10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

[TwoRivers]

Hello to all. I?m new to this part of the forum. I usually hang out on the engine side but can?t contribute much since I?m relatively new to motorized boating. (long time paddler)
I?ve followed some of the restoration threads here and I?m impressed with how skilled you guys are and how much you help each other. I?ve also learned from the threads that I can get into a mess of trouble if I don?t know what I?m looking for?

I?m not necessarily a big chicken when it comes to projects. I work on old trucks, cars, and motorcycles all the time. But, not this year, I just want to fish. Since I?m not in the market for a restoration project I?m looking for a little advice?

Here?s my situation:
Looking to upgrade from a 14 ft. Meyers Pro Fisherman to a 16 ft. aluminum boat of some kind. Main purpose of the boat; assist in catching walleye and pan fish.

There is an older (1984) Alumacraft stick steer available locally. I don?t know what model and I haven?t got out to see it yet but I spoke with the owner.

The boat has been sitting in a barn since 2003. Sometime right before 2003, the owner re-did the flooring with pressure treated plywood. (I?ve read countless times here not to use PT ply)
The owner said that he sealed the plywood on all sides with fiberglass (or something else?) before installing it. It has only been out of the barn a few times since the flooring was installed.

Questions:
Should I stay away?
Should I take a look?
What should I look for?
Any and all opinions are appreciated.
Thanks in advance for you help.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

PT wood contains chemicals that will leach out (or eventually leach out) and it will attack the aluminum. Depending on the aluminum surface it could be as fast as a season...........

Regular exterior plywood, marine plywood and a few more are all made with exterior glue and will suit your needs fine.

I would not hesitate to remove the old decking regardless of what was said.

I would consider that boat a project or a time bomb.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

Hello and welcome to the crazy side of the forum, TwoRivers...

Let me start out by saying that I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert and most of my boat knowledge has come from what I can recall from right here in this forum...so here goes...

The biggest problem with PT ply, especially the older stuff is some of the chemicals that were used as preservatives, I think arsenic is/was one of them, and when the stuff leaches out of the wood, it tends to corrode the aluminum...

Others with way more knowledge and experience will soon chime in and correct any possible misinformation I am spewing...

If possible have the owner shoot more pics of the boat from any other angles that you would like to see and email him any questions that come up...

If it is not too far away, I personally, would still go and check out the boat, if this is what you are looking for, and armed with the wealth of info available here, be able to determine if it is a good buy or not...

The main things to look for would be the aforementioned corrosion, serious damage like holes/tears in the hull, whether or not the motor/controls/wiring are all in good working order...if possible and you can get the motor running and the trailer is in good shape, ask for a sea trial...

Good Luck!
GT1M

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

The main differences between the pressure treated plywood is that the arsenic was removed from the chemical mixture. The ACQ was introduced in the early 90's (92-93). Even the older PT wood had copper but not as much.

Consider every edge, every screw, rivet, and every hole drilled leaves a point of chemical reaction with aluminum. My main concerns would be the deck and hmmmmmmmm I wonder if the transom was done? We are not talking about a great amount of wood and if the boat is what you want......get the boat and replace the wood.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

It never hurts to take a look at a boat, and the possibilities for that boat don't sound too bad.

The boat has been barn kept, so it will be dry and has been kept dry.

2002 was when they changed the formula for pressure treated wood, if he replaced the deck prior to that then the wood is CCA treated and that's not a problem... or he could have used some old ply he had laying around. Talk to him about when he replaced the decking.

Even if the treated deck is the new ASQ treated ply, it sounds like the boat has been kept dry and the wood is encapsulated with f'glass so there shouldn't be any real problems there. If you want the boat you should plan to keep it dry when not in use, cover it or garage/barn keep it.

As far as what to look for... it'll be hard to tell if there's any corrosion damage from the treated ply without lifting it and looking i the bilge, but the rest of the boat can be a good indicator of how the boat has been kept. Look for fading/UV damage, cracked vinyl, rust on any accessories/hardware. Take a close look at the bottom of the hull for missing rivets, cracks, and holes. Look at the transom and see if you can get a look at the transom wood, ask if the transom wood was changed when the decking was redone.

