Tool question

[Coastal1]

I need to replace the floor in my lil fiberglass boat. What is the best tool for the removal. Skill saw would leave a 1-2" lip around the edges? I've seen some of the floors removed on this thread and they are all the way up to the edges. That is what I want to do. R/Chip.

[THOMAS70]

We use a grinder with a diamond blade.

[Tom Powers]

A skill saw to get it close then a 4 1/2 inch grinder with a 30 grit pad. Just be very careful with the grinder. Maybe you want to do it in two passes one with 30 grit and one with 80 grit.

Here is a trick if you think that you want to put back the old floor. Set the saw at 45d and make the cut such that the angle will stop the removed section from falling downward. When you go to put it back all all you have to do is block it up from the bottom and fill in the gaps.

[Coastal1]

Thanks for the info. I can't replace the floor it has some soft spots. When I bought the boat in 2002 I paid to have a new floor put in. Lot's of use and some neglect now I have to do it again. I'll have her fixed soon and post some pics. R/Chip

[Tom Powers]

Do a search on the word "plywood" on this forum and you should get several hits. One of them is bound to have long discussions regarding how to prep the material so that this will be the last time that you have to mess with it.

The key is to coat both the top and bottom of the plywood before you put it in with fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Hopefully most repair shops would at least coat the bottom with resin, but I would bet that there are some that would cut corners and have the underside as bare wood.

Tom

[Coastal1]

Thanks Tom, I had already planned on doing that. It will be a fun process, I'll post pictures on how it goes. R/Chip

[Coastal1]

OK, for all you guys who have done simular work, do I need to do it in a garage? Or can I just cover the project with a tarp to keep the rain off of it? I'm ready to get started so that by the time duck season rolls around I'm ready to go. Any suggestions? R/Chip.

[dwkoller]

I replaced the floor in my center console out in the open. Having a garage would have been nice and shortened the process a lot. Having to schedule the work based on the weather is really a 'pita' -- especially when its too cold to epoxy. Order your fiberglass and epoxy on-line and you'll save a bundle. I ordered mine from fiberglasssite.com -- very happy with the product and delivery.

Grinder was the best tool for the job.

Good luck.

[cbofei]

the epoxy from fiberglass site seems too thick to me, very hard to wet out thick material such as woven roven. Did you use anything to thin it out? I also didn't like the extra step of removing the amine blush after the work was completed, or between steps. What are your thoughts?

[DDan]

Be careful thinning the epoxy. I'd contact the manufacturer. Off the top of my head, most do not recommend it. I've wetted out fiberglass cloth very nicely with both West Systems and System III, but have not tried either with roving. You can warm the epoxy to make it flow better, particularly if it's cold. Of course, you are going to make it cure faster, too.

If you recoat the epoxy within a relatively short time, say less than a day - depending on temperature and hardener use - but before it fully cures, you don't have to worry about the amine blush. Most folks used the fingernail test: if you can dent the coating with your fingernail, it's not yet fully cured. While still in partially cured state, top layer will chemically bond with layer beneath - but once the bottom is fully cured, it's a "mechanical" bond only - adhesion, but not fully linked to undercoat. It's a good idea to prep a fully cured undercoat by sanding to put some scratches in it, to increase the bond. I'm not sure what effect the amine blush itself has on adhesion. Since the hardener is an amine, maybe not much. But, it's a lot of work to have to redo if it fails, so you may not want to take the chance. I've been pretty careful, but I've never noticed any effect of small areas on amine blush on subseqnet epoxy layers. I did, however have an entire coat of varnish that never hardened because of the blush - so the effect is real. I hope never to rexperience that!

Note on epoxy curing: it's a chemical reaction and chemical reaction rates generally depend exponentially on the temperature. That means, it cures a LOT faster when it's hot than when it's cold.