Old fiberglass boats

[Eyemadman]

Several weeks ago I posted a message for advice on how to go about redoing the floor in my 23 year old boat. The 2 replies I got were you cant do it the boats shot and if you got insurance burn it. Well for those people who cant afford to buy a new boat like myself heres what I did. I got a circular saw and set it to 1/2 inch and cut the old rotted old out you will see stud like stripes running parallel with the length ( be careful not to cut these ) best way to find them is punch a hole through the rotted wood and tear it up till you see or feel one, mine were about 9 inches apart. Once you remove the wood get marine pywood the same thickness as the wood you removed and piece it in, screw it down with galvinized screws we used 1 1/4 inch make sure to get the right size for your boat. Next step is to get fiberglass resin and to seal it to keep the water out. Well thats it looks like she'll be good for another 23 years! Caught over 100 keeper walleyes out of her last year not ready for a new one!

[Hans]

Thanks for the info. One of my sons is in similar straits..... Has an older fiberglass boat with a strong engine, but soft wood floors, and no budget for a new boat.

He's looking at doing the same thing.

Did you consider using treated plywood (that green stuff they use for below-grade construction work) instead of marine grade? Just wondering, and if you had a reason you rejected that in favor of untreated.

Hans
--
"There is nothing ; absolutely nothing; half so much worth doing,
as simply messing about in boats." :-)

(Even older fiberglass boats!)

[EricCO]

I am in the same situation sorta. I have an older fiberglass boat (1983)that is meant for skiing. The floor is fine, but the slots on the side that hold skis (I use them to hold rods) are rotting. I'm terrible at reverse engineering. How should I approach this or should I just leave it alone.

[Eyemadman]

Hans, The wood I used was treated chem 4 that was their " marine plywood " as the rep stated, he noted that a few boat repair shops use it. Im also going to seal it with the fiberglass resin. Im sure any treated ( wolminized ) should work fine.

[Eyemadman]

Eric, I had to replace my side rails too. What we did was take the old rails, use them as a template and cut out new ones, same shape, same size and use galvinized screws to mount. Just pay attention when you take the old ones off how they are mounted

[EricCO]

Actually it's not the rails. I have just ripped the rails off. Now no one grabs them anymore.

The part I'm talking about is under the gunwhales. It is a little shelf made of wood covered by upholstery and carpet. I'm not sure where they ar e bolted. Do you know if Thundercraft is still in business and how to get ahold of them?

[bob oh]

Eric,
I think I did the same thing you are talking about on a Thompson. Just took them off like Eyemadman said and used them as template. Replaced and they were OK. Thing to watch on a floor job is to make sure the stringers are OK and then make sure you don't damage them while replacing the flooring. Stringers are a lot more work, but you absolutely need to check them while you have the floor out.
Bob

[Polski]

Just a note on "green treated wood" most of it is treated for insect damage, not for water. If your going through all the work of putting in a new floor,I would by the best grade of marine plywood you could afford. Another note, why are all you guys fixing your boats now instead of last winter? the Walleyes are running, and they don't care what your boat looks like, put that old boat in the water and wait till next year. Good Luck.

[Eyemadman]

Thats what I meant was the side shelves at the bottom of the gunwale