posted 09-11-2008 02:20 PM ET (US)        

I am looking to replace the wood with a material that does not rot. I have read many threads here and but haven't seemed to find a suggestion for a suitable replacement to the wood.

Whalerboard is a little pricey. Starboard, I've been told by BW, won't bond to fiberglass deck.

Has anyone tried, or does anyone know about the following?

Penske board:
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=1593&familyName=Penske+Board

G10 Fiberglassboard:
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=8758&BASE

Bluewater series Coosa board:
http://www.coosacomposites.com/bluewater.html

Also, what is the best way to make sure my screws a sealed?

posted 09-11-2008 04:39 PM ET (US)            

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product. do?pid=8758&BASE

posted 09-11-2008 04:45 PM ET (US)            

Thermolite Board from Spaceage sythetics
http://www.yachtsupplydepot.com/painting-and-fiberglass-repair/thermo-lite-board/series-2400-thermo-lite-board-3/4-thickness/prod_870.html

posted 09-11-2008 04:55 PM ET (US)            

Does anyone know what thickness I should be using. I haven't yet scraped out the old wood out of the deck plate to really measure.

Thanks for reading.

posted 09-11-2008 08:46 PM ET (US)            

Before giving up on using plywood, understand that the problem develops where the wood has been penetrated but not sealed. Usually around the screw holes and fuel gauge or access port.

If you take the time to at least seal with a couple of coats of epoxy around the holes or better yet, in the case of the screw holes along the edges, create an annulus of resin. It's essentially a resin "plug" that's created by drilling an over sized hole, filling with resin and let dry. The next day drill the proper sized hole in the resin. That way, no water can penetrate the wood, it's encapsulated.

posted 09-12-2008 08:43 AM ET (US)            

I've not seen any documentation of a deck/floor repair that uses a composite material. I wondering if I'm just not searching the right terms? Or, is there a reason for not using composite that I should be considering?

I have nothing against wood; it's strong, flexible and inexpensive. It's the rotting thing that I don't like. I am not convinced that fiberglass/epoxy coated wood will not ever rot again in the high stress, sealed, wet area above the gas tank. I would find greater peace in knowing that the substrate on which I stand can't rot from a hairline crack or poorly sealed screw.

Great advise on sealing the screws -Thank you!

posted 09-12-2008 09:30 AM ET (US)            

I had considered Starboard as well, and ran into the same problem: practically nothing sticks to it. Rather than go the exotic materials route you are working on, I went "old school" and installed a teak deck with rubber inlay. I realize that this is not the solution for everyone!

Good luck with your repair. Please report here how it went!

posted 09-12-2008 07:45 PM ET (US)            

How long do you plan to keep the boat? The lid lasted at least ten years, even though the screw (is there an inspection port / gauge port?) holes were not sealed as previously described. For my money, I'd bet that creating a series of plugs for each screw hole and liberally applying a slightly thickened epoxy paste around the inspection/gauge ports will made the lid last for the time your going to keep the boat.

If your really committed about only using non-wood:

West Systems is now producing an epoxy that can bond to a number of plastic surfaces; ABS, PVC Polyethylene and Polycarbonate have been tested so far with good results. It's more flexible then the standard 105 resin based epoxy. But G/flex 650 would give you a surface, once cured to apply additional coats of 105 epoxy and glass.

Click on the link below and look for an article called "Gluing plastic with G/flex"

http://www.epoxyworks.com

No matter which way you decide, don't use the same screw holes in the tank cavity lip, fill grind down and use some fresh wood three or four inches away from the old ones. Better bite.

And keep us here on the forum informed of your progress and photos help!

posted 09-13-2008 01:06 AM ET (US)            

Any repairs I make I would like (hope) to be final, and the composites seem to be a step in that direction. Thanks for that link and epoxy lead.

To answer you other questions -and to ask more:
The wood in the desk plate is VERY disintegrated and was bleeding a color up through the screw holes. I'm not sure how long the wood could be defined as "usable" but my guess is that it started rotting long ago and stayed wet for years - as the bilge pump was emptying in this area and not out the side drain (broken tube). According to BW, this shouldn't be too much concern as water will drain into the rigging trowel and eventually out through the transom. This begs another question- why is the gas tank cover sealed if water is allowed to wash over it and eventually drain to the bilge area? How can this area ever really dry out? there is one inspection port but is that enough to air out wet foam (and saturated wood)?

Ideally it would be nice if this gas tank area was sealed, but not permanently kind of like a giant inspection hatch door. I digress.

I have a question about your advise on filling the tank cavity lip holes -That would mean I also have to plug and fill my deck plate shell too, right? Also, after seeing the mess under my deck, I would like to pop the deck plate off about every three years and inspect the belly of the beast for bad hoses, corrosion, bugs and what not. So I would be unscrewing and re-screwing much more than probably intended. Perhaps I need to think of a different system -or can I just pack the holes every time?

I will take pictures and document the project if you really think it's interesting enough.

posted 09-13-2008 01:27 PM ET (US)            

One of benefits of the forum is seeing if someone has come up with a different, unique way of handling the same problems that we, as Whaler owners encounter. So keeping the group up on solutions is always a good "thing".

From the sounds of your last post, you've actually got two areas of concern, the deck plate that's rotting, [b]plus[/] some softness somewhere on the deck itself?

Regarding the fuel deck plate suggestions, sorry I wasn't being detailed enough. I don't think that after repairs that you'd have to seal up the old holes, and re-drill in a new area every three or four years. I think just once would do it. Just prior to dropping the plate back on the opening, I'd shoot just a small amount of silicone into the tank cavity lip screw holes, just to minimize water penetration. If you think about it, that area (deck plate screws, the lip screw holes and inspection port cutout) are probably the areas that receive the most continuous amount of moisture above the waterline in our boats.

You raise a good question regarding the ventilation (or lack thereof) in that area. Some owners have reported of using a low power fan or heater combination, left directly over the open inspection port between usage. I believe there is some issue with USCG regulations regarding the sealing of the area, vs leaving it accessible and how that effects the need for a blower.

The deck softness is another issue, since you cannot attack and remedy the problem from underneath. You have to make a decision (no matter what material you decide to use) on how important the surface anti-skid texture is to you. If you do care about the anti-skid and can repair the area by cutting with a circular saw in an area where there is no cuts on the anti-skid, that's the easiest.

If you still want to maintain the "look" but would have to cut too large an area out, there are techniques to re-do the anti-skid look with gelcoat.