Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

[bekosh]

My 1992 Cruisers 2870 Rogue came with a good sized extended platform that the previous owner had built. It was a big selling point for me since we hang out on the back of the boat all the time. However, the rub-rail had leaked and there was significant rot in the plywood core. So this spring it was time to rebuild it.

Here is a pic from last year with the old platform.

It was built in three pieces with the middle section being hinged so that you could open it and use the factory installed ladder. If you look close at this pic you can see how that worked. The problem with that was you lost your platform when you had it open to use the ladder. So I decided to rebuild it as a single piece with an under platform ladder.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Here are the first set of photos showing the rot and cutting out the plywood.

I used 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood. The old platform was used as a pattern. I made the cuts using a regular jigsaw and then used a router with a 45? bit to angle the hull side edge.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Here we have the two plywood panels ready to be glued together. I used 1/2 gallon of Epoxy Resin that I had left over from another project. When I went to buy more epoxy I was shocked at the price today. Last time I bought Epoxy it was about $75 per gallon and now it's $150. So I decided to use polyester resin for the rest of the build.

In the second photo you can see the first oops. I started to route the wrong side of one of the panels. So I had to make up some 'peanut butter' (resin thickened with fine sawdust) and fill the gap.

 

[oops!]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

dont stop there bud....looking good.

i agree with the under platform ladder as well...much gooder design !

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Here it's time to start applying the fiberglass. I used 6" wide fiberglass tape and covered all 4 sides.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

dont stop there bud....looking good.

I got it all done and mounted on the boat last week.

I went with 6 or 9 oz cloth to completely encase the plywood and used polyester resin to save some money. $50 per gallon vs. $150 for Epoxy. First one side...

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Then the other.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

After the resin dried, I sanded the surface and edges smooth and counter sunk the holes for the under platform ladder. I used 1.5 inch diameter fender washers topped with 1.5 inch diameter 1/4 inch thick starboard disks mounted flush with the surface for backing plates. I followed everything up with a coat of primer and 2 coats of white marine paint. I found RustOleum brand marine paint at Menards for a very reasonable price, about $15 per quart.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Next up was the non skid surface. So I taped off the edges and applied another coat of paint and cover it up with a organic, walnut shell cat litter. Once it was dry I dumped off the excess. It turned out to be a lot more aggressive than I had intended so I rubbed it down with my hand to knock off the sharpest parts of it. Then another coat of paint to seal it in.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

The mounting brackets were already on the boat so I don't know where the PO got them from. I think he was an engineer so he may have built them himself. It's hard to get to the inside backing plates, but from what I can see he used really large washers and 1 inch thick hardwood.

 

[bekosh]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

I got the platform mounted on the boat and she's been in the water for a couple of weeks. I'm already seeing wear on the nonskid and it's obvious that I will need to put another coat or two of the marine paint on it. Still, the cat litter gives a good aggressive nonskid that you won't be slipping off of. At least not without leaving skin behind.

This picture really shows why the extended platform was needed. From the factory, there just isn't any room to move around back there.


The End

 

[Quit It]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Thanks for posting the pictures. Just my .02, but what about a bed of epoxy for the walnut shells (or even sand)?

Nice work!

 

[Quit It]

Re: Cruisers 2870 Rogue Extended swim platform rebuild

Just watched "How it's Made" and they were showing how diving boards are made and it reminded me of your swim platform. To make the diving board safe to walk on they apply a thin coat of resin, then dump silica sand on it, then they apply a coat of laminating resin that bonds to the sand giving a "clean, finished look".