Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

I most likely will do something along those lines. This is what I'm thinking.....

Pay a place to take off the deck (Which is really the only part of the process I don't want to do myself), hopefully having them do just that will be under $200. Then I can see what I'm dealing with under there.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

This job is not as bad as you might think, based on what you are showing us. Worse case, once you open the floor up and if you find rot in the stringers, you can stop and decide what to do.
I would bet if all you need is a floor replaced, you could get it done in 1 week, working after work and on the weekend. I have done a few floors, and in your case it looks like you may only need part of yours fixed. I say go for it and do it yourself.

 

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

I would like to, but am not comfortable with my understanding of how the deck is attached to the stringers, or how to remove the deck around the edges.

I have read many horror stories on this forum where people hit their stringers, or ended up going through the hull along the edges. One tiny mistake, and I am in for more money (Let alone headaches) than it would have been to have it done by an expert.

What I would really like to do is be able to work alongside the person who ends up doing it, so I could understand the process completely in person. I'm new to boating, but am planning on having many more in the future, so this knowledge would be great to have going forward. You guys think they would let me work alongside them, even help out? I wouldn't be looking for a discount, as the knowledge alone would be worth it. And I could sign whatever insurance releases if need be... lol

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

This kind of work is really DIY or nothing. To pay someone to do it would cost exorbitant amounts of money due to the number of hours of labor involved. Anyone giving you an affordable quote is probably planning on cutting out the bad, and sticking in new wood without sealing anything.

 

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

Hmmm Hmmm Hmmmm Hmmmm....

I'm still going to end up pulling up everything that is resting of the floor, such as the seats, engine cover, front seats etc. and get some quotes on just floor removal.. and see where I'm at.... Guess that will answer what comes next... lol

 

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

Anyone in the Chicago area want to volunteer? I'll help & pay you, then if you need any help with anything I'll owe ya one

The timing would be this off season.... ??

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

A few pics are worth a few thousand words! The underside doesn't look nowhere near as bad as I had envisioned it DK.

Can you dig down into the foam where the hole for the seat is and see if the foam is dry?

I suspect your floor has already been replace once. Placing a joint in the ply wood that isn't over a framing member is only something a numbskull would do... surely to god it didn't come from the factory like that.

What do the bolts that were holding the pedestal down look like? Did any of the fasteners/nuts come through the plywood when it pulled up? Or was it just screwed down with wood/sheetmetal screws?

The hardest thing about removing the decking will be locating the screws hold the decking down under the glassing. You can probably do this with a good magnet or stud finder like the ones they sell at hardware stores.

Keep us posted on your progress with pics and you'll get all kinds of advice.

 

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

@jigngrub When the passenger seat first fell off in the fall last year, the foam was wet, now it's dry... I pulled the captains chair during the winter and it was wet, haven't checked it recently, but will be doing so this afternoon...

I also think the floor has been replaced at least once already as I couldn't see the manufacturer doing that either :facepalm:

The bolts that mounted the seat to the deck were totally rusted and came straight through the deck with the nuts still attached, and I had to hacksaw them off.... It was a bolt that went through the deck, and had a nut with teeth on it under the deck to hold it in place...

I like the magnet idea, if I could find all the screws and unscrew them and just lift the floor up that would be sweet!

 

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

I would just like to say thank you for all the input regarding this question!

When I pulled back the carpet in the ski locker I was happy to see that almost everything in there looked good as well. Weird thing was the part that would be the wall tword the rear of the boat seemed to have a cutout near the top where a pipe could fit through, but no pipe was present... and the top of that piece that rested against the deck near that cutout did seem a little crispy... I'll get pics soon...

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

"magnet idea"

Will work good for regular metal but will it work on Stainless?
I just finished pulling my floor out, and it was glassed over but not so thick that I couldnt see where the screws were. Then I just had to cut the glass out from around each screw head and remove them- all 38 of them.

 

[DK in Chicago]

Re: Flooring over deck with Hardi-Backer/Durock

greenbush, once you got them all out did the floor come right up, or did you still have to cut it out?