reelfishin
Captain
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 3,050
I spent some time on my recently acquired Sport-Craft 16' this afternoon. I peeled out all the original Nautolex flooring, scrubbed down all the white canvas top pieces, and began buffing the hull back to its original shine.
My question is, what to do with the floor. Since the floor is not flat up front but sort of bowl shaped, any rubber flooring will require some creative cutting and gluing. I really don't like Nautolex, and the floor as it stand is sort of just a loosely matted fiberglass, sort of looks like gorilla hair. There's a good bit of tan colored adhesive enbedded in the glass from the original Nautolex and the glass isn't all that thick. The wood is rock solid and bone dry. The boat was stored in a barn for many years with a heavy tarp over an installed mooring cover, so it's faired very well over the years.
I was thinking of using the rubber flooring like is found in some newer boats, but I'm not sure how to go about forming it to the rounded, bowl shaped forward deck under the dash board. The floor rounds up and curves to both sides all the way back to the transom. There are no square corners at all. The original Nautolex terminated about 4 inched up the sides of the floor where it's covered by two vinyl covered side panels, which overlap the floor covering about 6" The front deck curves upward to form a 45 degree foot rest at the forward area under the dash much as in a car.
I was thinking of just using a few heavy coats of epoxy paint but I don't think that's enough protection for the rough glass floor and I doubt new resin would adhere to the old floor very well? The glass on the floor is very thin, it hardly covers the plywood, and has a few stress cracks where it covers seams. The floor looks to be done in several sections, one solid sheet in the middle with four curved or cupped corners, and two outer strips down each side which are curved like rain gutters and fitted into the corners. With the side panels installed, the only curved area showing is up front under the dash.
I want to waterproof the floor permanently so wash down is possible when fishing. I also don't want it too slippery. I did consider that rubber bed liner but I'd have to all but gut the boat for that to be sprayed in, and its a bit slick when wet.
My main goal is to preserve the original floor, it's still solid after 40+ years, and I'd like to keep it that way.
My question is, what to do with the floor. Since the floor is not flat up front but sort of bowl shaped, any rubber flooring will require some creative cutting and gluing. I really don't like Nautolex, and the floor as it stand is sort of just a loosely matted fiberglass, sort of looks like gorilla hair. There's a good bit of tan colored adhesive enbedded in the glass from the original Nautolex and the glass isn't all that thick. The wood is rock solid and bone dry. The boat was stored in a barn for many years with a heavy tarp over an installed mooring cover, so it's faired very well over the years.
I was thinking of using the rubber flooring like is found in some newer boats, but I'm not sure how to go about forming it to the rounded, bowl shaped forward deck under the dash board. The floor rounds up and curves to both sides all the way back to the transom. There are no square corners at all. The original Nautolex terminated about 4 inched up the sides of the floor where it's covered by two vinyl covered side panels, which overlap the floor covering about 6" The front deck curves upward to form a 45 degree foot rest at the forward area under the dash much as in a car.
I was thinking of just using a few heavy coats of epoxy paint but I don't think that's enough protection for the rough glass floor and I doubt new resin would adhere to the old floor very well? The glass on the floor is very thin, it hardly covers the plywood, and has a few stress cracks where it covers seams. The floor looks to be done in several sections, one solid sheet in the middle with four curved or cupped corners, and two outer strips down each side which are curved like rain gutters and fitted into the corners. With the side panels installed, the only curved area showing is up front under the dash.
I want to waterproof the floor permanently so wash down is possible when fishing. I also don't want it too slippery. I did consider that rubber bed liner but I'd have to all but gut the boat for that to be sprayed in, and its a bit slick when wet.
My main goal is to preserve the original floor, it's still solid after 40+ years, and I'd like to keep it that way.
