Plywood Prep?

[JKTrevecca]

This is a great site!

My humble vessel is a 1962 14 foot semi-v Duracraft. This site has inspired me to spend some hard earned money on this boat.

I'm decking the front. I've framed it so that the deck is not attached to the boat and can be removed easily. However, reality is that this thing is going to sit outside most of the time. I intend to cover it with a tarp but.... like I said.. It's a humble vessel and after a long day out fishing it just might get left outside un-covered.

My question relates to the plywood vs. weather. Will a good exterior paint suffice to seal the plywood before the carpet is applied or is fiberglass or epoxy resin an absolute must have? Has anyone just primed and painted the plywood before applying carpet? If so, how long did it last?

If resin is a must, where can I get it for the least $$?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Plywood Prep?

If you are going to leave it out in the elements uncovered, I would highly recommend that you use poly resin and mat. You can get it @ Lowes and for Less than $50.00 you can coat your wood with resin and mat and it will last significantly longer than if you don't. This is NOT the best resin you can buy but for your purposes it will suffice. Make sure to use mat. Poly resin without mat will dry brittle and is practically useless. Mix the resin and MEK and coat the wood. Quickly mix another batch and apply the mat to the wet wood and coat it with another coat of resin. Pay attention to the edges and make sure the mat wraps around them. You can use Stick Pins to hold the mat down when you wrap the edges. If your choose NOT to do this then at the very least Exterior Grade Plywood and SOAK it with WaterProof Preservative and let it dry and then Paint with 3 coats of a good exterior grade of Latex or Oil Based Paint. Both ways would cost about the same IMHO. If it were me I'd use the POLY and MAT.

I'm just sayin...

 

[Cadwelder]

Re: Plywood Prep?

Poly and matt, both sides.....it'll be there for years to come.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Plywood Prep?

Plus skip the carpet, it will only speed the rot in the plywood.

 

[lckstckn2smknbrls]

Re: Plywood Prep?

I have a jon boat I use for duck hunting. I used exterior grade plywood painted with 20 year exterior acrylic latex paint. It's going on 3 years now and I have repainted it last year.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Plywood Prep?

Hello JKT..

Welp..if its framed then glass and resin will probably/might mess that up.

Im thinking a good few coats of penitrating epoxy and then lay your carpet on top of that.

I guess you could also Xgrade paint your bottom and edges..

Got some pics ?

YD.

 

[stackz]

Re: Plywood Prep?

what kind of matting are you guys talking about and what ratio poly resin to mek as well?

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Plywood Prep?

what kind of matting are you guys talking about and what ratio poly resin to mek as well?

1.5 oz chopped strand mat .. 1.5-2 % MEKP .. not MEK.

YD.

 

[HAS]

Re: Plywood Prep?

JKTrevecca

If your short on time use a mix of 50/50 fiberglass resin and acetone, brush all sides and
the edges 2 times. When the acetone evaporates the resin will be left and no water will
can get to the wood. HOPE THIS HELPS..................HAS

 

[oops!]

Re: Plywood Prep?

JKTrevecca

If your short on time use a mix of 50/50 fiberglass resin and acetone, brush all sides and
the edges 2 times. When the acetone evaporates the resin will be left and no water will
can get to the wood. HOPE THIS HELPS..................HAS

hate to disagree with you has......but this is a total waste of money.

the 50/50 mix of acetone will weaken the molecule chain of the already weak poly resin. it may help a little.....but not so much that it will be worth the time.
resin NEEDS glass....(chopped strand matt) resin by it self is so brittle that any flex and it will crack.....if it cracks...then water or moisture will get in there. using this method....it will most likely crack in the first one or two outings on the boat.

to the op....if you are just gonna lipstick the boat and sell it in a year or so.....(after you decide you need a 25 foot cuddy with a swim up bar) just paint the deck.

if you intend on keeping the boat for years....5-10......then glass the underside and top side of the deck.

