1990 Ranger 364

[Goodmanservices01]

I have a quick question, currently fixing a small soft spot on the front deck of my 1990 Ranger. Would it be better for me to use treated plywood or to use regular plywood and fiberglass it. Thanks for any help

[Richie B]

I would use marine plywood if I were doing it. Maybe throw a little resin on it.

[90bumblebee]

For longevity sake use ACX sanded ply. Laminate it thoroughly and then use 1708 biaxial cloth for a few layers. Make sure to overlap with cloth 4 inches at the edges. Should last longer than the rest of boat

[Bassnailer]

Don't use treated. It seems counter-intuitive, but the chemicals they use to treat the wood actually make it a poor choice for marine applications (moisture and warping are primary concerns, along with corrosion of some fasteners). If you can find marine plywood, this is best. A very close second is a good high ply cabinet grade plywood (Fir is best, Birch, however, is also very good). Like mentioned above, coat all sides with resin, then throw some chop strand mat on top. You want marine or cabinet grade because there will be no or at least far fewer voids in the lumbar. I used 3/4 inch 13 ply, Baltic Birch when I replaced the floor on my Stratos. This was coated with 4 coats of resin on all sides, epoxied into place with no fasteners, then covered with two layers of a chopped strand mat. This made for a very solid repair.

[bassboat1]

Marine ply will be sturdy and heavy due to the number of laminations and the increased amount of resins needed for those laminations. The resins will be waterproof.

The better cabinet plywoods like baltic birch or Appleply will have the benefit of multiple laminations, but the resins are not "exterior grade", so you'll want to encapsulate in fiberglass.

Underlayment grade will have less laminations, but no core voids and the resins again are not waterproof.

ACX will have less laminations (each are usually 1/8" with a thinner face veneer), exterior resin but will include core voids.

Pressure treated is similar in construction to ACX.

CDX will have exterior resins (that's the "X" BTW), core voids, face voids and may be constructed of less layers of veneer.