Patching a fiberglass floor with aluminum?

[thormx11]

So I recently purchased a '95/96 Maxum 1700 SR as a winter project. The boat "just" needed some engine work supposedly (thats a whole other story!) Ive got the engine pulled out and sitting in my shop to work on in my spare time.

I didnt see it when I purchased the boat, but once I got it home and took a better look I noticed someone had patched some plywood in the back of the boat over the floors, under the carpet. I decided to pull the carpet up and pull out the plywood and see how bad the floor was underneath.

Its really not as bad as I was expecting it to be, just some soft spots about 1 square foot total on each side of the engine compartment behind the seats. I am not as concerned about these spots as the foam underneath seems solid still, although soaking wet (is this a problem?) The center rear of the floor, in front of the engine compartment, is the weakest spot. I assume because it is just wood/fiberglass going over the fuel tank with nothing to support it.

An Idea I had come up with was to use some aluminum, maybe 1/8'' thick to lay over the soft spots and along the front of the engine compartment (as it is kind of a curve) and fiberglass over it to seal/support it.

I don't want to rip the entire flooring out of the boat, from about 6 inches ahead of the engine compartment to the front of the boat is very solid. And I don't like how they had just laid some plywood down and carpeted over it.

I think thin aluminum along with a few layers of fiberglass would be plenty sturdy and durable. And I could feather it out to where once the carpet is laid over top, you wouldnt be able to see the outline of where it had been patched, like with plywood.

 

[Dennischaves]

Im willing to bet the stringers and transom are rotted ...and you also said the foam was soaked
Thats another bad sign

 

[Scott Danforth]

The floor is the last thing to rot on a boat. Your transom and stringers below deck are rotten

 

[JASinIL2006]

If the foam is soaking wet, the wooden structure (or whatever is left of it) will also be compromised. You really need to pull up the decking over any wet foam, pull out the foam, and check your stringers, transom and motor mounts. Sorry, no one wants to hear that, but many of us have been there, too.

 

[Woodonglass]

Fiberglass will not adhere well to aluminum Uour quick fix is not recommended

 

[thormx11]

Thanks for the reply's guys. I have been busy with work and haven't had much time to check back. It doesn't look like I will be going the aluminum route then. I really don't want to pull the entire floor up and start over. If I was going to keep the boat, maybe, but the plan is just to sell the boat now. Its too small for my needs and I want a bigger boat.

I know the correct/best way would be to pull up the entire floor, and start from the bottom up. But my next idea was to set a skill saw to the depth of the plywood flooring, and cutting out the rotted floor, then dropping in a new piece of wood and fiberglass it in to the old floor. At least this way I would be able to have a look under the floor (at least within the area I cut out) and see how it really is underneath.

 

[thormx11]

I went ahead and cut out a bit of the floor on each side where it was weak. I cut to a stringer on each side of the soft spots. The stringers still feel very solid, and the foam isn't as soaked as I thought. There was standing water on top of the foam under the floor, but once I drained it and cut a couple chunks out of the foam about half an inch deep the foam was dry. The foam that I thought was soaked ended up being some spray foam a previous owner tried to use to fill the hole between the original foam and the plywood they laid over top.

I think I will continue with my 2nd plan of just laying in new wood and glassing it in to the rest of the flooring.

 

[garbageguy]

I went ahead and cut out a bit of the floor on each side where it was weak. I cut to a stringer on each side of the soft spots. The stringers still feel very solid...I think I will continue with my 2nd plan of just laying in new wood and glassing it in to the rest of the flooring.

any pics? cut to a stringer? feel very solid? I think your plan will be a fair amount of work to cover up some real problems. Although it's very hard to tell from here. Please remember, you are responsible for the safety of anyone on your vessel

 

[Woodonglass]

You cant determine the condition of stringers by "Feel. I strongly advise you to drill core samples in the stringers and transom before proceeding. They ARE the most important structural elements of your boat and IF they are bad, your boat is not safe to operate IMHO.