Boat Floors

[jocool]

Has anyone ever seen a floor for a boat that IS NOT Made from ply covered with carpet?

I'd be interested to know if there are any new materials used for flooring! 8)

[blaze]

hI JOECOOL
there is a sheet product out now used in manufactering fibaglass boats that is of close cell type material, cant recall the name at the moment,see if i can ind out in the next couple of days
cheers
blaze

[paz]

you can get a stuff that is like plastic sheet,,well i spose it is plastic..lol,,,only about 10mm thick,,maybe more....will see if i can track down what it is called.....need some for my boat as well...
paz

[jocool]

Thanks boys. Im sick of looking at my floor and the way it buckles and curls up on the corners of the hatches! >:(

Looking forward to the replies. 8)

[NQCairns]

There is one product called Klegcell (PVC composite ) it is used in many new boats as a wood replacment like Cyclone. I looked into useing it although without expensive vacume bagging it does not come close to the structural strength of wood (still doesnt, but good enough), but it will last forever. Wood is still the best if you can keep the fresh water out, and dont mind the weight penalty. nq

[blaze]

I reckon thats the stuff i was on about
cheers
blaze

[jocool]

Thanks Blaze and NQ..Ill see if i can get more info on it! 8)

[NQCairns]

Hey Jocool hold onto your wallet when you find out the price :o. I think to replace the floor and transom on my boat with it (just laminated) was my whole restoration budget blown - not really but close all the same. Up untill then I was sold on it's good points. Try FGI (Fibreglass International) Cheers nq

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

I put a set of ply decks in my tinnie. Carpeted the front casting deck and the area behind the back bench seat. Screwed aluminium strip all round the edge of the carpet to hold it firm and looks good.
But the middle deck that gets wet and bleeding fish on it and all, I just put the ply and stuck those strips of stickon grip stuff (like thin strips of #sandpaper) and sealed all over them with marine varnish type stuff. All sealed, non slip and can wash it down. Looks pretty good with the varnished wooden finish in a tinnie as well.
I know you were looking for something different to ply and carpet, but I think leaving the carpet off the middle deck makes all the difference for ease of cleaning and still plenty of grip with the strips there.
Just a thought.
Cheers
Jeff

[goodoo]

I HAVE DONE FITOUTS NOW ON THREE TINNIES AND ONE FIBERGLASS USED PLY SEALED IT WITH POLIESTER RESINLIGHTLY THINNED WITH M.E.K NOT ACETONETHIS ALLOWS BETTER PENETRATION INTO THE BOARD ON THE FIRST COAT THEN ANOTHER COAT OVR THAT WITH NO THINNING NEVER HAD A PROB WITH PLYS SEPERATING :GOODOO

[lordy]

You can always get ply and have it fibreglass professionally or DIY the glassing. A mate and I are doing up an old hull and we've used ply then coated it with a layer of fibreglass ourselfs. We have the 1st lot done professionally, but our work is just a function and not that far off the professionally done stuff (MUCH cheaper). Its actually pretty easy to do especially with those rollers they use. A flat plywood panel (2mx1.5m roughly) would take about 20 mins or less per side to with those little rollers. An hour or two to dry, flip it over and the do the other side.

Just make sure you check whether it is going to be in sunlight or not, if it is you need the expensive UV stabilised resin, or cover the stuff under carpet.

[jocool]

Im not to worried if the ply seperates. My concern is the way the ply buckles after being exposed to sun, rain, wind, cold..etc etc. Have found a product that will work, but its $300 + a sheet. Still investigating other options! 8)

[lordy]

Well there is always a nice hardwood floor boards. Might weigh about two tons, but it would look fantastic and you could have ballroom dancing classes on it! ;D

The buckling is probably coming from moisture. Sealed wood should be more reliable.

What thickness ply were you planning on using and how much support is going underneath it (how wide between cross beams). If you run plenty of supports underneath and fibreglass it it shouldn't warp much.

