REPLACING FLOOR ON 24 FT PONTOON

[TW80CJ5]

I have an older pontoon boat that has three pontoons. I primarily use it only to ferry luggage and supplies from the boat landing to the river house. Since getting to the river house is only possible by boat, I often haul lots of stuff in and out. I previously have floated a Terra-Mite backho down there, so I need the flooring to be strong.

I am replacing the floor due to rot. I doesn' have to be pretty or finished, so I am using 3/4 PT plywood.

My question is whether or not to double layer it. A buddy says no because it will facilitate rot. I say yes, only after applying some commercial grade epoxy paint that another buddy has donated to the rebuild. I am thinking that if I apply a couple of coats to both sides and the edges for the first and second layer, that it will give us enough protection for 7-10 years. That's what I am hoping...I want to put another coat on after all the screws have been screwed in on boat layers and them put a coat of anti skid paint to keep the deck from being slippery.

Keep in mind this boat is used often and stays docked at the landing and is exposed to the elements in the Panhandle of Florida.

Any comments or suggestions are welcomed.

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome to iBoats!!!

Two things. 1.) PT plywood EATS Aluminum. The chemicals in it are totally non compatible with aluminum. You must use something to separate any contact points. 2.) Unless the plywood is totally dry and that can take a long time, any and all paint can have problems adhering to it. The High Humidity in Florida will make drying the plywood problematic in my opinion. Using Regular Ext. Grade Plywood and coating it with 2-3 coats of the epoxy paint would be just as effective and cause a lot less issues. Does the epoxy paint have UV inhibitors? A lot do not. This is problematic as well. I like to use my own ext. grade wood preservative and it would be 100% compatible with the aluminum, and preserve the wood and allow you to paint it in a few days with no issues. Several aluminum boat restorations have used it with good success here on the forum. You can also use Rustoleum Oil Based Paint after using the preservative to give additional protection and this will add quite a bit of longevity to the deck. The best alternative would be to coat the plywood with epoxy or Polyester resin but this would add significantly to the cost. This is JMO. Others may come along with more.

You could replace the whole deck with 6 sheets of Ext. grade plywood and the sealer and Spar varnish and antiskid for approximately $600 bucks.

For the Back Hoe, I'd recommend laying down some 2x12's on top of the 3/4" decking to Beef Up the Drive On Area . That's really all that's needed.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Welcome aboard

DO NOT USE PT PLYWOOD ON YOUR PONTOON.

As WOG indicated, the salts used to treat the lumber will eat up the aluminum.

Since this is more of a utilitarian vessel, I would use aluminum grating and seriously beef up the structure since you are moving a mini-backhoe However if you want to use plywood. use exterior grade plywood and coat with a mixture of turpentine and linseed oil. feel free to use two layers. I am recommending the wood preservative over epoxy because most epoxy is not UV stable, and it is slippery as heck when its wet.

 

[Bob_VT]

I will also tell you of a major rebuild I did 22 years ago that went array. We stripped a 24 foot pontoon and the owner had purchased 6 sheets of plywood....... the plywood was the wrong thickness and we ended up getting 6 more sheets. We had coated all the plywood edges and sealed it up.


He got on the water and he also had 6 durable sheets of plywood we used on a shed.

Stay with the original deck thickness. All the brackets and channels will match up.

Regardless.......your rebuild will outlive the old original construction which will put you ahead.