 

[HAS]

Re: Plywood Prep?

oops
The owner of a fiberglass boat repair shop, told about this, he treates all the wood he uses
this way 2 or 3 days before it will be used for repairs.I did not mean it was for strengh,
only to waterproof the wood if not used right away. The seat on my boat is a fold up
seat it is bolted to plywood treated like this, the surface is clear and very hard.

THANK YOU.........HAS

 

[oops!]

Re: Plywood Prep?

hey bud.....he is wrong.

i own a frp repair shop as well.

ok,,,heres why.

take a bucket of poly resin that you used yesterday.......there is a film on the side of the pail......that is cured poly resin by it self.......twist the pail........see it crack?. take and peel the resin out.....now........crumble it in your hand.......see how easy the stuff turns to shards.......same on plywood,,,no different.

what he is trying to do (the shop owner) is to thin the resin for deeper penetration of the wood....and he also wants to save money and time by not glassing. thus telling the customer the wood is resin coated......sounds good...but it is not.
when he uses the 50/50 mix......he is turning the resin into a thin gook with no or little water protection to the wood.
(again see the above about the molecule chain in the polymer)
this method MAY give a little longer life than no resin.....but not much....painting would actually be better imho.

the correct way to resin coat a hunk of wood......is to paint it with slo cure resin (1.5 %) unwaxed
wait till its tacky and just about to get hard......then......glass the puppy with csm and waxed resin.
this will allow the deepest penetration that the resin can acheive while still keeping its strength

then....take that chunk of ply.....throw it in the lake for a week.....jump on it bend it ...twist it....and take a meter to it........dry !

 

[DANZIG]

Re: Plywood Prep?

".....(after you decide you need a 25 foot cuddy with a swim up bar)"


Yes, if you stay here long it will happen! LOL!!!

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Plywood Prep?

2 footitus is catchy, I want a 28 now. Already got the 25

 

[HAS]

Re: Plywood Prep?

oops
I did not mean to mislead you,he does cover all the wood with fiberglass in his repairs.
I have been reading fiberglass and boat repair books and everything on this forum I
can reed . My old boat was bought by my Dad, my Brother and I in 1972, and I want
make as good as I can....I'm never to old learn. THANKS AGAIN ......HAS .

 

[produceguy]

Re: Plywood Prep?

If we use acetone to clean up resin, why would we mix it with resin and think it would be a strong bond? I'm asking because I don't know, not being a jerk. Thanks

Acetone is used for a cleaner? or am I wrong?

 

[oops!]

Re: Plywood Prep?

If we use acetone to clean up resin, why would we mix it with resin and think it would be a strong bond? I'm asking because I don't know, not being a jerk. Thanks

Acetone is used for a cleaner? or am I wrong?

you are exactally correct. acetone is a miracle cleaner for gellcoat and fiberglass.
it is the only stuff i know of that will eat fiberglass.......wipe some un waxed hardend resin and see how stickey it is after about 15 mins.

acetone changes the molecular structure of poly resins....thats why you would never thin with it.

when shooting gellcoat......you can thin the resin by using 10 percent acetone..(but not reccomended)..this assists getting the stuff thry the nozzel of the gun. the thing here is ...that the acetone evaporates during the spray.....so you still have mostly pure gell going on the substraight.
if you thin the gellcoat by over 10 percent....you run the risc of the stuff not evaporating. that means your gellcoat might no ever cure.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Plywood Prep?

Acetone is Fine with wiping down Cured gel/glass without "desolving/eating" .. In fact its completely harmless unless you have some some additive that Acetone will attack..

Buff a spot out on your gelcoated hull..wipe with acetone and it will leave No residue on the rag.

Gel is NOT plexy..it will NOT harm your gel when cured..the only thing it can attack is uncured resins in poly that dont completely cure..

YOU CAN Acetone your gel without worries unless there is some crapola on there that acetone reacts with ( or improper cured surface poly ).

YD.

 

[JKTrevecca]

Re: Plywood Prep?

Thank You Thank You Thank You!

I'll take some pix today and upload them later this evening. It's 65 degrees here today!!!! Nashville!!

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Plywood Prep?

Jk look down the road Cookeville here. Where do you boat? Percy Priest? Son in law has his Rinker there.