A few flooring questions...

[bradboat23]

1. I just fiberglassed my gas tank area today, should I drill a hole or 2 in the ends so if water does get in there it will drain out? 2. I am going to carpet the floor asap and am wondering if I should fiberglass the whole floor before I do it. The carpet glue says once it dries it is waterproof so I'm just wondering if fiberglassing the floor is a wasted step? Here are a few pics of what I'm working with. Any response in appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: A few flooring questions...

1.) yes
2.) yes, or ditch the carpet idea unless you make it removeable...manufacturers lie and wet carpet traps water on wood, which absorbs it and begins to rot.

 

[Friscoboater]

Re: A few flooring questions...

I ditched my carpet and love it. The product is called duraback.

 

[Robert4Winns]

Re: A few flooring questions...

That is not a sealed compartment so it will get water/moisture in it. You need to have a hole for water to run out the back to the bilge.

 

[osborn159]

Re: A few flooring questions...

lose the carpet, as has been said, it will accelerate the rotting process, paint is a good option, if the budget wont allow a duraback type product

 

[MTribe08]

Re: A few flooring questions...

Do yourself a huge favor and take the advice from all the posters on this thread. Put Fiberglass over you deck for 2 reasons. It is the best protection you can provide for the wood, and it is a very important step in the structural integrity of your hull. It ties everything together. Here are some pictures of my project that may help you out.

Demo

New wood installed, without Glass.

New Wood with Glass over all of it and tied into the side of the hull.

Gel coat as a top Layer. You can see the hole in the ski locker, draining to the fuel tank compartment..there is another hole in the rear bulkhead behind the fuel tank which drains water to the bilge. I also added 3 limber holes per side of the gas tank compartment. That way if water finds its way(which it will) in the outside compartments under the deck, it can drain into the gas tank compartment and out to the bilge.

Removable Carpet from www.corinthianmarine.com

Finished with Furniture.

 

[MTribe08]

Re: A few flooring questions...

Here you can see the limber/drainage holes I put in the sides of the fuel tank compartment.

 

[bradboat23]

Re: A few flooring questions...

Wow, thanks for all the posts and pictures. I drilled a hole in front and back, now I'm going to drill 3 holes on each side, great idea. Also the tank was foamed in when I ripped it out, should I foam it back in the way it was? And finally do u have any tips for glassing in the floor, how much u mix at a time, how big of sheets u cut out??? Thanks again.

 

[MTribe08]

Re: A few flooring questions...

Wow, thanks for all the posts and pictures. I drilled a hole in front and back, now I'm going to drill 3 holes on each side, great idea. Also the tank was foamed in when I ripped it out, should I foam it back in the way it was? And finally do u have any tips for glassing in the floor, how much u mix at a time, how big of sheets u cut out??? Thanks again.

No problem..My tank was not foamed in..I personally don't think its necessary. I would go over the bottom of your tank before putting it back in and epoxy any nicks or gouges in the tank...My tank sat on 3 heavy duty rubber strings that kept it from resting directly on the hull. And there were welded on tabs on the top of the tank that secured it to the stringers on the side of the tank.

As far as glassing in the deck. First seal up all the seams of the new wood with either PL construction adhesive or a 3m product such as 4200 or 5200. Give that time to cure and then run a strip of about 6-8" of 1.5 oz CSM on all the seams of the new wood first. I also, chose to tab in the sides of the hull to the new deck with first a 6" piece of CSM (3" up the hull-3" on the deck) and I ran another 8" piece the same way.

After that is when I covered all of it with big pieces of CSM. A suggestion, after the small strips cure, grind down the edges so that when you lay the bigger pieces over it, you don't see/feel the edges..makes a smooth transition.

I mixed up about 10=12 oz of Resin at a time and used a 3" inch cheap paint brush from Home Depot for the smaller jobs. I tried to calculate how much I would use per job, so I didn't waiste any, but it happens.

For the bigger pieces, I mixed up about 24oz of Resin at a time, and had a backup tub ready on standby by for hardener. I used a foam roller or a very short nap roller...don't use the real fuzzy rollers..they suck up to much resin and makes a mess. For the big jobs, make sure you have a back up roller as well, because the resin will start to cure on the roller.

Here are a few more pictures of me fiberglassing the deck.

Can't really tell..but in this picture, I have sealed up the seams with PL and layed a strip of glass over them..then will come the big pieces over it all. I drew in the tabs/strips I'm talking about.

Laying in a big piece....do yourself a favor and get a loooong handled roller to reach across the glass.

Resin on that big piece.

 

[bradboat23]

Re: A few flooring questions...

Did you apply a coat of resin on the new boards before putting that big sheet of glass down? Just wondering b/c it says on the back of the can to apply it to the damaged area first. I could also see it working by just rolling it on top of it as long as you have a nice solid coat of resin on it. Seems a lot easier b/c I was going to cut 1' x 1' pieces and do it all that way. It would take forever.

 

[MTribe08]

Re: A few flooring questions...

Did you apply a coat of resin on the new boards before putting that big sheet of glass down? Just wondering b/c it says on the back of the can to apply it to the damaged area first. I could also see it working by just rolling it on top of it as long as you have a nice solid coat of resin on it. Seems a lot easier b/c I was going to cut 1' x 1' pieces and do it all that way. It would take forever.

No, I didn't. Some will recommend it because the plywood is going to soak up some resin. Just make sure you get the glass good and wet out and watch for light spots, and go back over it. Another VERY helpful tool is a fiberglass roller. As you apply the resin, air bubbles will tend to form..the roller gets rid of those. I think I paid 5 bucks for mine. I would not do the whole deck in 1'x 1' pieces..you'll have a ton of seams to overlap and grind out..Just tab the seams and and the deck to the hull with 6-8" strips like I showed in the picture..then lay the big pieces over it.

This is how I would do your deck...Lay in the Red Pieces first, extend them a few inches past the end of your bilge. Then lay in the 2 pieces up front under the driver/passenger seats, grind down the edges and then lay in the big(yellow) piece. It should overlap the other pieces an inch or so..by grinding you'll have a nice smooth transition on the overlap.