Floor repair advice and other tidbits

[robertmee]

I'm amazed as I read all these threads at the level of talent some of you have for restoring boats. I'm simply in awe!

I just purchased a 1986 Glasstream 1550. The boat appears to be in pretty good shape (pics at end). The motor has been mostly rebuilt, has fine compression at #150 on all cylinders and cranks right up. The finish on the boat is a little worn (more on that later), there are some electrical issues (bilge pump blows fuse and trolling motor plug needs re-done), but the main problem is the floor in two spots. I've read numerous threads with interest on floor restoration, but I'm unsure how to proceed on this particular boat. The floor in question is the raised portion where the front pedestal sits (you can see from the pictures where the screws are pulling out). Most of the restorations seem to do with flat floor, not a raised section like this. How is this constructed and how do you 'cut it out' and replace? I did find one thread that showed how to make a platform extension and I'm thinking of doing this as well to get some additional storage.

The other soft spot is under the console (driver's side) and I'm guessing will require a complete ripout. I'm a bit afraid of what I'll find once I cut this out and check the stringers more closely. I did put my full weight (220lbs) on the transom area, jumping up and down and it didn't budge so I'm at least encouraged there.

So, in summary, the two biggest questions:

1) How to proceed with repairing the floor(s), especially the raised one.

2) I know it is probably hard to tell from the pics, but will a wet sand progression and buff bring back the finish? I'm not too particular about the looks as I plan on fishing the he$$ out of it, but if it would shine up nice, I think I would be up to tackling that job.

Anyway, thanks for your time in reading thus far....Here are the pics:

[ProcraftMike]

If you only have a bad spot under the console, it is possible to just repair it by cutting out the bad spot, adding a lip around the perimeter, under the floor, and laying in a new piece of wood. Then glass it all, with a couple layers of cloth over the seam.

There is a good chance that when you cut the bad spot out, that you will discover the the rest of the floor is bad also. You might be able to do something like I did. My floor replacement is posted at the top of this forum.

Regarding the front deck, if the deck is rotten, you should be able to replace it, using options similar to those for the main floor.

[Cajuninok]

Robert,
Something I tried on an old Terry was, once I removed the carpet on the deck, to carefully cut through just the top layer of fiberglass leaving a lip where the deck rolls into the side and remove the rotten wood leaving the bottom layer of fiberglass. I then made a pattern of the deck and cut out a new piece of wood to replace it. After coating the new wood in epoxy, I poured a layer on the existing fiberglass and set it in place, then covered the wood and lip with 2 layers of woven and 2 layers of mat. Jury is still out on how this will hold up, but so far it has lasted 2 years.

Flynn

P.S. I was able to get to the under side of the deck and put in some temporary braces to support the deck while the fiberglass set up.

[robertmee]

Thanks for the suggestions....So, any guesses as to what's under that upper deck where the front pedestal sits? I can reach my hand under there near the small live well in the aft of the deck and I don't feel anything. Seems like alot of wasted space. I'm thinking I should cut it out to the lip, build a box to sit in there and maybe install a hatch for additional storage. Mat/Epoxy it in.

One concern I already have is how close proximity the chair mount is to the lip where the well sits. I don't think I would be able to put the chair back in the same place as I need to allow some lip for the new box, true? Not a big deal to move the chair forward a little, but is my thought process correct?

Cajun,

I don't think I could replicate that as when I feel under the deck, it feels like from someone's weight in the past + the rotted wood that it has cracked underneath. I can feel a splintered seam in the fiberglass underneath.

[Cajuninok]

Robert,
Hmm, not sure what you could do with that issue. Unless maybe you could put a few layers of weave on to reinforce where it is splintered.

Good luck, keep us posted on your progress.

Flynn

[robertmee]

Finally got back in town and the boat home. Here are pictures of the bad area of the floor....Advice?









And the gelcoat







The metal flake is rough on the top cap. Feels like mild sand paper. Does that indicate wet sand first? The hull is pretty smooth, just oxidized badly. Advice?

[ProcraftMike]

If one section of your floor looks that bad, my bet is that you are going to find that the whole floor is in pretty rough shape. In the long run, it probably makes more sense to replace the entire floor area anyway. It's obvious from the bad section that water has been getting under the floor. My guess it has taken it's toll elsewhere as well.

You're going to have to cut out the bad section anyway. Cut a good 12" beyond the soft wood and see what you have. Take a good look under the rest of the floor, once you get the bad section out.

On the top cap, take a high speed buffer (or try a spot by hand) to one of the worst spots and see how it turns out. If you are not satisfied, you can try wetsanding. Do a search on this forum and you will get lots of information on wetsanding.

It looks like a great looking boat with lots of potential.

[robertmee]

Thanks for the reply, Mike. I did some more investigation, and suprisingly, the stringers (at least the ones near this area) are still solid as a rock and fully glassed. The foam is dry (this model only has foam on the gunwals, not the center), so I'm hoping the damage is not as bad as it looks.

I'm going to start cutting more out tomorrow...Any advice on how to cut around the console? The bottom is glassed to the floor. I thought about using a side angle grinder and cutting wheel, which would release the console from the floor, but how do I transition that seam back in once the new wood is in place? Some fiberglass cloth and epoxy? If so, how do you hide it as I don't think the carpet would go up that far...At least it doesn't currently.

[ProcraftMike]

My first piece of advise is, don't cut too deep...bad things will happen..... Each boat seems to be a little different as to how the floor is attached. You will probably have to get creative with the boat hull, in terms of creating a new support for the floor area. How is the floor currently tied to the hull? Is it just glassed in, or is there a shelf that it sits on? If the floor just has a bad section, you can out a lip under the existing floor section and lay the new floor over the top and glass it in.

You will also probably have to get creative with where the new floor comes up against the side of the boat. You may have to carpet higher to hide the seam, or paint this area a different color.

Post a few more pics once you get it cut out, so everyone has a better idea of what you are dealing with. Good luck!!

[robertmee]

I'm not sure how the floor is supported on the side yet. It's really weird to be honest. From this picture, you can see that there is carpet down the side of the interior storage, and the floor just sits on top of it. It wasn't glassed in at all. So, when the floor was carpeted, you simply had carpet meeting carpet. I gotta think the only thing supporting it is the stringer underneath.