Newbie question-how thick should resin be?

[amidaeus]

I decided to replace the carpet in my 1981 21'ChrisCraft scorpion 210. When I took the carpet and everything else out of the boat I had a nice solid deck, but it looks like some of the deck coating (resin?) has worn down to the plywood. Is this normal? The plywood looks like it has the top ply cracked in places. The edges have a fairly thick coating but some other spots are thin or non-existent.. This started as a winter project but time does not seem as plentiful as it once was. I have decided to spray the "ultra tuff" non skid coating instead of carpet, but I need to know if I should recoat these bare spots with something.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Newbie question-how thick should resin be?

Yes, Recoat the bare spots with Polyester resin, mixed with the hardener. It would also be smart (but expensive) to put at least one (two is better) layer of cloth over the entire floor. Saturate the cloth with poly resin mixed with the hardener. They give it another coat of resin to build up some protection. Poly resin is cheaper than good paint and is much tougher.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Newbie question-how thick should resin be?

It may not be a bad idea to sand the entire floor and coat it in epoxy. Poly is fine and gets it done, but the epoxy will give a better seal. You aren't really in need of extra strengh, it is more for protection from water. If you do go with poly, a layer of mat or cloth will be fine, and you only want to use enough resin to thoroughly wet out the fabric. Resin, be it poly or epoxy, has little strength without the fabric in (think rebar in concrete) it so you wouldn't want a thick coat of it without mat or cloth in it. Good luck...

 

[amidaeus]

Re: Newbie question-how thick should resin be?

Thanks guys... I will go the poly route w/cloth. Appreciate the help!