If the boat looks to be in good condition, it probably is... if it's looking raggedy then you should probably look for something else.

 

[TwoRivers]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

Thanks for the welcome and all the great information.
There's a groundhog (not too reliable) here in SWPA that claims there will be an early spring this year.
As soon as he comes through with a few early spring days in the high 40s or so I plan to go check out the boat.
I'll be especially looking for signs of corrosion. And, I'll pay close attention to the transom.
If the gentleman sells the boat before I make out to see it, that's OK.
I'll keep posting to this thread and asking questions until I buy something. Then I'll be asking questions about how to fix it up. Then hopefully, I can keep another wannabe boater from screwing up?
Thanks again and if you think of anything else or know where there is a boat that will fit the bill?
I'm in the South Hicks of Pittsburgh, PA. (about 15 mi. south of the south hills).
My main goal is to get a good, safe, functional boat. Not too concerned about the motor as I have several in great shape. I do need a long shaft transom. I'll pay a little more if I can find a nice one.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

Thanks again and if you think of anything else or know where there is a boat that will fit the bill?
I'm in the South Hicks of Pittsburgh, PA. (about 15 mi. south of the south hills).
My main goal is to get a good, safe, functional boat. Not too concerned about the motor as I have several in great shape. I do need a long shaft transom. I'll pay a little more if I can find a nice one.

Tough to go wrong with an aluminum. Even if all the wood is rotten it's not a huge undertaking to replace it. Just keep searching CL for Starcraft, Sylvan, Sea Nymph, Mirrocraft, Lund, Smokercraft, etc.

 

[TwoRivers]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

About 8 inches of new snow this morning. When does groundhog season come in?
Going to look at a 17ft. 88 Sea Nymph GLS. I talked to the owner by phone and he said there was a soft spot near the back of the boat but the transom was solid.
Any chance of this being accurate? I don't think he's trying to hide anything, it's just that everything I read on here suggests that if the floor is bad the transom stands a good chance of being bad?
I think he's asking too much for the boat with an older 50 Evinrude: but it does come with some nice extras, like a new cover, bimini top with sides, new gps and batteries. These things add up fast when you go to buy them.
Any suggestions.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

In a tinny, it is possible to have a soft spot or deck & not need a new transom. BUT, you'll be doing a bit of work and adding the transom (to confirm 100% AOK & reduce likelihood of having to replace it later) isn't that much more work, and will give you confidence that the ENTIRE project is going to be safe & last as long as you'll ever need it too.

If you've read thru some tin threads, you know it's much easier to see & touch the transom ply compared to a glass boat. But even good looking transoms often have hidden damage & rot on the back side, where it'd be extremely hard to detect unless you pull it.

I'd bet less then 3 in 10 tin resto's that have soft deck spots at the start of demo, don't really NEED to have the transom pulled.

Spend some time & crawl all over it, inspecting every possible place you can find to look, feel & shine a light on........

If you think it's too much for the rig, don't pay it. Compression check the motor, check the gear lube & SEE it run (on muffs or in a barrel). Be aware some older Evinrudes were electric shift.... If you can't see & hear the motor run (on muffs!) or check & confirm good compression, it isn't worth $1.

And above all else be prepared to walk away............

 

[TwoRivers]

Re: 10yr Old Pressure Treated Plywood?

All good advice JB. Much appreciated.
I've been following PMC's SeaNymph thread and this is the same model boat that's for sale.
He's done a great job of restoring his.
If I could get a few years out of it before a major restore, that would be great.
But, my luck would have to radically change.
I'll give it the best inspection I can and I'll be back if I have any questions.
If I can just be patient, the right boat will fall in my lap. Problem is that my wife has all the patience in our household.
Thanks again. I'll post when I get out to look at it.
I still didn't get out to look at the Alumacraft with the pressure treated floor. Bad weather looking to turn. Hope to look at a few boats before the weekend.
thanks again.