No more wood in floors? If so what year?

[supercab78]

I corrently have a 1984 Wellcraft that I put all new wood floors in and I don't want to have do that again. I'm looking to get a larger boat and I had heard that the boat makers quit using wood for flooring. If this is true what year did this start? Is it still possible to have rotten flooring under a boat that has the snap in carpet that is over a gelcoat type floor?

 

[salty87]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

depends on the manufacturer

rot usually develops from the bottom up....from wet foam, not wet carpet. so it is very possible to have rotten deck under snap-in carpet.

 

[83Evinrude]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Glastron started producing hulls with their "VEC" closed mold technology in 2001. Boats made using it have no wood in Stringers, Transom or Floor.

I believe they used wood for upholstery foundations although my rear bench seat has a rotocast nylon base. There is also a few bits of wood under the gunwales where extra strength was required.

 

[BackWoodsTracker]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

I had a 1966 Glasspar Super G that only had wood in the transom. Nice little ski boat too!

 

[tfret]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Same here. I have an 84 Dixie and the previous owner replaced the floor, which I have replace two sections of again. I'm very up tight about the kids and friends drying off before getting in the boat. Something that apparently is very difficult for kids and friends to embrace when "..no one else worries about it..". I too want my next boat to have no wood in the floor. I guess there is no magic date upon when all manufacturers made this change. But it sounds like around 2000 or so.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Yep -- much rests in the method of construction. My supposedly above average SeaRay's floors rotted out, primarily because at the factory when they cut the floor to put in the fuel tank, they failed to seal the edges of the cut or the hatch that they made out of the plug. Ten years of water wicking sideways into the open edges of the marine plywood and that was that. Dumb.

tfret -- if it's any consolation, the condensation and moisture from the bilge will work to rot your wood structures too...It's not just dripping kids and spouses.

One of the attractions of the Scout was their no wood construction. I'm still not sure what the deck is cored with but I'm hoping overall, there will be less hassle down the road.

 

[JB]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

That's the problem. Floors. They don't belong in boats.

Boats built properly, with decks and soles, and then maintained properly don't get rot.

 

[rspar]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

67 Glasspar only wood I've seen hold the gas tank. Course it's only a step above a row boat to some.

 

[BLU LUNCH]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Yep -- much rests in the method of construction. My supposedly above average SeaRay's floors rotted out, primarily because at the factory when they cut the floor to put in the fuel tank, they failed to seal the edges of the cut or the hatch that they made out of the plug. Ten years of water wicking sideways into the open edges of the marine plywood and that was that. Dumb.

tfret -- if it's any consolation, the condensation and moisture from the bilge will work to rot your wood structures too...It's not just dripping kids and spouses.

One of the attractions of the Scout was their no wood construction. I'm still not sure what the deck is cored with but I'm hoping overall, there will be less hassle down the road.

My 88 Seville had the same problem too.
My 74 Wellcraft V20 needs the floor done, This time starboard is going to be used no more wood, the boat had a Seacast transom already.

 

[supercab78]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

OK I have to ask, what are decks and soles? I assume it's a type of flooring, like a gelcoat flooring?

 

[scoutabout]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

OK I have to ask, what are decks and soles? I assume it's a type of flooring, like a gelcoat flooring?

LOL - not a material. I'm going to assume JB is gently chiding us for incorrect terminology. Technically, boats have no "floors" as such but rather decks -- if you are talking about the level structure you walk on that's "outside" of the boat's interior or above the gunwale..... and sole which I believe is the correct term for the level structure you walk on "inside" the boat, such as a cabin or the bottom of a sailboat's cockpit.

(Although really big boats, like aircraft carriers and cruise ships certainly have decks which are "inside" the boat.)

 

[supercab78]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

OK, I understand now! thanks

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

My 88 Seville had the same problem too.
My 74 Wellcraft V20 needs the floor done, This time starboard is going to be used no more wood, the boat had a Seacast transom already.

Blu Lunch;

Don't use starboard, if you are serious, as starboard is extremely heavy, doesn't carry weight well without support (you would have to increase stringers or inject foam), doesn't take adhesives well and would be VERY expensive for your intended use. Not to mention UV damage, slipperiness, dirt retention and stains.

If you, or anyone else, wants to replace a deck, w/o wood, look into the new composites that are available.

I have used diab and honeycomb composites. They are actually cheaper, do not absorb water, can be worked with a knife, and are lighter than marine grade wood.

4'x8'x3/4" DIAB can be less than a $100 and can weigh less than 10lbs.
4'x8'x3/4" honeycomb can be less than $90.00, and weighs frrom 4 to 5lbs.

You do have to treat it different than wood when forming attachment points for fittings or screwed in add-ons, but it will not rot.

Fiberglass is applied to both sides equally to form a sandwich, which is then cut and installed in you boat. Leaving the underneath side uncoated is not an option, and shouldn't be on a wood deck either.

