floor repair decisions

[moneypit]

JR Asked.....How are you going to bond the stuff to the floor supports and/or gunwale sides? Use screws to attached to the stringers as you would plywood as well. On the edges you apply 3m 5200. I do have a call into Crownline to check on how they apply it as well. Isn’t it heavy? I was told it was lighter then Marine plywood. You would also have to add the additional weight of the sealers/expoxys/fiberglass and all the mess and waiting for it to dry... At $85 a sheet you could use high grade marine plywood and epoxy. I found marine plywood for 80 plus shipping, which was not going to be cheeper when you also factor in the all the resins. I have not checked on the resin or the glass, but to me it is way over the price of this product and then having to spend all the time and energy of sealing it. [/b] Do you know if resins (epoxy or polyester) and paint will adhere to this? I was told no on the resins but fusion paint which is for plastic could. I will be applying outdoor carpet on mine so black will work for me. They do have other colors and tectures...

[powert]

http://www.uscomposites.com/foam.html

[davaugust]

Hi,

I've been following your post with great interest, as I'm also in the process of redoing the floor in my boat.

I was also interested in documenting and sharing my flooring project, as well as other projects I'm working on, so I made a site for that purpose. If you're interested, it's free.

http://www.shareaproject.com

my flooring project is visible at http://www.shareaproject.com/projectThumbs.php?p=1

I wish us both the best of luck with our new floors!

[johnsonmtz]

Maybe this winter I'll get a chance to finally build that web site to chronicle my project. I didn't have time this summer because I was spending every last possible minute on the water. The floor turned out great and the transom is rock solid. The Seacast was easy to pour and took a great deal of hammering with a rubber mallet to ensure all air bubbles came out.

When I reinstalled the top half of the hull I did run into some problems. I had rebuilt the transom to the exact size of the original, but when I put the cap back on the two pieces wouldn't fit. What I quickly realized was the top was never formed correctly when it was built. So I had to get the saw out and hack away so it would set down properly. That certainly explains why the transom had rotted because there was never a good seal between the transom and the cap.

Next spring I'm going to re-wire the boat simply because I'm not happy with the job I did. The wiring was the last part and I hurried just to get it done. So, I'll take my time and do it right next year. Also, there is some interior work to do. That will just give me enough to stay busy.

Kevin

[shelbygone]

hello everybody,i've been reading all the threads on floor rebuilding and i have a few questions.can i use pressure treated wood for stringers?what if i let it dry long enough? what about flooring,should i fiberglass the whole floor or just use resin? or nothing at all? will carpet adhesive stick to it and what kind should i use?

[shelbygone]

oooookaaaay! how about this.what kind of wood should I not use for the stringers for the floor?!

[Ike]

I hope you haven't disposed of the old foam. If you have, no problem. But if you still have it I may want it. I am working on a research project for the American Boat and Yacht Council studying why flotation foam is failing long before it should and why is it soaking up water? Flotation Foam is normally closed cell polyurethane foam. In some boats where the foam is sealed into a chamber so that it will never come in contact with water, fuel, oil, or other solvents it is polystyrene (styrofoam). Polyurethenes are resistant to solvents. In any case it is supposed to be closed cell. That means it should never absorb water. The Coast Guard tests new boats for compliance with the flotation requirements and has seen an alarming number of boats that have water in the foam. So they gave ABYC a grant to research this. Part of this research is collecting foam from boats that are in use, specifically water soaked foam.

Now for the questions. How old is this boat? is it an outboard, inboard or rowboat under 20 feet in length. Is this styrofoam or some other kind?

When you replace the foam, if at all possible buy polyurethene foam blocks, already made. You can get these from buidling construction suppliers. We have never seen this problem in machine made foam. It only seems to occur in two part "pour" foam. If you can't get foam blocks, use the pour foam but follow the instructions to the letter. That includes making sure you don't do this when it's 20 degrees, or 90 degrees and 90 % humidity. Apparently one of the critical factors is temp and humidity.