Re: Magnumdekes 1976 22' Starcraft Islander
This is what I am also struggling with. I want to do the sections so that I can roll the vinyl over the edges and staple it, because I can't access the edges with a stapler if I put the vinyl down after securing the floor. Though, my bilge and livewell aerator will be acceible regardless of what method I use. If you do the one piece approach do you just staple the vinyl at the very edges of the plywood floor? What would you recommend Grandad?
We'd better not hijack Mag's thread, but perhaps my reply will help Mag out as well in deciding. I decided that looks and water-tightness was more important than access to the bilge, considering this was the first access need in 40 years on my '72 Holiday. If I need to replace a rivet, I'll use closed end blind rivet replacements so access should be unnecessary.
Things worked out well for me doing it like this:
Installed all the plywood and countersunk the rivet heads securing the floor to stringers and filled the dimples.
Applied Nautolex as one piece, installing SS staples close together all along the edges, leaving extra 2" curled up the hull sides.
Covered the staples with the aluminum "baseboard" of the sidewalls and screwed them down to the floor.
The area forward of the sidewalls is a potential problem area, since you don't want staples showing. I did mine the same as the Starcraft elves did; just stuck it down and hoped for the best. My 40 year old original had shrunk and was loose where the floor meets the hull, but the new stuff is still down after 2 years. You could add a piece of aluminum strip on top, but where the hull curves, it'll be awkward because of the curve. Immediately above this curved area, there is no smooth sidewall surface to glue the floor to anyway. The only thing I'd do differently would be to add a thin aluminum sheet against the forward hull side ribs to provide a gluing surface for this trouble spot. - Grandad
