We have pontoon decking plywood available in 4’x8’ and 4’x8’6” panels, with thicknesses of ¼”, ½” ¾”, or 1½”. What i think is missed by a lot of people is that the raw materials the plywoods are made of have deteriorated significantly over the years. The main advantages of marine plywood are only utilized IF (!) You lose the strength of the plywood backing over time meaning that the fibreglass is then vulnerable to cracks and structural damage. Fitting a wood panel floor can be a hassle with some designs, particularly if you're working on the water or on the deck of a sailboat. Yeh that’s right a product labelled as marine plywood that is not suitable for boat building – like a kitchen knife not suitable for chopping vegetables or a TV that doesn’t show sports! We also offer water putty for filling in any screw holes, gaps, or cracks created while installing plywood decking. The most common material used for boat flooring is BC plywood, and it is also used for fiberglass boats in particular. Replacing The Wood In The Floors Of My Boat - Bass Boats As for the wood in the three boats I've done I just used five ply 1/2" plywood. Most hardwood marineply that is manufactured in asia fails. Marine plywood must be purchased at a specialized wood or plywood supplier, and is available in virtually any major city. Peeled off all the old carpeting on my boat, and realized most of the wood in the back half of my boat is pretty rotted. There are ways that you can repair a rotting boat floor, but doing so may make the problem worse if you don’t know how. Wesley Lueck. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "b0f6c-20";
This was located underneath a faux teak floor meaning that it is most likely the original plywood used to build the floor of the boat. Using marine plywood. It’s economical, durable, and can be used in a variety of ways, including flooring, paneling, and furniture-making. The end grain has been exposed meaning water has crept between the plywood and fibreglass over time. I use at least two coats on all other surfaces. Welcome to HydroDeck Marine Flooring. Harris specifically uses marine-grade plywood with a tongue and groove fit to ensure a watertight finish. However, the need for replacing a boat floor … To build up … Discover (and save!) When the resin has dried, you may wish to smooth off any rough edges with a soft sander. Cost was around the 2500 mark. Stitch and Glue kayaks can be built with regular good quality plywood (not “marine”) and they will be wonderful long lasting boats. Once water is allowed to permeate the plywood it begins to rot. Pontoon Boats are perfect for recreation activities such as barbecues, parties and even just sitting back with friends whilst having a couple drinks. The final choice was based on a higher number of plys/veneers per thickness. Marine ply uses a waterproof higher grade of glue in between the layers of veneer which also has less imperfections than standard plywood, and is marked with ‘BS 1088’  meaning: “BS1088 is the British Standard specification for marine plywood that applies to plywood produced with untreated tropical hardwood veneers that have a set level of resistance to fungal attack. amzn_assoc_region = "US";
A friend of mine used exterior grade pine ply. your own Pins on Pinterest The boat floor is arguably the most important part of your boat. In theory and like most things in life the more you spend the better your product will be and the longer it will last. It’s not unusual for moisture to find its way into this wooden core. The Coosa is lighter than plywood. We install the new boat floor and cut in the ski locker today, nice not to walk on planks across stringers. Photo D is a piece of plywood from the floor of a boat wreck. Thanks for the comment Sam, some really interesting points to consider. Any faults in the board made it explode. The draw back its weight is 1/2 pound per square foot more than marine plywood. But yes…boil it a couple off times and look carefully for voids and overlaps.It’s easier being a boatbuilder to fix and make an informative decision. Exterior grade plywood is a good alternative to marine ply. I now know better and on my next boat I will save $$$ with regular good quality plywood. Alas this is not so. We use an epoxy with an open time of 9 hours when we have a heavy laminate to get together in one hit. The length of the wood screws is equal to the combined thickness of the floor and the marine plywood. Some ply is guaranteed for 15 and 25 years depending on where and what you purchase. Our floors are first of all very comfortable on your feet, hands, knees or what ever else ends up on the floor… In Photograph F above we can see that the underlying plywood has started to delaminate. While BS1088 requires high-quality wood and heat-resistant glues, it is still WOOD. VERY VERY SLIM CHANCE. Treating Plywood for Aluminum Boat Floor Replacement? We install the new boat floor and cut in the ski locker today, nice not to walk on planks across stringers. I have about