Epoxy Resin on the floor

[dempsey 1]

Good morning, I am removing the lounge seats from my 1987 Bayliner Cuddy Cabin boat. And replacing them with 2 pedestal seats, to make more room to fish and move around in general.
I have cut the seat box out on one side, and was happy to find rot only on the upper part of the box itself where water stood on top of the foam under the seat. They did'nt fill it all the way in one corner or taper the top to drain. So far the wood around the seat boxes and the ski box in the floor look ok but I will look better and closer and try and get a look under the floor at the stringers and cross bracing. The floor had had indoor/outdoor carpet on it that wore away, so I took it out. I don't want carpet on the floor to hold water. There was resin under the carpet and around the seat boxesto glue them in and foam under the boxes inside of them. How can you tell if the resin on the floor wae epoxy or polyester, or do you assume that it was epoxy resin? In some places the resin was worn off to the wood floor under it, and some places it was still stuck very well and thick, Do you have to grind all the old off untill your down to the wood floor and then start over to seal it up with new epoxy resin? I thought someone told me that polyester would not adhear very well with a second coat put on top of it. Also where the seats were, after grinding the resin off that glued them in and sanded the foam resdue from under them, I sandede to level the floor as much as possale but there is still a low area where the boxes sat. Do I fill that in with layers of glass cloth or epoxy with filler in it to seal the old sanded wood then level it tothe rest of the floor with the next coat? The area where the pedestals arre going to be screwed to the floor is right where some grinding and sanding went on and the floor is a little thinner there than
a full thickness of plywood with epoxy sealing it,Do youn think it would be strong enough to anchor the new seat to. I know your not here to see it and getfull effect of the situation, I've just never done this before and don't know what to expect, I guess just dummy up and make the call. Thanks for any advice or experiance you can share with me. Hopfully when the rain stops I can take the tarp off and send some pics.

sincerly, Dempsey

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Epoxy Resin on the floor

Welcome to iBoats!

I'd recommend making some pedestals like these...



Poly will not stick to Epoxy but I doubt that it is epoxy. Most builders use Poly. If you grind to wood then it won't matter. I'd do that and then use poly with some mat and cloth to tab the pedestals to the deck. I'd also use stainless T-Nut and bolts instead of screws to mount the pedestals.

 

[oops!]

Re: Epoxy Resin on the floor

hi dempsey, welcome to iboats !

ok....lets go over this !

You asked if the resin on the deck was poly or epoxy?.....if that is a factory boat (no one has done a restoration or deck to the boat) it is a poly resin. epoxy is far too expensive and totally un necessary for production boat building.

you also asked if you have to grind off all the resin on the deck?......this is a big question.
the deck was not just resin, but fibreglass. and you should re fibreglass the deck. the reason being, it is a structural part of your boat. especially the 6 inch perimeter around the deck where it meets the side of the hull......
the seat boxes are with in this 6 inch area, so they should be glassed in.
if you use pedistal seats like woody has suggested, you will need to "beef up" the area under the seats for re enforcement, as the stress of the small base of the seat pedistal can and will come loose very easily. when the boat is operating at speed, this could actually possibly be fatal. (worst case scenario)

the link im giving you is a proper deck replacement how to.

whether you use epoxy or poly is up to you......poly is just fine if you apply properly and use the right amount of glass.
if you are using epoxy....i would still suggest that a 6 oz woven glass product still be layed down on the deck.......
the manufacturers of epoxy recommend 4 layers of epoxy on a wooden sub-straight. , that means , after the epoxy is tacky, add another layer.....then wait to tack....another layer.
4 times......this will give you the best water proofing.


we dont just glass our decks for water proofing,,,,again. they are a major structural part of the boat. and jt just resin coat with poly resin, it will be of no value. poly resin needs the glass to become what it was intended to be.

please read the link i gave you, and the first 16 pages of the link in my sig for proper fibreglassing instructions.....poly or epoxy, the approach is the same.

if you have more questions,. please just ask.

cheers
oops

 

[dempsey 1]

Re: Epoxy Resin on the floor

Thaank you Woodonglass and Oops for your reply's. That is a very nice looking pedestal mounting job you did there Wood, I want to beef up the area where I mount my seat for sure. Is that just another pieceof plywood resined in and filet around the edges to make the taper on it? Then ss T-Nuts under it w/ss bolts holding it down?
Have any of you seen or tried the key plug in air ride pedestal? I was thinking it might take some stress off the floof and be comfy also, but how well does it work is the question.
Oops thank youfor sending me all your info, I think the more I read on the fourms not because of the posts (they are all very helpful) but because of my lack of knowledge and anal retention that I get more confused.