Replace your cockpit floor

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bill
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Location: Grosse Ile MI

Replace your cockpit floor

Post by bill »

BigM Ideas on replacing your nautalex covered plywood cockpit floor that has dry rotted. :o
http://plasticlumberyard.com/plasticlumber.htm

I did mine about six years ago. :!:
I used this company very easy to deal with :D
They even routed and filled the extra black lines to match the old Nautalex pattern. ;)
I used 3/4" x 6" x 12' T/G boards :!:
http://www.plasteak.com/plasteak-recycl ... eck-lumber
:idea: I will post some pics of my now 7 year old deck.
:? I have posted pictures on face book. :roll:
bill
8-)
Last edited by bill on Fri May 29, 2015 4:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Former owner of
ALUMINATION
Grosse Ile MI
Located on LakeErie
37' F/B Sedan
1975
Twin 360 Chrysler Marine
Raw water cooled
Hydraulic steering both helms
USCG Master Lic. Retired[/color]
Third Owner bill
Fastjeff
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Location: Rock Halll, MD

Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by Fastjeff »

The easiest way is probably what I did.

1. Replace any rotted areas with similar marine plywood. This can be fairly small areas sawed out with a Sawzall. Neat fitting is not required here, just get rid of the bad areas, screwing them down from below (a nasty job).

2. Make a template of the cockpit area in 4 foot wide sections using cardboard. We got the cardboard from a local grocery store (boxes) laid out flat and duct taped together.

3. Cut 1/8 inch aluminum pieces out using the templates, adding a tiny bit for on-site trimming.

4. Drill and countersink holes in the aluminum along its edges, about 4 inches apart, and screw it to the wood with SS flathead screws.

We added a rug on top of the aluminum that has worked out very well. Every few years we replace it with a new one (remnants).

Jeff
"We live at the bottom of an ocean of air, not at the top." General Marvage Slatington
bruegf
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Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by bruegf »

Jeff,

Just curious how long ago you did this. I would think that approach would cause a rapid deterioration of the underlying plywood as water would wick down along the screw shanks and both sit between the bottom of the aluminum and the top of the plywood keeping the wood wet as well as wicking down the screw shank into the plywood. Caulking might help, but I think the seal would break soon because of the different rates of expansion of the wood and aluminum. The only way I think this would work would be to coat the plywood with epoxy before laying down the alumninum and drilling out the plywood in with 4-5x larger drill in the area of each screw and then filling w/ epoxy so you are effectively screwing down the aluminum into epoxy plugs.

UPDATE:
My plan to deal with this when it was time was to replace the 5/8 factory plywood w/ 1/2 marine plywood and then epoxy 1/8" thick teak 2" wide strips on top of the epoxy, spaced with a 1/8" gap between teak strips that would be filled with epoxy mixed with a graphite filler to provide the look of teak deck.

In keeping this post, at least somewhat, in the spirit of a vendor post, I have enough 1x2 and 2x2 teak planks that can be resawn into enough teak strips for a number of Big M cockpits if anyone is interested.


Fred
Last edited by bruegf on Sun Aug 31, 2014 3:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.
jralbert
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Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by jralbert »

As Fred suggests, there's a problem with a wood underlayment..so I would alter Jeff's protocol for item #1 as well (all his other steps are right on). So-called marine plywood isn't the same as pressure-treated wood which is almost rot proof but who knows how the chemicals used to treat it react with the aluminum framing. I'd look at the solid plastic underlayment offered in the first post above and also by the people who make PlasTeak. It could be more expensive at the outset but you'll never have to deal with again and can skip the epoxy fill that Fred correctly suggests if you use wood. Sooner or later, all M's with wood underlayment decks will face the need for replacement. (Think about how long your house roof lasts)


UPDATE: My apologies for contributing to this out of place thread. I should know better. I forgot this is a VENDORS section, not a place for how-to's. The OP was on target but the rest of us sort of not-so (although not eggregiously so). Putting things in the right "drawers" helps users find info easier. Sorry for the rant but as a forum user over a decade, it always strikes me as crazy when the original post starts, say, as a question about props and twists into a discussion of air conditioners. All useful stuff but hard to find later. Done ranting.
-joel-
former owner 1988 '32 FB Sedan
Chesapeake Bay
twin 318 / 240 hp
Potomac MD
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bill
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Location: Grosse Ile MI

Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by bill »

Former owner of
ALUMINATION
Grosse Ile MI
Located on LakeErie
37' F/B Sedan
1975
Twin 360 Chrysler Marine
Raw water cooled
Hydraulic steering both helms
USCG Master Lic. Retired[/color]
Third Owner bill
martindesign
Aluminum Star
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by martindesign »

Hi. I'm new to the forum I just purchased a 32 express and redid the entire floor. From the factory mine was a 4x10 sheet of plywood on the left and one o. The right with a 12" stop in the middle. Since I couldn't find 10' marine grade plywood I did it in 4 pieces plus the center strips with the seams overlapping the floor stringers. I used the colored nautolex texture vinyl that they sell since the striped is discontinued. Worked out really well. The only issue was that the 3/4 marine plywood was a little thicker than the old floor so I had to router a bevel on the edges to tuck into the allum. Channel. I took pics of the process if that helps.
Machanic, fabricator, carpenter, plumber, electrician, designer, hotrod builder and glutton for punishment. :ugeek: current boat; 1969 Marinette 32 express bridge 440's
Catawba Oh
meapilot
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Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by meapilot »

Bill, how about picture (s)?
1978 32 F/B Sedan, Twin 318

TN River
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bill
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Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:17 am
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Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by bill »

Former owner of
ALUMINATION
Grosse Ile MI
Located on LakeErie
37' F/B Sedan
1975
Twin 360 Chrysler Marine
Raw water cooled
Hydraulic steering both helms
USCG Master Lic. Retired[/color]
Third Owner bill
martindesign
Aluminum Star
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by martindesign »

I redid mine last year. Four pieces of 3/4 marine plywood one full sheet 8x4 on each side in the front and smaller pieces in the rear than center strips and the doors. I wrapped all the panel's with nautalex from defender. Painted the wood first, then stapled the edges underneath and called over the staples. Its not going anywhere. Can't post pics. Says they're too large.
Machanic, fabricator, carpenter, plumber, electrician, designer, hotrod builder and glutton for punishment. :ugeek: current boat; 1969 Marinette 32 express bridge 440's
Catawba Oh
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bill
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Posts: 520
Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:17 am
Location: Grosse Ile MI

Re: Replace your cockpit floor

Post by bill »

BigM
Another Product. :arrow:
http://www.coosacomposites.com/

bill :)
Former owner of
ALUMINATION
Grosse Ile MI
Located on LakeErie
37' F/B Sedan
1975
Twin 360 Chrysler Marine
Raw water cooled
Hydraulic steering both helms
USCG Master Lic. Retired[/color]
Third Owner bill
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