decided to just do a spray in bed liner for the inside finish, I originally wanted to do carpet or a nice non skid paint but I'm undecided on that right now. Exterior ply may also have voids in between the layers that aren’t immediately visible. but even if two of same make, model and year both have the same brand powering it, the hull may be rated for 90 hp and one of them the person buying it paid for the 90 hp while the other one only got the cheaper 60 hp. Any questions then feel free to get in touch ? Some slight modifications to layout. You’ve come to the right place! Anyone can put a BS 1088 stamp on something, as it isn’t a proper standard any more, it’s basically just there for show: BS being the operative part of that equation! We used ¾-inch treated plywood (the cheaper option), but if you really want your floor to last, opt for marine-grade plywood. I built my 1st Stitch and Glue kayak using BS-1088 plywood because that’s what everybody are doing. Cover the plywood flooring pieces with a fiberglass mat, and seal in place using a fiberglass resin. amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
you have to think carefully about what you are using the ply for. I am thinking I want to seal the new plywood on all sides with Jamestown Distributors TotalBoat Clear Penetrating Epoxy. Every time I have lifted glass from a ply deck or cabin more than 10 years old, there has been a disconcerting amount of mush in there, coming from delaminations in stressed areas like around winches and cleats, also fastening holes, etc. ( BTW: “Fingerprint” occurs early in the cure process… it is when you can firmly touch the epoxy and leave a fingerprint, but it does Not stick to your finger. You can replace your floor in a short amount of time and with minimal labor. Any fiberglass boat pre about 1980, and any resined floor/transom/etc. The inside measurement of the floor width is 50". mercury is the most common one, having more sales then anybody else has that effect. Surely if the wood is not exposed then the material lying underneath doesn’t need to be water resistant? It’s not unusual for moisture to find its way into this wooden core. It’s all good and well only wanting to use marine plywood but if none of your local building supply store’s sell it, then you won’t get very far! It's very easy to put a new floor in most aluminum boats, so the down side of a low cost job not holding up long enough and needing to be done again isn't as critical as on a fiber glass boat. Though, all of this requires a solid pontoon boat decking. Above is a picture of sundried eucalyptus plywood basking in the sun in full glory. the big differences tend to be in floor layouts, how the interior or the deck is laid out. We Recommend That You Contact Us For A Shipping Quote For Plywood Prior To Placing Your Order. The front 5 sheets of OEM marine plywood is as solid as it was when the boat was new. He took it for pressurised Tanalith treatment. It is composed of durable face and core veneers and should be free of voids. What’s the best way to prep a pontoon floor (plywood of course) in order to lay peel & stick closed-cell foam pads such as SeaDeck? Photo B shows the direct result of water ingress on a plywood cabin side. I am pondering the idea of replacing the air floor, which has since had a catastrophic failure, with plywood and wondering if anyone has successfully attempted this. Doing hours of research on YouTube and Google, I’m pretty sure that every floor I saw plans for used some kind of plywood … Photo C is a perfect example of plywood delamination at it’s worst. After all, how long do I want it to last! Tertius – Wooden Boat Builder from Knysna, Western Cape I also switched to exterior grade after faults in BS1088 grade. amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
It's a '94 Starcraft PikeMaster 16'. Although this stamp is said to be the seal of approval, there have been various arguments over the years regarding the quality variance. Tony – Wooden Boat Builder from São Paulo, Brazil. Copyright © 2013-present Pontoon Specialists. All our boat floor replacement plywood panels are manufactured by Inland Plywood and come with a limited lifetime warranty. The boat is currently a ghostly empty shell with nothing but a loose BMC 1.5 engine. Re: floor Materials for Aluminum boat Another difference with marine plywood is that the plys are laid at 45*, not 90* like normal plywood. Unless a large amount of fibreglass matting has been used with a good amount of strength then your floor could potentially fail. The paint is completely failing to adhere to the plywood substrate and subsequently peeling off. But the test of time will be much harder, and I don’t believe any plywood will survive it without constant verification and maintenance.”