making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

[bobbo268]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

i called the local hardware store the other day and they have a big carpet roller with a push handle for 12 bucks for 24 hours rental so when i do that i will be picking it up. i'll have the garage at 70 for the 24 hours following the carpet installation. i'll have to call back and see exactly what the weight of the roller is.

edit: They only have a 90lb linoleum roller fro 12 bucks a day. The store on the other side of town has a 100lb linoleum roller for $18 day. Either of these enough for the job?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

You really need the 150 lb. carpet roller. Try tool rental companies and some Home Depots rent tools too.

Other tool rental companies you can check are United Rental, NES Rental, Sunbelt Rental. Do a google search for tool rentals in your area.

 

[bobbo268]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

tried 4 places today, 100lbs is the most. I have one more to call tomorrow, and thats the last one in the area..... maybe a lawn roller filled with water??

 

[jackd1023]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

Okay. you can always have some kid stand on it while you roll it around. It works in a pinch, had to do it a couple time when laying sheet vinyl.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

Got any old Weigths laying around?? tie em on and go to town!

 

[bobbo268]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

Well, i tried to add a little weight. The kid old enough to stand on it was not available, but it was a pain in the ***. Laying it was ok, but all the glue oozing out of the sides from the roller was a mess. I used a 1/8" teeth trowel as specified and made as thin as possible, but oh well, its done. Its WAY lighter than i expected, but oh well. If it gets dirty, i'll clean it. no big deal. i have a tan carpet in my house as a welcome mat and for all the years of snow, mud, dirt, and road salt it still looks pretty damn good (and its never been washed). I'm going to let it sit for 36 hours, trim the edges, and start putting the edges on. I still have to put new siding in the rails before putting them back on (hopefully all this weekend).

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

To replace the flooring on a pontoon boat is a 1 week full time job. If you're working weekends, it might take 4 weekends working hard. Since it's so time consuming, there's no reason to skim on materials.

My pontoon is a 1985 model, and it still has the original marine plywood on it. And it's still sound because I have not left it out in the rain over the years.

3/4" marine plywood 4x8 should be about $75 per sheet. You cannot buy it at Lowes or Home Depot. But every medium size or larger city has plywood dealerships that sell the stuff. And it's available at independent lumber yards close to the coastlines. If someone's wanting to charge you $125 a sheet, they're ripping your head off for an unreasonable profit.

What's not been said is that this stuff is without voids in the 7 plies and it's very structurally sound. It's also what keeps your boat from flexing, etc. Lesser plywoods and other decking (aluminum) is just not strong.

Just suck it up and use marine plywood. That way, you won't be going through this nasty job again in 7-8 years. Since pontoon boats are aluminum, it's common for them to remain in families 20-30 years. It's not somewhere to skimp for $250 difference in cost.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

Welcome to the party Bama. 3/4" Marine plywood (BS 1088 stamp & all) IS available at some HD's. I've been tO 1 here in WV & priced it. Had a whole bunK filled rack of it.

I do believe that bobbo left the original deck down, so it's still whatever the OEM used........................

 

[Dockmaster007]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

Ok, I wouldn't worry about doing too much to the plywood then... a couple coats of spar urethane should be fine because you're just going to be tearing this decking out in another 6-8 yrs. and putting down new decking and carpet when this new carpet goes bad.

... or you could do a better sealing job and use a longer lasting deck finish that repels water... and carry a throw rug/blanket/beach towel for the baby's bottom and not have to replace your decking for 15-20 yrs. That baby is only going to be a baby for another 2 or 3 years.

I plan on using birch from Home Depot. Initially I will thin out the resin so that the wood will drink faster and deeper, then finish off with finishing resin. I will make sure any wood imperfections on cut ends fill with resin. Then during completion coating the finished piece with a couple of coats of resin and in the screw holes as well. Although, nothing is forever, and to properly store the boat covered and angled for drainage is key to longivity. P.S. Also, regarding those that are interested in a fast hull coating; remember a simple rule of thumb: Smooth and waxy for autos in the breeze and rough to prevent surface tension (drag) in water. (Note composite water skis all have rough bottoms). Furthermore, I have used graghite paint on boat bottoms below water line with amazing speed results(lasted for years).

 

[jigngrub]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

I plan on using birch from Home Depot. Initially I will thin out the resin so that the wood will drink faster and deeper, then finish off with finishing resin. I will make sure any wood imperfections on cut ends fill with resin. Then during completion coating the finished piece with a couple of coats of resin and in the screw holes as well. Although, nothing is forever, and to properly store the boat covered and angled for drainage is key to longivity.

Birch veneer plywood is actually one of the poorest choices for marine applications, it's an interior grade plywood that doesn't use the WBP exterior grade glue (they use a Soy based glue instead... what's up with that??? Are you going to eat it?). Using and ABX, ACX, or BCX grade plywood would be a much better choice... and MDO is even better.

If you'll use the proper resin to begin with, you won't need to thin it for penetration. The USComposites 635 thin epoxy resin is designed for penetration without thinning and the plywood will suck the first coat right up. 4 coats will be like a sheet of Lexan bonded to your decking.

You're correct about the proper storage of a boat, it will lengthen the life of a boat substantially.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: making your own marine plywood out of home depot plywood??

Birch veneer plywood is actually one of the poorest choices for marine applications, . . . (they use a Soy based glue instead... what's up with that??? Are you going to eat it?). . . .

Birch plywood for breakfast ???