pontoon boat decking

Hello,

I own several pontoon boats. All are either fiberglass or polyethylene. When I re-deck them I use marine grade plywood and then put marine grade carpet on top. These seem to last ten years or so. I am thinking of trying something different with the next one I re-deck. I am thinking of trying a product like awlgrip or tuffcoat.

I currently do nothing on the bottom of the decking. They definitely get wet from both spray and humidity.

I also fasten the decking down with elevator bolts. Cant get a definitive answer from either company to if their coating will stick to stainless steel that is fastened to wood.

Any recommendations or things to consider? I was also thinking of coating the bottom but fear any water getting inside would cause water rot from not having a way for water to get out of the wood.

Thanks for any ideas to throw around. I have til spring, so Ill be taking the boat apart all winter. Nice work to kill time while walking the dog.

 

I'm not sure what problem you have that you are trying to alleviate.

You are trying to extend the maintenance period.

What your using is not satisfactory for some reason.

You don't like walking your dog.

I assume you are renting these pontoon boats out, and if so there is more than just maintenance has to be considered.

Carpeted ply is good to walk on. Will absorb vibration (motor). Glass, eg. bottles etc. dropped on it are less likely to break. And of course non slip.

Ply covered with stainless steel will be more expensive, paint won't stick to it, it will be slippery, get hot in the Sun, has a different expansion rate that ply so will come loose and will corrode because of the galvanic action between other metals.

If you only have to maintain them every ten years it doesn't seem too bad.

I don't know what an elevator bolt is, we obviously call it something else here. Picture please.

Poida

 

The stainless steel is just bolts the way I read it. But whay you say about vibration damping and less chance of damage if something or someone falls on the decking, makes sense, especially if there is a bit of sponginess to it. Might get too heavy when wet though.

 

An elevator bolt, well stagger me.

Are they what you would use to bolt elevator buckets to a belt or are they used in elevators that lift people from floor to floor. What English speaking people call a lift?

Poida

 

Elevator Bolts are designed to hold together canvas belts used in grain elevators and other conveyer systems. The large diameter of the head and square neck creates a greater bearing surface to keep the bolt from going through the soft conveyer material.

 

I've replaced countless decks because of carpet and it doesn't matter what type of carpet is applied, they all trap moisture under them which eventually causes issues.

If you want the plywood to live longer, then you can encapsulate it and use a different anti skid approach. There are a number of polyurethanes and polyureas that will offer waterproofing, noise and vibration control. I'd recommend an automotive product called Lizardskin (> www.lizardskin.com <) and yep, it'll stick to your fasteners.