Best decking? Plywood or treated, 3/4 w/ sealant?

[Bcbflies]

I'm working on a Bass Tracker 3 restoration. Needs all new decks front and back. I'm thinking of using 3/4 plywood and sealing it with Thompson's waterseal. Is that the route to go? I've heard that using treated plywood will make it more water resistant, but also heard that requires special nails/screws and can corrode the boat with chemicals? Also, on the elevated bow for the trolling motor mount - does that need some kind of reinforcement? I'm putting a 42-pound thrust Motorguide on it. Any comments are welcome! Thanks for all the help, folks!

Brett Billings
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

[Ubuck]

Brett

The best material to use is a 3/4 inch marine grade plywood but DO NOT seal it with Thompson's or any other type of water sealer. That is made to use on decks and needs to be reapplied 1-2 times a year. Are you going to do that on your boat?? Probably not.

If you are replacing the entire deck, cut the plywood to fit and encapsulate the entire piece with fiberglass resin. It is a little more work than the Thompsons or treated wood but will last 10x longer and will also be much stronger. Buy some stainless steel screws to secure the plywood, they won't rust.

I don't know about the reinforcment for the trolling motor. I didn't reinforce anything with mine and it's fine. You would be surprised how strong the plywood is with a few coats of resin.

Check out http://www.capndsboatshed.com. Nice site with instructions to replace that deck.

Good Luck !!!!

Ubuck

[Neilslure]

New ACQ lumber treatment requires Stainless or Galvinized hardware. Otherwise corrosion will result. 3/4 Treated plywood is very heavy.

[tpgrealty]

Use 3/' plywod. It does not need to be treated wood because you will be sealing it with epoxy resin, but you do need to let the wood dry out if it is still green. You will need to coat the top and the bottom with the resin and also the sides. 2 coats of resin is plenty. Allow 1-2 days drying time per coat of resin. Remember that whatever the epxoy resin is on when it dry's it will be stuck to. I would only do one side of each board at a time. You will need to use stainless steel screws for the deck. After putting the deck in the boat coat over all the screws with resin as to seal them in. If you want some reinforcement use a 1/4" -1/2" piece of plywood coated with resin around where the base will go.

[mossboss]

there is a material that they use in new homes for subflooring, it is called advantec, it is a type of particle board, but instead of glue they use a plastic resin, it is strong,waterproof, and has a 50yr warrenty, my son got it for me and it is great, he had a piece on one of the loaders his boss has for a roof and after a couple of years outside it is still in great shape.

[Bcbflies]

Ubuck and tpgrealty:

You guys advise epoxy resin and fiberglass resin. What are the advantages / disadvantages of one over the other? I've never worked with either. How expensive are they, how much will I need and where would I get them?

Many thanks! You guys are pros! I'm learning a lot from this board!

Brett

[tpgrealty]

You can get epoxy resin from Boater's World or West Marine. I am sure there are plenty of other stores that carry it. If I remember correctly it runs around $25 a gallon. They will both work about the same. The salesman at west Marine told me that for best results with the fiberglass resin you will need the fiberglass matting. The epoxy resin you will not need the fiberglass matting only the epoxy resin to seal the wood.

[ProcraftMike]

Please use the epoxy resin over the fiberglass resin, if you will be working with wood. I did a lot of research before I replaced the floor in my boat. Studies show that epoxy resin has much better wood bonding abilities over fiberglass resin. Epoxy resin is also not as brittle as fiberglass. For the few dollars more you spend for it, It will perform better.

I found the U.S. Composites had the best pricing on the epoxy resin. You can find them on the internet. Call them and talk to Mark, he is quite knowledgable.

[merklerob]

if you use the treated material, be advised the resins may not bond to the green treated wood. even the dried out treated wood is not perfect. i would use the marine plywood and precoat it with 10% cut resin.

[MM]

Brett, We sell a material called Boatboard that is used in the marine industry. It is used for flooring, ski lids, etc. You can use stainless screws, staples, or most any kind of fastner to fasten the board down or carpeting. No treatments need to be added, ever! and it will last forever! It is a form of polyethelene and is also used alot for cutting boards. It is very easy to work with! Let me know if you need any more info. Mark

[MM]

Glenn, You have mail. Mark

[Red Mist One]

If you need really straight plywood, use the cabinet grade. Its not much more expensive, but really great to work with.