Alternative to plywood floors

[82SleekCraft]

Hi all,
The time has come to replace my wood floor under the carpeting. Has anyone used a material other than wood? The first thing that comes to my mind is fiberglass. Fiberglass is used on all new deckboats. Any thoughts?

[BrendellaJet]

just use the wood. Its the easiest to work with. Make sure none of it is exposed(cover with resin and/or glass) and it will last a long time.

[steelcomp]

There are composites that come in sheets that are very strong. Also aluminum honeycomb sheets used for things like aircraft flooring. Pricy, but lighter than wood, and going to last longer by far.

[beerjet]

If you resin the wood good enough , it'll last longer than you will ever need it to and the wood is cheap.
-beerjet-

['75 Miller]

Wood is fairly cheap, but if you concentrate on Beerjet's avatar long enough you may be able to get some wood for free!

[olbiezer]

i agree with ya on the staring at beerjet's avatar and new wood weeeeee........ :) your boat is a 82 and u will prob get rid of it in 5 years so use the wood its easy to use

[rerfert]

Cut the 1/4" fiberglass with a skill saw to get a good look at the wood
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_004f_006.sized.jpg
then replace the rotted wood (and stringers also in my case) new wood floor
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_002f_008.sized.jpg
glass the 1/4" sheets back in.
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_006f_006.sized.jpg
OK you get the Idea it wasn't that easy be well worth the trouble
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_007f.sized.jpg
Boat was free and I was in between jets at the time.

[olbiezer]

rerfert.......your a miricale worker dude.......lots of work but i bet u made a nice profit selling that cruser :)

[CcanDo]

Plywood may be cheap - but it is far from being the ideal material. Modern foam boards (fiberglass/foam composite) are not only as strong or stronger, but are MUCH lighter and will not rot. May cost an extra $100 to $200 to refloor your boat which makes it a "no brainer". Most foam boards like Airlite, airex, baltek, decolite, or my personal favorite, Penske board ( available in a 25 pound foam boar - tremendously strong) can all be purchased at: http://www.compositesone.com. We have used these in our 150mph offshore boats with all types of fiberglass materials including kevlar and carbon fiber. Works very, very well. Also, I highly recommend West System epoxy resin for all repairs. Again, costs more but does more.
JE

[rerfert]

rerfert.......your a miricale worker dude.......lots of work but i bet u made a nice profit selling that cruser :)
52 hours after work (between 2 guys) over 2 weeks and $225 in materials........neted $2200 in a week.
We were looking into what they call Starboard, 4' x 8' sheet for $200. (something like what the white plastic kitchen cutting boards are made from) But could not get any local and the freight was a killer.
It also wasnt a keeper...still on the water today.
http://www.yumaduners.com/albums/album41/Mvc_002f_010.sized.jpg

[1979tarva]

hey i just did my floor it was pretty easy i went to lowes and bought the thickest ply i could find then got epoxy gatage floor paint and coated the wood in 2 coats make sure you use american tradition i think it was it worked great then i glassed the top only all the way to the sides and from front to back it works great and feels strong to me