What to use to fill floor gap?

[Cjpainten]

I am in the middle of a budget restoration on my 89 18' celebrity bowrider. I got this boat in working condition for $1000 this summer and got alot of use out of it, but in need of a winter project I am fixing her up. The boat is mechanically sound. The floors had a few soft spots, the carpet was shot, the upholstery needs some work, the paint is peeling, ect...

I have removed the interior completely and examined the wood underneath. (I know the correct way to do this is to rip up the whole floor completely, replace the stringers and re-glass everything but this is not worth my time on such an old boat.)

I decided to get some 3/4" pt plywood to lay on top of the existing floor to increase it's strength. I now have a gap of about 1" between the floor and the side of the boat on both sides where it contours upward. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to put down to fill this void? I will be carpeting over the wood and want a smooth floor.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Woodonglass]

I HIGHLY recommend you either restore the boat properly or...Sell it. If the stringers are bad ( and there's a 99.9% chance that they are) then your boat is UNSAFE to operate. Before doing an overlay on the deck you should drill core samples of the stringers, motor mounts and transom to determine their condition. The stringers ARE the Back Bone of any boat and if they are compromised it's imperative they be replaced. Boats are a bit of an expensive hobby and taking short cuts to save money is rarely possible and still maintain a safe craft. There are HUNDREDS of examples here on the forum that illustrate this FACT!!!

 

[NetMatrix]

I agree with woodonglass; I myself several years ago got an older boat and didn't do a proper restoration on it. Needless to say the boat fell apart. Not in the sense that on the water it collapsed or anything like that, but it had bad stringers in it that I never replaced. I put a brand new floor over top of that and with the bad stringers the floor ended up caving in. It is very important to restore a boat properly to save on extensive repairs down the road.

 

[Cjpainten]

I appreciate the concern, but to clarify, this boat is only going to be used one season as I will be getting a 26' Baja at the end of next season. I fully understand this repair is not permanent and the boat will eventually rot out. I am not too worried about the stringers as most of the time on the lake the boat is anchored and I mostly just lounge out on it and swim.

All I am asking is what to use to fill a gap in the floor...

 

[ondarvr]

"All I am asking is what to use to fill a gap in the floor... "

​In this case it makes no difference, leave the gap, or fill it with strips of the left over 3/4" ply.

 

[Cjpainten]

I didn't do this to begin with because the area of the gap is at an angle and I do not have a planer to achieve this. I figured there was some foam or epoxy filler I could use instead

 

[kcon]

Two part epoxy with a thickening filler. West Marine 105 Epoxy, 205 Hardener, 404 High Density Filler.


Careful bud, if your deck was that bad it's likely the extent of the rot in the stringers / transom is pretty serious. Up to you to trust your safety to a quick fix. Be prepared with safety equipment.

 

[zool]

Since youre just hacking it anyway, maybe u could just fill the gap with a can or two of great stuff expandable foam spray, shave it smooth, then run a roll of white Flex Seal tape, lapping the deck and side...should keep any more water from getting down there...

 

[kcon]

Since youre just hacking it anyway, maybe u could just fill the gap with a can or two of great stuff expandable foam spray, shave it smooth, then run a roll of white Flex Seal tape, lapping the deck and side...should keep any more water from getting down there...

I'd hate to be the sucker that buys that boat at then end of the season...

 

[zool]

I'd hate to be the sucker that buys that boat at then end of the season...

Yeah, but thats just a reality out there...most production boats from the 80's you see on the water everyday, have some degree of rot going on, and most dont get diagnosed till the transom starts cracking and they start taking on water....I dont agree with his method, but it appears hes already done it....

 

[Woodonglass]

If you don't want to do it right then get a gallon of bondo filler and have at it . Make sure any/all passengers are aware that your boat is potentially unsafe and wear pfd's at all times

 

[Cjpainten]

No Title

It really wasn't that bad...

 

[Woodonglass]

If you didn't core sample the Stringers, Motor Mounts, and Transom then you really have no idea how good or bad they are. Also the deck must be tabbed to the hull sides to prevent flexing

 

[Cjpainten]

Yea I guess I'm going to use Bondo for that...

 

[zool]

My guess is the Bondo will start cracking out of there after the 1st few waves...if ur gonna secure the upper deck to the sides, then just tab it..or just let the lower deck tabbing hold it together, and fill the gap with something flexible...

 

[Cjpainten]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is tabbing and how would I go about doing it?

 

[ondarvr]

You must have a skill saw (circular saw) or something to have cut the plywood to fit it in place, that saw can cut at and angle too, so make strips in that way. Filling it with Bondo will cost money, plus be no stronger than leaving the gap empty and just running the carpet over it and up the wall.

 

[Woodonglass]

Sorry for my ignorance but what is tabbing and how would I go about doing it?

After the overlay plywood had been coated with resin You'll lay down a layer of chopped strand mat and then lay down a 12" wide layer of 1708 covering the gap 6" on the deck extending 6" up on the hull sides

 

[Cjpainten]

Thank you. This is what I was looking for all along

 

[ondarvr]

This will be of no value if you only plan to run it for a season and aren't going to fix stringers and transom.