Posted by George Rivers on February 19, 2003 at 14:28:22:
In Reply to: Fiberglass question posted by Jay on February 19, 2003 at 11:56:36:
Plywood will make an excellent floor, but you should treat it either by encapsulating with epoxy resin, or by soaking it with Clear Penetrating Epoxy Solution (CPES). I would then put on a layer or two of glass cloth to further protect the side you'll be stepping on. You'll want to paint anything that's exposed to sunlight as UV rays will break down the epoxy. Try mixing in some sand to the paint to give yourself a non-skid surface.
You can learn a lot about epoxy and fiberglass on this website, and can even order it here.
For CPES, try:
http://www.smithandcompany.org/
Also, look at a thread on this BB started by Robert on 1/26/03 titled "Marine Grade Plywood". Good information there.
Personally, I'd think twice about re-using the existing plywood. If it's been under carpet and soak with sea water over time, you really don't know what's going on inside the plys. I would think starting anew with fresh (but well dried)plywood is a cheap insurance policy. Good luck with your project!
: Hello all. I just found this forum today, and while I'm not actually building a boat I have a question that I'm sure somebody can help me with. I own a 16' aluminum bass boat. It came with carpet, but I found that for saltwater fishing the carpet was too much of a hassle to clean. So I ripped up the carpet. The floor on this boat is a sheet of marine plywood screwed into the main aluminum frame. I took all the screws out and am able to remove the entire sheet of plywood from the boat. The wood is still good, so I want to fiberglass it and lay it back into the boat. the thing is, I know nothing about fiberglassing. My first question is, would fiberglassed wood be a suitable floor? This boat will spend a lot of time docked at the marina uncovered. I want to use it as a work boat for crabbing, clamming, and minnowing, so its going to take a bit of a beating. I want to waterproof both sides of the wood, the floor part that I'll be stepping on and underneath. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to go about this project or know good places to buy the materials I'll need? I appreciate any help anybody can give me.
: -Jay