1999 Glastron Floor Completely rotted out, First timer.

Joined
Aug 28, 2011
Messages
13
I Recently had my 1997 GW Invader 180 Indy stolen. It was a sad day, but I was insured and soon secured a 1999 Glastron 180 with the 4.3 Vortec. The Floor was in clear need of repair so I got him to knock off a couple of grand figuring me with my wood working experience would have no problem replacing a boat Floor. I have procured the appropriate Marine grade plywood and have begun the task of removing the old wood. In many places this has been incredibly easy, splinters really. What has caused me some consternation has been the fact that Foam is approximately .5 inch higher than the stringers. Also I was expecting to find some form of fastener attaching the floor to the stringers. However it looks like the floor just sits above all the stringers. Can this be right?
 

jigngrub

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
8,155
Re: 1999 Glastron Floor Completely rotted out, First timer.

Sounds like a slovenly build.

If the decking wasn't fastened to the stringers it's no wonder the foam pushed the decking up 1/2" above the stringers.

If your decking was that far gone you need to check the floatation foam for saturation, or just go ahead and dig it all out so you can check the stringers for rot.

Check the transom for rot too while you're at it. Rotten decking, saturated foam, rotten stringers, and transom all go hand in hand. Fiberglass boats rot from the bottom up and the inside out.
 

Woodonglass

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 29, 2009
Messages
25,930
Re: 1999 Glastron Floor Completely rotted out, First timer.

Sorry for your Bad Luck! Do you know much about the Maintenance history of your boat? Being that she's 14 almost 15 yrs old there's a good chance she has some issues if she's not been cared for properly. Since the Deck needs replaced it's a good indication she's not been very well maintained. It's not that uncommon for the factory not to fasten the deck to the stringers. They calibrate the injectors to inject correct amount of foam based on the cubic feet of space. It's not all that precise at times. Most rot occurs at the rear of the boat so I'd recommend a thorough inspection of the motor mounts and the adjoining stringers. Drilling core samples is the best method. Core sampling the Transom down low around the perimeter of the outdrive is also recommended. IF all the shavings are light colored and dry then you're good to go. Fill the holes with some 3M 5200 sealant and move on will the decking. If the shavings are dark colored and wet then you have a lot of work in your future. You should also prolly core sample your foam. You can use some 1 1/2" PVC pipe and cut some TEETH in one end of it and then screw it down in to the foam til you hit the bottom of the hull. Wiggle it around a bit and then pull out the pipe and check the foam and see if it's wet down low. If it is, it needs to come out. There's NO WAY to dry it out and wet foam can add hundreds of lbs of weight to your boat. You'll get lots of help here on the forum so post up some pics and let us know what you find.
 
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