Holes in floor

[peeterb]

I have a 1987 glasscon (not glastron)fiberglass Boat.I am replacing the carpet and when i lifted the old carpet up I noticed 5 spots where there is grey patches painted on the floor.In theese patches I noticed cracking and soft spots so i scraped the hard grey filler which was covering a hole that is one inch in diameter.Theese five holes have been drilled through the floor.In the holes i can only see foam.I am almost positive the carpet is original.Does any one know what thhese holes would be for and how should i seal them up so they don't let water in?I also beat on the floor everywhere with a hammer and it definately sounds very solid.<br />Thanks for any help.<br />glass

 

[peeterb]

Re: Holes in floor

Just to ad to my message there is 18 of theese holes in the deck with a grey hard filler over the holes.would theese holes be done wright from the factory or were they done by a previous owner?<br />Thanks for any help.<br />Glass

 

[agrazela]

Re: Holes in floor

glassc,<br /><br />These are likely holes through which your underdeck foam was poured.<br /><br />If they are all the same size and in an evenly spaced pattern they are probably factory. If they are kind of haphazard, the floor was probably redone by a previous owner.<br /><br />Seems like maybe some kind of silicone caulk or something was used to cover the holes...that sounds aftermarket to me...the factory will usually overfill slightly and allow the foam to expand to fill the hole.<br /><br />I don't know about others, but I always glass over these holes...they just seem like a sure eventual underdeck water entry point if not covered over.

 

[JasonJ]

Re: Holes in floor

Yeah, the holes should be glassed over, thats the best way to prevent water intrusion through that area.

 

[peeterb]

Re: Holes in floor

Thanks for the input guys.<br />When i fiberglass over the holes should i feather holes back and clean with acetone and then layer the fiber glass in with resin till level with rest of floor?<br />Thanks glass.

 

[peeterb]

Re: Holes in floor

Can anyone give me a step by step on how to fill theese holes with fiberglass.<br />thanks

 

[agrazela]

Re: Holes in floor

Glassc,<br /><br />Your glassing technique sounds good to me...though the feathering back part is overkill in my book. Just 2 or 3 plys of mat should be fine, as this is really more for waterproofing than for structure.<br /><br />I would:<br />1. trim out any protruding foam to level with the underside of the deck.<br />2. cut a disc of plywood the same thickness as the deck and just slightly smaller than the diameter of the hole (use a hole saw drill bit).<br />3. Soak the disc with resin on all sides and plug the hole.<br />4. Glass that over as you suggest.

 

[peeterb]

Re: Holes in floor

agrazela<br />I thought about the disk of plywood as a option also But would you glue the wood in or just place in hole loose and glass over the the hole or will the resin hold it in place.<br />When you say soak all sides with resin and plug hole do you mean place in hole before the resin cures or wait till after the resin cures.<br />Thanks glass

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Holes in floor

Originally posted by glassc:<br /> agrazela<br />I thought about the disk of plywood as a option also But would you glue the wood in or just place in hole loose and glass over the the hole or will the resin hold it in place.<br />When you say soak all sides with resin and plug hole do you mean place in hole before the resin cures or wait till after the resin cures.<br />Thanks glass

First of all, your existing floor is probably not 'soaked' in resin, so I would not worry about 'soaking' the plugs. As stated previously, I would carefully scrape the foam down to the level of the bottom of the floor. Get some resin thickener, from the boat shop, and make a thick, peanut butter like paste with your resin. Fill the holes with the paste, press the plug into the hole, then wipe over the plug with a broad knife, leveling the paste. Lay a 3 or 4" square of fiberglass cloth on top, pour a little liquid resin on it and roll the glass flat until the cloth patch is saturated and flat.

 

[peeterb]

Re: Holes in floor

Boomyal<br />Thanks for the idea.<br />Man I like this forum.<br />Thanks Glass.