Re-decking a Bass Boat

[Steve876543]

I'm about to embark on a new project. The wood in the deck is rotted, so I'm replacing the front and rear deck of my 86 Cajun, and recarpeting the whole thing.<br /><br />Is marine-grade wood necessary, or will 3/4" pressure treated plywood be alright?<br /><br />Also, any advice/words of wisdom/caution/etc would be greatly appreciated!<br /><br />Thanks, as always.

 

[buttonhook]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

sill the DRY wood with fiberglass resin before install.

 

[farginicehole]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

I've been told that using epoxy resin is preferred to using polyester resin, as the polyester resin absorbs water and won't protect the dry plywood nearly as well. Be sure to seal any screw or rivet holes too to prevent, or should I say "delay", future rot.

 

[bubbakat]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

glass won't hardly stick to pressure treated plywood. use cdx and glass both sides before putting down. I just finished mine and i put a final coat of roll on rino bedliner on it and put my carpet in with outdoor glue. no problems so far

 

[Steve876543]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

This has gone well, with one exception. Air bubbles. I know, I know. I was trying to get them out, but couldn't get all of them. Now that it's hard as heck, I obviously need to fix them.<br /><br />Is it okay to simply use a Dremel to cut out the bubbles, lay down some more fiberglass cloth, and reapply the resin/hardner?<br /><br />Other than that, it's been great, and it'll be nice to have the new carpet down!<br /><br />Thanks for the help all.

 

[JerseyJim]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

id say just lay down the carpet if the bubbles arent too big...

 

[Luna Sea]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

I've always had to "scuff" up the surface and add another coat of resin to get a smooth finish.

 

[Steve876543]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

Good to hear. Thanks Luna.<br /><br />That's on tap for tonight. Some aren't too bad, so I'll probably take the mouse sander to them and apply another coat. The ones that are bad, I'm planning on using a cutting bit on my Dremel to basically cut it out altogether and reapply a smooth piece to close the new hole.<br /><br />Glad to hear that that sounds like an okay plan.

 

[Steve876543]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

Just an fyi, the combination of the sander and the Dremel did a nice job on the air bubbles.<br /><br />I recommend this fix to anyone in a similar situation.<br /><br />Thanks again for the help.<br /><br />(Carpet next!)

 

[S.S__P.O.S]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

hey i got a 1979 monark with a bad floor and THINKING of doing it my self but dont know where to start and ideas?? or web sites??

 

[Steve876543]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

It's not that bad. This was my first time at it.<br /><br />It's basically:<br /><br />1) Rip up old carpet/floor.<br />2) Make cardboard templates to size.<br />3) Trace to 3/4" PT plywood.<br />4) Cut out plywood, securing w/ screws (seal screw holes with marine sealant.<br />5) Sand<br />6) Coat with fiberglass cloth/resin.<br />7) Sand<br />8) Carpet, using marine grade carpet adhesive.<br /><br />I'd do a search on this site for additional info.<br /><br />But if I can do it (thanks in big part to help from this forum), so can you.

 

[willie03]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

Can somebody give me some more info on the resin/cloth you all are talking about? What exactly is it and where can I get it?

 

[Steve876543]

Re: Re-decking a Bass Boat

You can get it for sure at West Marine. I've seen the cloth and the resin there.<br /><br />Also, here on this site, I've found them:<br /><br />Cloth: http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cg...5&cart_id=952883740&current_category=fibergla <br /><br />Resin: http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cg...3249&cart_id=952883740&current_category=resin <br /><br />It's much more messy than it is difficult (from a first-timer). Once you get past the intimidation of doing it for your first time, you'll get it just fine.