help with new deck materials?

[ratking20]

about to take the boat out of the water, rip out the deck and replace it along with whatever stringer damage i may find. new deck will be fiberglass and gel coated. old deck was stupid carpet. 1992 sea ray 220 bowrider. boat will be re-powered in the spring.

ive been reading alot in this forum, lots of info but hard to make decisions sometimes. friscoboaters restoration has TONs of info. good job there. its like the bible

polyester vs epoxy resin is always a question that comes up

i hear epoxy is better but more expensive, but i want it to last

what mat/cloth should i be using with each. i hear no csm with epoxy, but i also hear csm should be used for srength. i also hear csm glassed and gel coated will give u a nice smooth looking deck which i want

can i do polyster with csm in a layer and then epoxy with cloth over that for that extra waterproofing quality????

i plan on ordering the materials very soon. any help would be great?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: help with new deck materials?

A deck made from Ext. Grade Plywood or MDO plywood that is properly installed, will last for 30+ yrs. That's long enough for me.

Here's a drawing of how I recommend doing it... Finish it off by rolling on GelCoat and you'll have a deck that your Grandkids will be able to enjoy.


Click the pic to Enlarge it!

 

[ratking20]

Re: help with new deck materials?

nice diagram. i assume you mean to use polyester resin since the diagram includes CSM??

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: help with new deck materials?

Yep, your boat is made out of poly. Your statement about poly is a little misleading. While it is true that epoxy's waterproofing features are better than poly, poly has been used for decades by the MFG's for building boat hulls and they all repel water quite well. As long as you use the mat and take care in the application to get all the airbubbles out your deck will last as long as you have the boat, using poly.

 

[archbuilder]

Re: help with new deck materials?

I'm with wood, I think epoxy is overkill. Save the money and use it to buy something else for your boat