Soft spot on floor question

[Skinnyside]

Hey all. I know this has been covered in other posts, but I have some questions regarding doing a repair on a soft spot on the floor of my 96 Dyna-trak. The boat has a wood floor with a thin glass coat over it and apparently the wood rotted near the drain hole on the passenger side floor. I have pulled some of it up and find hard floatation foam right under the affected area (about the size of a frisbee).

What I thought I might do is get some 3/4 inch marine plywood, seal it with resin?? cut a square in the floor and glass in the plywood. My question is, how do I reinforce it to withstand the weight of some of my heavier fishing buddies. Do I lay the wood into a bigger mat piece and glass down the supporting sides? or do I just lay it in and glass some matting down on top of it? The foam under the floor is pretty strong and affixing the sealed wood directly on top of that may be an option? I would then level the floor out with something and lay new carpet down over the whole mess. Thanks for any help, sorry for so many questions. I have no glass experience.

Paul

[HydraSport205]

I used mat around the seam and used epoxy resin to seal and adhere it good. My spots that needed cut out fell on a support underneath so I was able to screw it to the support along with the mat and a BUNCH of epoxy resin. Is there nothing under it to support it? Depending on the size if you can slide a piece under it to create a lip for it to rest on, screw it all together with SS screws and seal/adhere the crap out of it with epoxy resin. I would think that would hold up well. If the foam is tight that idea probably wont work.

[ProcraftMike]

I would do what Chris indicated. Find a way to support the new plywood piece from underneath. Either build a lip around the edge of the existing floor, so the new floor sits on it, or run a couple of supports under the floor, going under the area where you need to install the plywood, so the new piece sits on it. You need to support it somehow, or bad things will happen. Use epoxy resin and cloth around the edges of the newly installed piece and you should be good to go .

[bronco71]

I have read on here to cut out the bad floor at a 45 degree angle and to cut the new piece to match so it will be supported all the way around. Coat with EPOXY resin and then use glass and epoxy resin to set in the new piece. When dry sand the edges of the glass sticking up and use several layers of glass and resin over the seams in progressively wider pieces. Be sure to roll the bubbles out of the glass!!

[Ritchie]

I think Bronco71 is right on with his answer, that's what I was thinking as I read down the thread. Adding supports would definitely be good, but cutting the hole and the patch piece at an angle should make it self-supporting.

[Ubuck]

Sounds like good advice to me !!!

[Skinnyside]

Thank you for all the good responses. The foam under the flooring is too close to allow a supporting piece to be installed. I will try the 45 degree angle cut and see how it goes.