Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

[LionBear]

After about 3 years of talking about buying a boat, I finally bought one last weekend. Woo-hoo! I'm pretty excited to get her out on the lake, but I think I have some floorboard issues.

Got the boat for a great deal, but noticed that the floorboard near the engine compartment had a little extra give to it. I've attached a close up picture where the wood is rotting, and also a picture of where this is in comparison to the engine. The other side of the engine at the back also feels a little mushy.

From what the previous owner told me, the floorboard breaks out into 3 different parts, and I would just need to replace the part near the engine. The rest of the boat floorboard feels perfect, but the back does need replacement.

What do you think? How much would this cost to fix? Could I replace it on my own with some marine plywood? View attachment 98249View attachment 98250

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

Welcome to iBoats. Please re attach your pics, they are not showing.

 

[ingalp01]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

If the rear of the floor is that rotten, I'm going to bet the rest of the floor will most likely require replacement. You should do some exploratory surgery and really inspect the rest of the floor. How much will it cost? I have no idea. Depends on the extent of the damage and how far you go with the restoration. I'm sure Woodonglass, Archbuilder, or friscoboater will most likely be able to give you a better estimate on cost. I'm just starting my partial restoration on my cabin cruiser & I'm budgeting $3500 to $5000 bucks, but that includes a lot of new seating, a new outdrive and steering and controls. So the only thing I'm really saving is my labor costs.

As far as fixing this on your own... ABSOLUTELY!!! And you are definitely in the right place for advice and assistance. Good luck...

 

[LionBear]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

Thanks for the quick replies. Are you not able to see the pics? I think there are links to them after the text of message. It's my first time here, let me know if they don't show!

 

[rickryder]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

A soft deck can lead to more underling issues. Rotted stringers,waterlogged foam and rotten transom.... Best thing to do is open up the deck and explore.... Pics will be very helpful for us to see what you have going on

Welcome to the dry dock!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

Welcome to iBoats!

There's a link in my signature line on how to post your pics. Soft spots in your deck really need to be investigated as RickRyder says. We're here to help so post the pics so we can SEE what you see.

Marine Ply IS the best but... Not absolutely required. Underlayment plywood or Ext. Grade FIR plywood uses 100% waterproof glue but there will be some voids in the plys. Lots of guys on here use it. Once it's encapsulated in the fiberglass it will last for decades. Cost is the main factor. If you ONLY have to replace the deck Wood, Resin and Carpet should be under $1K . If you find more rot below the deck costs WILL go up.

 

[LionBear]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

pics attached

 

[LionBear]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

thanks Woodonglass! I just posted pics.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

I would say you need to cut open the plywood deck and check the flotation foam for water saturation...... Take a circular saw and set it for 3/4" depth and cut out a square ..... next take a piece of thin wall pipe and twist it down into the foam.....remove foam core from pipe and squeeze it and see if you have water in the foam.... Let us know what you find...

 

[stackz]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

floor replacement can be expensive, especially if you go superman on it like some on here do. I did the floor in my little 15' runabout and wood/resin/peanut butter/glass sheeting ran me around $300. I got lucky and my stringers were good though. my project got expensive when it got to the carpet/wiring/stainless hardware, etc. as I did a complete rewire on it.

 

[LionBear]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm going to take it to a boat shop today and see what they think. I'm going to work on getting a couple quotes and see if I want to take this project on my own. More to come...

 

[LionBear]

Re: Replace Floorboard - Advice for 1st time boat owner please!

Ok, boat shop #1. They said that it is just the back piece (thank god) that needs to be replaced. Looks like between $600-$700 worth of work. Not bad! Gonna get another estimate tomorrow. Hopefully can get it done for $500.