I don't know much about cement board but I'd have to think it would weight too much.

You could always try and make deck out of straight firbeglass, make it in the garage on a flat area, lay out a sheet of plastic cover it with fibreglass, repeat until you get the desired thickness/strength. If you used the thick matting you could probably make something about 10mm thick in 5-6 or so layers. Peel the plastic sheeting and you are done (and it doesn't matter too much if the sheeting stays. I'm not expert but I's think it might work, I'm thinking of making something similar to go under the washing machine and catch drips.

[NQCairns]

Hi Jocool if you find the allround material please tell me, I have spent the last year reading every word on fibreglass and boat refits i can find world wide and I keep coming back to ply, with a bit more attention to detail the factorys dont seem to do it will last a life time on a boat. I have only 2 more weeks left before the decision is out of my hands.
Just a guess, I would think your ply is the low grade one (probably from factory) check out the structural ply CD grade I think with the phenolic covering depending on how thin you need it should mean the end of your warpage for many years, 5 years so far on mine (bare) and still as good as new. Fibreglass has some trouble sticking to it though.

Another thought is CD grade ply without the Phenol coating. cover both sides of this with 700gram Triaxial matting and vinyal ester resin and your problems will be over for the life of the boat cheap to, good luck.nq

Edit : Lordy You idea about the fibreglass sheet is a good one and very lateral IMHO (no pun intended). [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Found a pic of the deck I put in, if you're interested.
Hardwood frame underneath attached to ribs only and supports deck. 1 Hardwood plank up the guts, coz the ply sheet wasn't quite wide enough.
Bought 3/4 inch Marine ply for the deck - cost me an arm and a leg. Changed to 3 / 4 inch construction ply for the front and back decks. Only difference I was told was how careful the are about fitting all the internal ply layers together with no gaps. You notice as you cut the construction ply with a jigsaw, that it bites through some softer bits easier when compared to the marine ply which is solid and uniform. Construction ply has only one nice face on it, whereas marine has both faces finished nicely.
Only a year old and not used that much, so can't help with how its going to last sorry.
The black strip at the bottom of the pic is a bit of rubber mat that I throw in to stop the esky from sliding about and stops bangs or knocks.
Cheers
jeff

[Cloud_9]

How big is your boat/tinnie?
I have a 3.5 v punt ive put 2.5 ally floor bewteen the seats, now that doesn't sit flat. it follows the ribs, there are 5 ribs from edge of seat to edge of seat.sikaflex and pop rivet to ribs. ( don't drill through the bottom of the boat ) :-X :-X
i have front casting platform from seat to anchor ledge i made from fibre glass. glue carpet on and you have no rot to worry about.
if you must use ply which is fine dont use poly resin. its not designed for use without glassmat. there is a place at loganholme called Boat Craft Pacific, he has product called Boat Coat. its a user friendly epoxy resin. like someone said earlier, mix a batch and thin with his thinner for first coat second coat un thined glue carpet will last for years.
i built a cattery for a guy and i used MDF partions from floor to cage top, it gets hosed every day that was 5years ago. no swelling of the MDF as yet.
the guy who thinned poly resin with MEK needs to be carefull Mek is the hardner too much hardner and it will over heat.
if you use ally with pop rivets use sealed rivets so you dont get the pop rivet pill in the under floor.
good luck!

Cheers Cloud 9

[jocool]

Thanks for all your help fellas! Looks like I may be sticking with ply, although I will probably go for the marine ply cos I dont think mine IS marine ply at the moment. And yes, I agree the swelling and warpage is from moisture, so if I seal that out it will be even better! ;D

Gorilla ...thanks for the pic. My boat is fairly big between the front and rear platforms and Im guessing that just timber will get too slippery, even with the strips on! My deck would be approximately 2.2M wide and 3M long.