. Water resistance, bending ability, and appearance are all key. Whilst exterior ply may not be pre-sanded and visually free of imperfections, it should still use 100% waterproof glue and should be suitable for permanent exposure to outdoor environments. Stanchion bases and chainplates often leak as a boat ages, and often holes are drilled in the deck for new hardware, anchoring systems or dinghy tie downs, and not properly sealed by coating the exposed core with epoxy resin. It would be a pretty awful to be in a capsized boat but imagine the floor conking you on the head as well if it wasn’t attached. Marine plywood is often used to build boat interiors and to replace flooring during boat … The need for a new boat floor becomes inevitable when the floor has a soft, spongy feel that is a sure sign of dry rot. Especially with west system epoxy warmned up to lower it’s viscous state so it permeates the substrate using extra slow hardener for maximum penetration. some things to consider: 1. it is untreated timber, so you must seal it VERY well or it will rot out real quick. The plan is to start with the main floor. All our boat floor replacement plywood panels are manufactured by Inland Plywood and come with a limited lifetime warranty. Our marine plywood for boats is made with CCA treated Douglas-Fir veneers and high-quality, marine grade glue. If the gap is larger than 1/4 inch or the hull slopes away too quickly, you may need to glue 1x1 inch peices of wood under the gap to hold the glue and the new floor. Marine grade ply does however bring good strength and dimensional stability, so great for hulls. Also, I would not even think about using anything but marine plywood with two coats of spar varnish both sides. With this in mind,  I took to searching the internet for the solution. Jul 12, 2017 - This Pin was discovered by Jeffrey Michaels. Jul 12, 2017 - This Pin was discovered by Jeffrey Michaels. The plywood … March 14, 2017 at 12:21 pm #1681129. “Fingernail” occurs later in the process and means the point where you can still barely indent the curing epoxy with a fingernail but cannot break through. I have a 2005 Fryan 580 - the old plywood floor is up for replacement. It is also very heavy and dense and is not terribly successful when trying to get a good bond with fibreglass sheathing. Whether you need synthetic teak decking for boats, teak grating material, locking floor … gives you time to have lunch half way through the job. For partial replacement of the plywood or multiple sheets of plywood, dish out the joint between pieces with a grinder and join the pieces together with fiberglass tape to make a single panel. When I did mine, I added an 8 foot rod locker in the floor … And to support my opinion: Strip built kayaks and boats are not built with “Marine wood”, they are built with any wood, and the strips are glued with regular carpenters’ glue (and not any fancy “marine” glue). About 25 years ago I thought I would build a broadbill duck hunting boat. It's a hellavalot easier to find than marine and cost about 1/2 what marine cost. Need to replace your boat decking or flooring? amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual";
This is why marine plywood has been the boat builders choice for many years. April 2020. I use three coats of good epoxy on ALL endgrain (Any cut in plywood is endgrain). boats in general, and more so with pontoon boats, there are only so many ways to build a boat, and very few material choices. One thing I have learned in my 67 years is that all things expand and contract at different rates. Coating plywood like this will keep water from being able to enter. If you don't have plans of keeping the boat for ever, then you could do it yourself for about 400 - 500 bucks, and to have it done by a shop, it will cost … Marine Grade Plywood for Boat Building. Photo A shows the direct result of not sealing the end of a fibreglass boat deck where it meets the well. However I’ve seen good results with plain old exterior grade H- series treated timber. I am new at this and have a lot of questions. In the United Kingdom some building suppliers, for example Jewsons, have marine plywood listed on their website. Then lightly sand and repeat until the wood grains are filled with the resin. That tropical hardwood core will come from an immature tree and as such has not the longevity or rot resistance of a mature tree. what type of seats, and where are they. This causes the paint to flake off in large chunks, along with layers of rotten ply. May be you should try and go check the marine plywood produced by SMIP-Dragonbrand, I think you won’t find that problems again. 40 years ago a BS 1088 sheet would probably have been fabricated in an established plywood plant using old growth woods for the plywood layers. Replacing the deck on my pontoon and this is absolutely crazy....Marine Plywood is going to cost me over $500-600...then carpet and glue are going to be somewhere around $400. Due to a lack of good affordable sources for marine plywoood i’m now using composite sheeting that I laminate myself with really good results. the epoxied glass cloth is cracked, that means the epoxy soaked plywood AND the glass cloth AND the fill coat are all cracked. but let me warn everyone.