Replacing the floor...any experience with this?

[nh5111]

I just bought a 1973 Capri 15'. The upholstery on the seats is in good condition, need some cleaning, but the wood is completely rotted. Putting in new seats. There is a soft spot in the middle of the floor near the stern. How much is involved with replacing the floor? I have skills with carpentry and have done many home projects but have never owned a boat or worked on a boat. The boat currently has carpet and I hate carpet so I do NOT plan on putting new carpet down. Can I just use that Tuff coat stuff to paint the new floor? Also, from what I have read, it is best to use marine grade plywood, is there an alternative to this? Something that will never rot, like plastic? Does anyone know about these particular boats or does that not matter? I guess I will not really know what I am getting into until I start pulling the floor out. What about foam? I have heard about foam being in the boat, do all boats have this and is it required? Should I just bring the boat to someone who restores boats or is that very costly? I have a budget of about $2000.00 for this boat.

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: Replacing the floor...any experience with this?

If the deck/floor is completely rotted, the under structure likely is also. (Stingers and transom are probably rotted). When you pull up the deck you will have access to inspect these and determine the condition.
Arauco plywood from lowes or homedepot is a good substitute for MG plywood.
With a 2g budget, you can repair this properly so it will last a LONG time.

 

[JDA1975]

Re: Replacing the floor...any experience with this?

Not the same boat as Mine but looks very similar, might check my restore thread out, can you give you an idea of what your looking at under that cap and deck. Enjoy your project!

 

[nh5111]

Re: Replacing the floor...any experience with this?

If the deck/floor is completely rotted, the under structure likely is also. (Stingers and transom are probably rotted). When you pull up the deck you will have access to inspect these and determine the condition.
Arauco plywood from lowes or homedepot is a good substitute for MG plywood.
With a 2g budget, you can repair this properly so it will last a LONG time.

Thanks for the info...did not want to hear about the transom though, stringers I could probably handle, but doesn't repairing the transom involve removing the cap? This is not something I want to do. Since I am in the Chicago area, this might be good timing for a winter project. Anyone know any reputable boat restoration place in Northern Illinois, or is this the wrong forum for that info? If all I have to do is replace the floor, then I can do this myself, but my time is limited to a few hours on the weekends.

My main concern with this boat is safety, I have small children and I want to make sure we don't run into problems while out on the water.

 

[Ciera2450]

Re: Replacing the floor...any experience with this?

Paying someone to do this kind of work will be super expensive. It is NOT that hard, just very labor intensive.
I would start with drilling some holes in the transom and stringers to check the condition of them. Then you will know what you have and what will need replaced.
Very easy to do, find a low spot (several of them) you can access on the transom and drill a few holes into the transom. DO NOT drill thru the outer skin. Just deep enough to get some sample shavings of the plywood core. You can mark your drill bit with some tape or something to use as a reference mark. If you have nice dry shavings then the wood is likely ok. Dark and wet means its rotten.
Fill the holes you drilled with some 3m5200 if everything is good.

Sadly, a 1973 boat with a totally rotted deck will usually be rotted out from the bottom up.

Good luck to you!

The cap does not always have to be removed although it does make the job easier to access. Depending on how your boat is designed you MAY be able to replace the transom (if needed) without removing the cap.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Replacing the floor...any experience with this?

I don't know what I'd want to be sinking tons of time and $$ into an old tri-hull especially if your time is limited. You've got a great motor there, maybe start looking for an aluminum hull to bolt it to.