Replacing floors

[77nordic]

I need to replace the wood floors in my 1977 Nordic jet boat, 21 foot. Any suggestions on doing it? Advice on a shop, advice on lay out? I'm in Downey california. Thanks!

[HB Vic]

I need to replace the wood floors in my 1977 Nordic jet boat, 21 foot. Any suggestions on doing it? Advice on a shop, advice on lay out? I'm in Downey california. Thanks!

Welcome to www.hotboat.com !

What is wrong with your floors? soft? dry rot?

[77nordic]

They are rotted, soft enough to stick a screw driver through. I'm a big guy so they need to be replaced. I'm debating if I want to leave part of the floor between the stringers open to have a step down or to close it. Also to polish the glass or to carpet? Pros and cons?

[2manymustangs]

They are rotted, soft enough to stick a screw driver through. I'm a big guy so they need to be replaced. I'm debating if I want to leave part of the floor between the stringers open to have a step down or to close it. Also to polish the glass or to carpet? Pros and cons?

Photos?


I'm guessing it the floors are that bad, the stringers may be in need of attention?

I think that the stringers need to be bedded in glass on top of the floors...

While I have not done any of this work on my own I've done a fair amount of glass/wood work and have followed plenty of threads over the last decade...

Set up a jig/dolly to know/keep it all straight/true... Built out of 2x4's... Do this first to ensure that the boat is sitting on a true/straight/rigid fixture...

Some guys use a router 1/4" diameter carbide bit to cut through the glass overlay/flooring and not damage the glass bottom of the hull... They use the router to adjust the cut depth and section up the rotten/ bad flooring to be removed and scrape it all out, then D.A. the glass bottom of the hull after the rotten wood is removed...

I think a handy guy can do all of this on his own with a little resarch and common sense... AND alot of elbow grease...

Measure/take notes-dimensions and duplicate how the hull was originally set up... Try to use clear kiln dried douglas fir marine plywood and timbers for the stringers...

IF your not totally sure what kind of resin your using be sure to clean the layers of new resin with acetone and scuff with a DA to remove any styrene and ensure a proper bond of the layers of new resins one to another... SOme resins contain styrene and will prohibit the subsquent layers from bonding to each other properly, the acetone will clean off any of the styrene (it rises to the surface and keeps the resin from being tacky)...

You can do a KILLER looking wood floor that can't be matched by any carpet floor...

[77nordic]

The stringers are still good as far as I have found.

[77nordic]

If I want to do a polished wood door do I need to use a laminate over the plywood or just polish over the plywood?

[2manymustangs]

were these plywood floors from the factory?

[77nordic]

I believe so

[2manymustangs]

I believe so

I personally wouldn't want to do the repairs without having solid plywood put back in place under the stringers.

Tomorrow I will try to summons some experts to weigh in and offer up their 2 cents on the right approach...

[77nordic]

I was talking about the plywood on top of the stringers that makes up the flooring, I could use the space between the stringers as storage or as a step down to walk around on. I'm really interested in polishing the resin to see the wood flooring clearly