Maybe if I dont wrap each length of ply in carpet, but put the carpet over the top with strategically placed screws or velcro I can get a better fit on the ply deck itself! I guess I could also seal it of with a layer of glass...but then if I need to pull it out to check the tank or some such thing ..Im screwed! ::)

Oh well....I guess I'll sleep on it! 8)

[lordy]

Maybe if I dont wrap each length of ply in carpet, but put the carpet over the top with strategically placed screws or velcro I can get a better fit on the ply deck itself! I guess I could also seal it of with a layer of glass...but then if I need to pull it out to check the tank or some such thing ..Im screwed! ::)



No, glass the sheet while it is still loose. Do the whole sheet (or as much as you need) of ply ie its like buying a sheet of ply with glass on both sides. Then you cut the floor out it that pre-glassed sheet and screw it down. Fairly easy to do as its just one big flat sheet. you can cut it & screw it as you would with any of the standard tools just like normal ply.

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

Jocool,
Have you seen that other grit stuff you can sprinkle on and glue. Like coarse sand paper grit and you glue it all over the ply, then seal over the top. Don't know what its called or where you get it sorry, but ya must have seen what I'm talking about.
The wood isn't real slippery anyway, think you would be surprised. You could always throw down some cheap rubber bath mats if you wanted.
Going to cost you a bit to cover that deck in marine ply. 1.2m x 2.4m sheets, means you're going to need 2 1/2 sheets placed crossways, so purchase is 3 sheets.
Cheers
Jeff

[dnej]

No need to go to the expense of marine ply, get some structual ply from the hardware store,the stuff they use in housing, think I used 12mm, and coat it with lanoline both sides. Then put on some outdoor carpet from Clarke rubber. Use velcroe if you like. I used velcroe to get around my rectangular seat pedestal.
The results are great.
David

[jocool]

Lotta options! Got a call from a QLD company after I left a note on their site. He has told me bout a product called Coosa Board which they are selling to the major tinnie makers. Apparently its used just like ply but it MUST be covered with paint or carpet as it is not UV stable. And he seems to think its not to expensive yet he didnt have the prices handy! Waiting for him to email me a price.

Thanks boys... 8)

[lordy]

http://www.pdgassociates.com/
http://www.pdgassociates.com/composite_foam_WCC.html
I think the # is weight in pounds.


Seems to be about 1/3-1/2 the weight of ply. There is a bit of stuff on it on the internet for boat building.


http://www.boat-building.net/topics/000054.html?project

"Coosa Composite is a small company that makes composite board from a combination of fiberglass and foam compressed. they have all different sizes.. A local boat repair place put me on to them, I went to several local places and they wanted two to three times as much as Coosa did.. so I purchased the Blue Water 20 from Coosa Composite.. The board I'm using has a strength of 20lbs per square inch.. and it is to be waterproof..
"

[Cheech]

When I re-did my floor and also built some cupboards, I just used normal grade ply. But then I gave it all a few really thick coats of cabots external varnish which sealed and waterproofed it all. Then I coated with marine carpet. As it is all really well sealed with the varnish I have no problems with warping or anything as the ply itself is never actually wet.

[jocool]

"Coosa Composite is a small company that makes composite board from a combination of fiberglass and foam compressed. they have all different sizes.. A local boat repair place put me on to them, I went to several local places and they wanted two to three times as much as Coosa did.. so I purchased the Blue Water 20 from Coosa Composite.. The board I'm using has a strength of 20lbs per square inch.. and it is to be waterproof..
"

Did you source the board here in Australia? If so...who??

[davo189]

If you want to put something on top of the floor and you are sick of that stink from pillie juice and mackeral blood that gets into the carpet, then have a look at some stuff called "tube mat". I say some the other day at a boat manufacturer and it is the ducks nuts!!! I think you can get it from places like Clark Rubber etc but it is not cheap - at least double the price of good marine carpet.

Cheers, Davo.

[lordy]

Did you source the board here in Australia? If so...who??


No, I just copied that from a post in the US. Don't know where you can get it, I'd never heard of it before it was mentioned in this thread. There isn't much info about it on the net.