Soft front deck in Ranger 362VS

[kjbock44]

My front deck on my 362VX has a number of soft spots. One of the previous owners put in a recessed foot control and I'm guessing never sealed up the bare wood when he did it and over time it has absorbed enough water to make it spongy. Question, has anyone attempted to replace the front deck on this vintage of Ranger on your own? Has has anyone paid to have it done professionally and if so, how much did the work cost. Final question, do I have to worry about potentially cracking the glass and what remains of the wood underneath? and if so can it be repaired at that point if that does happen? Appreciate all of your thoughts and suggestions.

[Batfish]

The foot pedal is likely not the issue. My 88 Bass Tracker has some soft spots as well. They did not use plywood between fiberglass layers on the decks. It is more like a honeycomb of particular board. Once it is wet, it turns to junk immediately. Honestly you can look at like cardboard. In my opinion, it will cost more than it’s worth. I have touched mine up with minimally expansive foam, but be careful, it will push the layers apart and cause more problems.
Good luck.

[Amistad Tackle]

I replaced a large portion of mine on my 1999 492VS before I added a recessed pedal tray. The deck was spongy because it got water in it and rotted. It was very easy and has held up perfectly for the last 5-6 years. Do not remember exactly what year I did this. The deck is a sandwich of glass, plywood, and then glass on the bottom. I pulled the carpet back and used an oscillating multi-tool to cut the first layer of glass. You will be saving this piece. Got out all the old rotton wood out and used the piece of glass as a template for cutting a piece of marine plywood. Believe it is 3/8 plywood. Coated the plywood with West System epoxy and then epoxied the wood into the hole. epoxied the top piece of fiberglass I took out back onto the new marine plywood. I then used some structural fiberglass cloth along the edges (after grinding the edge to a bevel to reach the glass), again using West System epoxy to wet it out, and a fiberglass cloth roller to get out any bubbles. I believe I also used some West System high density filler in the epoxy along the edges of the repair. Use glass cloth and epoxy along the edges until the deck is flush. I recarpeted the entire boat, but if you can get your carpet up without destroying it you could just glue it back down over the repair. You might drill some test holes to determine the extent of the rot, and exactly how much to cut. As you move toward the edges of the front deck it is 100% fiberglass composite. I will see if I have some photos to post of the process.

[Amistad Tackle]

Just found a few photos. It was October of 2016 when I did this repair. Solid as a rock still today.

IMG_1695.jpgIMG_1701.jpgIMG_1716.jpg

I also epoxied up a bunch of holes. Anywhere I thought water could get in was ground out and epoxied.

[Amistad Tackle]

A few more photos of repair, front deck with pad, and finished product. I ended up putting padding the front deck, carpeting the entire boat, and had the bench seat reupholstered. The entire rehab was a lot of work, but worth it in my mind.

Attachment 501382Attachment 501383Attachment 501384IMG_1763.jpg

[Amistad Tackle]

If you wanted to have that deck repair done professionally, I am guessing 500 to 1K.

[JoePA]

I just did a 375 front deck and its not too bad of a repair. More than likely most of the front deck will be shot as its just not one area, the part that is soft is because the wood is now powder. If you are handy with tools and willing to dive into it, then I say go fro it. Might as well re carpet the boat while you are at it.

[kjbock44]

That's awesome. I think I may have to go further out than you did but at least I know it's doable. Question, the dark area on the left side of the deck; what was there? One of the previous owners has a piece of aluminum screwed down in that approximate area. I assumed it was for a bounce buster for the trolling motor. I am beginning to question that now that I see your pictures.

[dean c]

A few more photos of repair, front deck with pad, and finished product. I ended up putting padding the front deck, carpeting the entire boat, and had the bench seat reupholstered. The entire rehab was a lot of work, but worth it in my mind.

Attachment 501382Attachment 501383Attachment 501384IMG_1763.jpg

Nice work AT

[Amistad Tackle]

That's awesome. I think I may have to go further out than you did but at least I know it's doable. Question, the dark area on the left side of the deck; what was there? One of the previous owners has a piece of aluminum screwed down in that approximate area. I assumed it was for a bounce buster for the trolling motor. I am beginning to question that now that I see your pictures.

I am not sure what that area is. I bought the hull and trailer in 2002, and whatever that is it came from the factory. Maybe an area where they had the top cap attached when they pulled it from the mold.

[Amistad Tackle]

Nice work AT

Thanks. It was a lot of work, but my labor and materials was a lot cheaper than buying a new one. Love my old Ranger boat.

[kjbock44]

Oh how I wish your price was correct. I visited two different shops today that repair fiberglass. The first shop gave me a price of $2,000, the second shop gave me a price not to exceed $3,000. The first shop was leaving the existing bottom fiberglass, the second was removing the top and bottom fiberglass. Both shops said there expansion foam under everything so other than being soft and annoying I don't have to worry about falling through.

[kjbock44]

Curious how far back you had to repair. Did you leave the bottom piece of fiberglass? Can you walk me through the various steps?

[Amistad Tackle]

What you see in the photos I attached is as far back as I went. I would pull the carpet and drill test holes through the outer fiberglass skin to determine where you have rot and cut the skin away accordingly. It’s very easy with that tool to make the cut of the outer fiberglass skin without going through the second skin. Then use a wood chisel, scraper etc to pull the rotten wood out. Dry the area fully with a space heater and you are ready to put the new core in. West System has manuals for using their products. The manuals are here: https://www.westsystem.com/instruction-manuals/. There is a section on floor repair, that will give you some information Yes, there is high density foam under the floor, but who wants to stand on a mushy floor all day long. Surprised on that price, but I seem to always underestimate what things will cost when others do the work.