Replacing decks

[Mike the mechanic]

Hi all. This is my first post so be gentle with me. I recently purchased a 22' Eastern Boats with a center console that is in need of some major repairs. The boat has a Yanmar 4 cylinder which is mounted on some timbers encapsulated in fiberglass which at this point seem ok. The rest of the deck and framing is another story. The good news is this isn't my first boat so I have some restoration experience. I was planning on removing all the glassed in plywood deck frames and replace them with new exterior grade plywood frames that have been soaked in Smiths clear penetrating epoxy after fitting. Then I would epoxy new exterior grade plywood, again treated with Smiths to the frames. This is were the fun begins. I would like to then lay 1/4 hardwood boards on top of the ply using 5200 to hold in place. Then fill the seams with 5200 for a traditional look. The hardwood I am considering is garapa. This is an inexpensive Brazilian hardwood that is hard and has good rot resistance. Any thoughts?

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Replacing decks

Without pictures it will be hard to visualize what you are working with, not only that, we just flat out like pictures. I cant speak to the products you are using, I do know epoxy and fiberglass don't always bond well, but others will tell you if this is a good plan or not. Show us what you have!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Replacing decks

Welcome to iBoats!
Curious why you're wanting to use the Smith's CPES? What do you think if offers? Garapa is an interesting wood. It's similar to Ipe and or Teak but I do wonder about sourcing? Do you have a good source for it? Have you priced it? It's typically not Real expensive but not cheap either. Looking forward to some pics of your project.

 

[Mike the mechanic]

Re: Replacing decks

Thanks for the feedback guys. I have used Smiths CPES in the past and I love it. The wood readily draws it up and remains flexible and easy to work with. I've found it to have a stabilizing affect on both plywood and dimensional lumber. Also it acts as a primer to anything, paint, epoxy, etc. As for the garapa, I've found a good source in Atlanta. It is used a lot for decking. Unfortunately that's the way I have to buy it 1 x 6 ( 3/4 x 5-1/2 ). It is not as hard as Ipe which I have used on a deck in the past and the color is much nicer and close in color to teak. The cost is $2.30 per foot at 1 x 6. My deck space is around 100 sq feet. I'll by extra for other projects. As for the pictures I'm still working on that. I took some yesterday and tried to upload them but the upload manager just kind of stalled during the upload. I checked the max size for uploads and I'm well within the limits. I called the iForm guy for some help but I haven't heard back yet.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Replacing decks

I'd highly recommend opening a free Photobucket account and using it for posting pics. Much easier and better. copy and paste the IMG Code into your iBoats posts. If you do some research here on the forum, there have been several discussions about the use of CPES by some experts in the epoxy and polyester industry. The general concensus is that CPES is a skeptical product at best. You'd be better served to just use the straight product and not bother with CPES. We have some very knowledgeable and well versed guys here on the forum that really know the industry and they have made me rethink a lot of things that I THOUGHT I KNEW!!!! But Hey, Like I always say...It's your boat, and you can do with it as you see fit. Can't wait to see the pics!!!