How and what material/ fasteners do you use to replace the rotten deck in an aluminum boat .. 20' Alaskan .. decks gone .. not mine ,, brother in laws.. Flap ?? Proffesor ?

Ed,

I think it's pressure treated plywood maybe MARINE GRADE?
stainless screws and then carpet or paint?
Link Sr:cool:

Try Azec or Trex, then carpet over that. Will last a lifetime.

Try Azec or Trex, then carpet over that. Will last a lifetime.

Nope. They are not structural materials. Flaptail and Professor M will get him the skinny, as they have done theirs over.

You talking the wood floor right? I just did mine this year although I have not had time to paint it yet as the weather, rain , kept me from finishing it and the fish came in so I put the crappy old floor back in until I get a chance to paint it. BTW Eddie today would have been a very , very, good day to be layed off.;) Alright back to the floor. I just used regular exterior plywood. I am too cheap for marine grade, which would be better. I sealed the edges with epoxy and I am going to use an exterior porch paint recommended by Steve, Capesams. Here is the product. http://www.californiapaints.com/PorchNFloors.html
Epoxy fortified and no primer. I would not recommend any type of carpet as it will get wet and stay wet and stink with fish slime, blood, etc... I use stainless screws and they go into the ribs of the boat and the pressure treated support board running the length of the boat that supports the center of the floor, making sure you choose screws that are not too long:whackin:. Just lay the pieces you take out and trace and cut. Pretty simple. Should last several years. In a perfect world I would encase the whole floor in fiberglass but I am too lazy. Hope that helps.

I've painted dinghys with inexpensive polyurethane porch and deck enamel. works fine and held up for years.

Think about rolling on some Durabak rubberized coating. Comes in lots of colors

Exterior plywood with stainless (NOT galvanized) screws sounds good. Seal the ends, especially the ends that you cut, with epoxy and don't forget to paint the bottom before you screw it down. I've tried mixing a little sand in with the epoxy paint to create a nonskid, it works well but you really have to mix it up and be careful of how much you put in (not too much). If you want to go the carpet route (not reccommended) try attaching it with snaps like some sea rays have so you can take it out when you're not using the boat or it it gets too gross you can easily replace it.

Did mine with pressure treated 3/4 plywood, painted with Krylon camo (light khaki). My Mirrocraft has one inch half round ribbing every foot so I drilled thru the plywood and used #8 x 3/4 ss screws to secure deck to ribs. Been 6 years now and held up great.

I don't know if PT wood uses different chemicals now, but I recall that in my youth, PT wood in contact with aluminum caused corrosion. Also, this was contact with raw aluminum, so painted may not have this problem.

Not trying to alarm anyone, just a FWIW.

Yes, the new cocktail they use to make it "pressure treated" has reports of rotting out aluminum joist hangers. Maybe they've changed it, maybe not. I would recommend sealing it (epoxy, paint) and using a piece of rubber between the two materials.

good stuff .... thanks all ... I'll have my brother in law veiw these threads .. see what he wants to do .. Many of you know I posted this over there too .. One gent said his floor was like 20yrs. old .. attributed it to keeping his boat covered religiously ..Do you guys throw a cover over your boat when not in use ??

Nope. My boat is 24 years old and not pretty. I would assume it would help though. Might also keep the moisture inside the boat too though. I guess if you let it dry out and then put on cover it would be more beneficial, but I am just guessing.:huh:

yesteryears ply had ball's... good wood unlike todays garbage they call wood...cdx ply.maybe 4-5 layers..fillers are junk..made for cover sheets on large areas....underlayment is as close to the old ply one can get..upwards of 6-7 layers..made for bath and kitchen floors where water could be a problem..good strenght here....moving on to marine ply..again many layers,,but! it comes in or use to come in much larger sheets..up to 16' long for boat building..boat=marine,hence the name.....onto pt ply..made from hard yellow pine/90% pitch..whats to rot with that combo..the green color is just a sales pitch,but it made it last a wee bit longer.......all plywood has exterior glue...the sun beating on any ply will cause hundreds of tiny splits which opens it to water which in turns helps peel whatever you put on it....best to just not hope for many years of care free useage without keeping up with upkeep.

I have no idea about this but maybe an idea. WOuld rhino liner, the spray on stuff work on wood. It would seem to be a good barrier against the elements, and the fish funk, and can be scrubbed with a deck brush.

I have no idea about this but maybe an idea. WOuld rhino liner, the spray on stuff work on wood. It would seem to be a good barrier against the elements, and the fish funk, and can be scrubbed with a deck brush.


Yep, that stuff is perfect.
Lots of guys that build stitch and glue plywood and epoxy boats over on the site I got my plans from use that Rhino liner on their decks, real tough stuff.

for the floor of a skiff I would epoxy seal the wood first with a few coats of builders epoxy(doesn't have to be expensive west system or anything) then rhino liner. it will be bulletproof and last forever.

Rhino Liner ???
http://www.rhinolinings.com/

this stuff ?

I know that brass and aluminum do not mix in the marine enviroment. I s the new PT plywood treated with copper and is not copper used to make brass?