New to Boating World - Need Help With Floor Replacement

[thenewguy]

no problem. hopefully is the weather is good I'll get started on it this weekend.

by the way in terms of epoxy for the new plywood..is there any that homedepot sells that would suffice? or the local hardware store

 

[jbo_c]

About everything you find at a standard store is going to be poly based(even though it says ‘epoxy’). For true epoxy You’ll want to go to Raka, duckworks, boatbuildercentral or similar places others here are familiar with. Not affiliated with any of those. They’re all places I’ve bought from and been treated well.

Jbo

 

[gonzo]

Marine plywood and epoxy is overkill for a 94 Bayliner. Exterior grade and polyester/matt will give you another 20+ years of service.

 

[thenewguy]

Cut all the bad sections out and I found the foam only near the stern is water bogged. I know it's needed for buoyancy and support to the stern so I'll put new foam back in that section. Is it true you can use foam pool noodles??

 

[bajansailor]

You will have basically the same amount of buoyancy if the compartments under the floor are empty and if they are filled with foam - in fact the buoyancy will be a bit less if they are filled with foam, as the boat will then be a bit heavier.
You mention that the foam near the stern was water bogged - sounds like it was not 'closed cell' foam. Foam is not much use if it soaks up water like a sponge.
I would be inclined to just leave the compartments empty, while ensuring that they are watertight.

 

[Blueknarr]

The foam is there to fulfill a Coast Guard requirement for post catastrophe bouyancy. Simple air filled Chambers don't meet the requirements. Whatever stupidity that causes a hull breach is also likely to disrupt the chamber's integrity as well. The foam filling will provide bouyancy after the hull is flooded.

Expansion foam, ping-pong balls, pool noodles or cut up styrofoam all work.


Before you seal everything up. Check the transom for core rot next to where the saturated foam was.

If enough water got into the "sealed" bouyancy chamber to saturate the foam, then water penitration into the "sealed" transom is highly probable.

 

[hoytedow]

Epoxy! Be sure to seal all surfaces, even screw holes where water ingress will cause rot in a short time. Sunlight kills epoxy. Cover it.
Polyester is inferior to epoxy in sealig wood.
Polyester withstands sunlight extremely well.

 

[PeteL]

Hallo Thenewguy,

One of my friends actually removed the carpet for the same reasons you mentioned, and their experience with epoxy wasn’t great either due to quality issues — it can discolor over time. You’ll likely be better off with wood or vinyl. I have Dura Teak on my boat, and I’m quite satisfied with it, even though I generally prefer real wood. However, I don’t miss the frequent maintenance and painting that comes with wood. Apparently, they’ve even improved the heat resistance now. If you plan on making a similar upgrade in the future, I recommend checking out their website: www.dura-teak.com.