go with epoxy and not fiberglass. There might be a quick solution.

Cut the infected deck out with a circular saw and set the blade just to the depth of the deck so you do not cut anything else. One you have the old rotted portions of the deck out you will be able to see the stringers (Or foam which will have to come out if it's wet) and that will be the deciding factor on what the next step is.

 

[Vile]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

1K is fine for a deck. Myself I would go with epoxy and not fiberglass. There might be a quick solution.

Cut the infected deck out with a circular saw and set the blade just to the depth of the deck so you do not cut anything else. One you have the old rotted portions of the deck out you will be able to see the stringers (Or foam which will have to come out if it's wet) and that will be the deciding factor on what the next step is.

Thanks. That sounds like a good plan.

I do have a master carpenter in the family who has done multiple fiberglass work. He has recommended to me in the past that it's a good option. Would it be the best option if he can do it cheap or free? Or is it really not worth the hassel and just use epoxy?

Also, I just read somewhere that someone suggest drilling small light holes in the transom to test the shavings for rot. Is that a good recommendation? I fear drilling holes in a transom haha.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Javelin Bass Boat Floor Restoration

Also, I just read somewhere that someone suggest drilling small light holes in the transom to test the shavings for rot. Is that a good recommendation? I fear drilling holes in a transom haha.

That is the surest way to test. A 1/4" drill should be enough to tell he story. Wrap some electrial tape on it as a depth guild so you dont drill all the way thru and drill from the inside of the boat.