Using resin on just one side

[DougyB]

I'll be taking the carpet up on my 14 footer and putting new, darker stuff in...The floors I put in are from two years ago, but I never epoxied them before I installed them. I was just wondering your opinions on coating just the topside of the decking with resin...The carpet and center console will be up anyway, and I'm going to have tons of Resin on hand (Andy skys boat just got to my house and I'm buyin the 22 foots little 18 foot brother too tomorrow) It is a ton of work that would ruin a lot of my great progress to get to the underside of the decking, so Im either gonna resin just the top, or, if you guys feel against this, leave the topside just varnished to breathe. My main concern is if I epoxy the top, would that trap moisture that comes from the bottom and tries to escape through the top?(not that my boat leaks, just sayin)

While im at it, any of you guys varnish underneath your epoxy just as an added barrier?

Go Flyers

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Using resin on just one side

I only epoxy the top side and edges on my decking. Having the top side epoxied is a hell of a lot better than not having anything sealed.

It's the water that penetrates through the top side of your deck via that nasy water sucking/soaked carpet that wreaks havoc, any moisture below deck will be minimal... especially if you keep your hull in good repair and your boat covered when not in use.

Throw the epoxy to it, 3 or 4 coats worth.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Using resin on just one side

What kind of boat we talkin about here? Glass? Wood? Tinner?..... If the plywood has been exposed to the weather it can be delaming...

If it's in good shape and dry you can cover it with 1.5oz csm and 6oz woven with poly resin.....would be best on both sides but the top is better than nothin!

 

[DougyB]

Re: Using resin on just one side

it has been exposed to the weather but is not delaminating yet... i will throw epoxy on it, and maybe I can throw some mesh in it too, I was actually debating fiberglassing all the flooring on my new restore versus just epoxying it.. I would think fiberglassing is a much more lasting option than epoxy. but also much more costly and time consuming.. I will have to weigh both options very soon

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Using resin on just one side

I would think fiberglassing is a much more lasting option than epoxy. but also much more costly and time consuming.. I will have to weigh both options very soon

Not necessarily, You can use epoxy resin alone but you can use poly resin without glass cloth. I'll put 4 coats of epoxy resined deck up against a poly glassed deck any day. People glass in decks because it's less pocket $$$, but when you figure in the time it takes its the same or more.

If you think glassed in decks are really that good, take at look at all the glass restos here and look at the rotten glassed in decks.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Using resin on just one side

The only reason a glassed deck rots is due to improper care and maintenance. If it's done right and all holes are coated properly and maintained. It will last for decades. Mine is 50 yrs old and still going strong.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Using resin on just one side

The only reason a glassed deck rots is due to improper care and maintenance. If it's done right and all holes are coated properly and maintained. It will last for decades.

That's true with any deck... glassed or not.

 

[DougyB]

Re: Using resin on just one side

I wasn't even aware of the differences in resins for fiberglassing and epoxying. I have put no interest into fibergassing until now because of my urge to fiberglass my center consoles.
I actually have access to as much epoxy resins as anyone could imagine, as i do it for a living. I was going to do a little product research on some of the products we work with and see if they would work for my application. Even if i didnt have anything i feel safe to use I'm very familiar with the application of epoxy, and not at all familiar with fiberglassing yet. Although it doesn't seeem too hard, just a lot more steps and time

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Using resin on just one side

The epoxy you want to use needs to be a thin epoxy, about like motor oil so it'll penetrate the wood. It's not a very good epoxy for vertical applications because it's "runny", but it works well for horizontal.