IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

[Sippen]

craigslist led me to this boat, then you Starcrafters led me to dream bigger dreams.. not sure if this will pan out to a nightmare, divorce, AA classes or a very happy fisherman with all the above, but worth a go none the less.

Previous owner cut out a nice new plywood floor to start the restoration on this 18 footer. Those pieces are now in my garage, but I have some nice, very hard wood plank flooring that I'm thinking about using. It is called IPE or Iron wood. Some info on it from the web:

"Ipe (pronounced EE-pay) is the finest quality wood available. From the Atlantic City Boardwalk, to Las Vegas' Resort Hotel Treasure Island, to your own backyard, nothing keeps it's integrity or lasts as long as Ipe Decking. Ipe is an exotic hardwood that is naturally resistant to rot and decay, is 8 times harder than California Redwood, and is guaranteed for 20 years without preservatives! Our Ipe Decking is responsibly harvested from managed forest to provide a truly renewable resource. Ipe has many benefits over teak.."

I have this in my house and have a few extra boxes left over. (i work with flooring on a manufacturing level so the price was right). If the support is there below it, do you think this could be planked across the Holiday (width of course) in a stable manner? I believe they are 3" wide by 5/8 or 3/4 thick. (could run them through a planer if needed)

I think it would look really cool but I'm concered about stability and noise level, mostly noise level..
They are tong n groove so no hook snagging between the boards (or cut off the tong and put 1/16 gap in)
Have you seen any older Starcrafts with decking?
I appreciate any feedback.
peace

 

[jigngrub]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

How long are these boards? It sounds like some pretty cool stuff and I'm sure it would look great in your boat.

As far as spanning the width, you can always install additional deck framing below to accommodate your planking.

how about some pics of your boat and this stuff?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Square foot to square foot that is very heavy wood for a boat deck and needlessly expensive. The starcraft is mainly a fishing boat and decks are not meant to be exotic woods.

Will it work? Yes

 

[Sippen]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

I have around 80 s.f. of it sitting in the basement. Many are 3' to 6' long. I may not have enough.
Yes the weight of them could be an issue, very dense and heavy. This may not be the best choice.
could lighten them up by 30% through a planner tho.



or do the front 1/3 of the boat in it.
Im no where near the flooring stage.. just trying to figure out what to do.

Below the deck, do most people just lay the foam boards in there or use some expanding spray foam as well?
A closed cell, non absorbing foam spray is out there, I believe.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Forget the foam spray - that will break the bank and really is not for marine use.

People have used 2" foam boards, empty bottles, pool noodles, expanding foam (2lb density).......... I like the foam board or pool noodles since water does not get trapped. Expanding foam and the deck you want will create pockets and trap water. Take a look at ezmobees restoration...... he used pool noodles as an example. Basically it is dealers choice for you. Some people delete the foam but we really do not recommend that at all since sinking completely is not fun.

I am fond of plywood for a deck. You can design it so panels can be removed, you can cover it with carpet, vinyl, or even durabak (similar to a bed liner material). Look in the completed boat project section and look at North Beach's restoration. He used an exotic wood for his dash. Maybe you would want to use it as accents, a dash, a ski locker cover, seat bases, or storage covers. There is just something inside me saying it is too heavy and too pretty for a deck. Planing it down to make it lighter is just a waste not to mention but you will need to add aluminum channel to support it.

 

[North Beach]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Sippen I have used Ipe on a couple of occasions. We use it making wooden archery equipment (bows). It is very heavy dense wood. I guess it could work as a finished product but I would imagine it will be pretty slippery when wet.

Also you are going to have a bazillion fasteners in this stuff since every plank needs to be fastened resulting in the need for additional framing underneath. If you look at how we fasten the plywood, you'll see the T&G plank is gonna give you some issues.

As far as the spray/poured foam I would recomend against. Now a bunch of others may chime in for it but we've seen a lot of damage to hull aluminum assocciated with this stuff and honestly, the extruded polystyrene they sell at lowes and home depot is perfect.

Take a little time and read thru the restoration thread in my signature. Just look for the sections that deal with whatever your next step is. It is loaded with pictures and detailed info that can help you make informed decisions on some of this stuff. I'm not sayin it's the holy grail. But it will explain some of this stuff for you.

 

[Sippen]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Hey, well done on your Sunchief!! It's a great day, I hope you are on the water somewhere.

The old white foam insulation looks pretty good but it is original, you would recommend not using it, right?
I like how u used the extruded polystyrene.

Is the main reason for installing this is; IF it's sinking, to help it sink slowly or for making it not so loud when hitting the waves.
thought I read that it made it more stable, but I'm not sure how loose laid polystyrene would accomplish that.

thanks much.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

or do the front 1/3 of the boat in it.
.

I think this would look really good!

I wouldn't worry about the little bit of added weight, if you put it up front it'll counter some of the weight in the stern like outboard, fuel, and batteries.

Sure you'll have to "face nail" your boards, but this can be attractive too as long as the fasteners are kept in a straight line and symmetrical.

I wouldn't worry about cutting off the tongue either, a gap between your boards will only dump dirt and debris into your bilge.

The EPS sheet foam is your best bang for the buck, use as much as you can and it'll keep your boat afloat in case of a hull breech or swamping.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

I recommend you read thru bunker's build, and also consider just doing some IPE accents similar to his Brazilian cherry

I do like IPE wood, used it & braz cherry on a number of home wood flooring installs.

But it is your boat and you own the IPE already.... So........

 

[Sippen]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

I recommend you read thru bunker's build, and also consider just doing some IPE accents similar to his Brazilian cherry

I do like IPE wood, used it & braz cherry on a number of home wood flooring installs.

Thanks for the Bunker thread. I love that paint job!

(you an installer? hats off)

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Was, yes, past tense, seems like a lifetime ago At least 3 careers ago:facepalm:

Liked the planning, designing inlays & etc, and the install. And seeing it finished. Using the edger, not so much.

Lots of interesting re-finish work too... Lots of old farmhouses @Lex, KY. Thanks for asking.

Console accents would be good looking.

 

[North Beach]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Sippen, just to clarify, make sure you use the EXTRUDED polystyrene (pink or blue) and not the expanded (eps).

 

[Sippen]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

Ok NB,
I assume Expanded will absorb water?
I have some nice clean original pieces that look to be original. Would you advise not using them in conjunction with the Extruded?

 

[North Beach]

Re: IPE Wood plank, 1969 Starcraft Holiday decking restoration. Anyone Deck the Hull

The white bead board (expanded) can absorb water. I had clean originals in my boat but they all went to the dump. I'm not sayin you can't use the eps, I'm just sayin the Extruded is much better.