I use Fiberglass Coatings for my supplies, www.fgci.com, but there are many other outlets around the country that carry the stuff.

I even used a super compressed foam for the transom of a boat I repaired that is the same as manufacturers are using today. This stuff was HEAVY, but had to be to hold the weight of the engines.

Bob

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Supercab78;

Another point of information. Gelcoat is a thin coating covering the fiberglass structure that comprises the strength of the boat, much like paint is on a house. It has no strength at all, and if applied to thickly is actually very brittle.

Not all boats use gelcoat if they are going to be painted as it is purely cosmetic.

There are different types of gelcoat, depending on their chemical makeup, and perform to different standards.

Cheapest for manufacterers is polyester based gelcoat which is fine above the waterline but will, over time, let water migrate into the fiberglass on a molecular level. This absorbsion result is called and looks like "blisters".

Epoxy based gelcoat is the most costly, but repels the migration of water.

Vinylester based gelcoal is the most coat effective in resisting water migration and enables the boat manufacturers to offer the long warranties they now offer against "blisters." Today, all boats should be using vinylester, but the quality of the application will determine the final result.

Coring material is the inner product that is used to add thickness and strength with light weight when constructing large unsupported sections of a boat (but not all).

Without the use of coring more fiberglass would be used which would add considerable weight. However, some older boats used all glass constructed hulls, which are still in great condition today.

This information will hopefully help in future discussions.

Bob

 

[dingbat]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Blu Lunch;

Don't use starboard, if you are serious, as starboard is extremely heavy, doesn't carry weight well without support (you would have to increase stringers or inject foam), doesn't take adhesives well and would be VERY expensive for your intended use. Not to mention UV damage, slipperiness, dirt retention and stains.

If you, or anyone else, wants to replace a deck, w/o wood, look into the new composites that are available.

I have used diab and honeycomb composites. They are actually cheaper, do not absorb water, can be worked with a knife, and are lighter than marine grade wood.

4'x8'x3/4" DIAB can be less than a $100 and can weigh less than 10lbs.
4'x8'x3/4" honeycomb can be less than $90.00, and weighs frrom 4 to 5lbs.

You do have to treat it different than wood when forming attachment points for fittings or screwed in add-ons, but it will not rot.

Fiberglass is applied to both sides equally to form a sandwich, which is then cut and installed in you boat. Leaving the underneath side uncoated is not an option, and shouldn't be on a wood deck either.

I use Fiberglass Coatings for my supplies, www.fgci.com, but there are many other outlets around the country that carry the stuff.

I even used a super compressed foam for the transom of a boat I repaired that is the same as manufacturers are using today. This stuff was HEAVY, but had to be to hold the weight of the engines.

Bob

Not to mention Starboards horrible thermal expansion properties. The stuff shrinks and expands like mercury in a thermometer. A floor made out of the stuff would make one heck of a mess

 

[jkust]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Same here. I have an 84 Dixie and the previous owner replaced the floor, which I have replace two sections of again. I'm very up tight about the kids and friends drying off before getting in the boat. Something that apparently is very difficult for kids and friends to embrace when "..no one else worries about it..". I too want my next boat to have no wood in the floor. I guess there is no magic date upon when all manufacturers made this change. But it sounds like around 2000 or so.

I would have no problem buying a wood sole boat since both my bowriders use wood to some extent. I actually prefer the properties of wood as someone elluded to; wood is actually good. I have a dreaded 84 Bayliner Capri and it is as solid as the day it was built with no regard for kids drying off before getting on the boat. My concern is letting it dry correctly after we are done for the day. The fact is some of the best manufacturers continue use wood because it is superior for certain applications.

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

The quality of the wood has improved over the years.

Our tinny, new last year, has wood decking. The manufacturer guarantees it against rot to the original owner for the life of the boat. There is a 10-year declining warranty to the second owner. Our boat is co-owned by me and my son, so when I'm done with it a few years down the road and he gets it, the warranty to the original owner will still be in effect. -Ken

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

The quality of the wood has improved over the years.

Our tinny, new last year, has wood decking. The manufacturer guarantees it against rot to the original owner for the life of the boat. There is a 10-year declining warranty to the second owner. Our boat is co-owned by me and my son, so when I'm done with it a few years down the road and he gets it, the warranty to the original owner will still be in effect. -Ken

That's one of the best ideas I've seen in a long time. Good planning.

Bob

 

[supercab78]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

Does anyone know what is under the decks that have a gelcoat type floor (deck)? I'm talking about the ones that have no carpet.

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: No more wood in floors? If so what year?

check out the bilge wizzard, seems to dry things out, I plug mine into ac, and when the fan burned out I went to wal mart for a new one for 9 bucks, its the mould that holds it in place that brilliant.