Project Replace Floor

[spic]

I've been talking about replacing the floor in my Savage Osprey for years and now I finally have got around to it. I'd been sitting on this project for a while due to being indecisive on what to cover the new floor with. I like the feel of carpet but it's a pain to clean and takes ages to dry and I wasn't too keen on the deck paints I've seen as their quite harsh on the feet and quite hot.

Well things are a bit quiet at work and they decided to close the plant for a week so here was my chance to get this one out of the way and thought I'd share some pics and experiences.

Well here is the existing floor, pretty ordinary particularly in the back corners.

Here she is without the floor, pretty clean I'm impressed

I cut the new floor out of 15mm structural grade CD plywood, 4 sheets did the job

Quite happy, ample clearance around the sides and the pieces fit neatly

I started to paint the new floor pieces when my youngest son calls me over and point out 3 cracks that I missed,,, old age

It's only on one side

Now I have to get in there and strip all the paint around the cracks and make sure it's spotless as I got someone organised to weld plates over the cracks this Saturday.

Edited March 16, 2010 by spic

[Stacer560]

hey spic when you replaced the floor and carpet, did you create any new hatches / access points for underfloor storage?

If you did, do you think the timber would bow once exposed to sun and water/moisture?

I see you used marine ply, did you coat it with marine estapol for extra protection?

[spic]

hey spic when you replaced the floor and carpet, did you create any new hatches / access points for underfloor storage?

If you did, do you think the timber would bow once exposed to sun and water/moisture?

I see you used marine ply, did you coat it with marine estapol for extra protection?

I haven't put the floor in as yet as I need to get those cracks welded up. I thought about the under deck storage and opted not to, I've got heaps of storage and quite frankly it becomes a pain in the arse as water will get in there. I've cut the floor pieces out and have applied 2 coats of undercoat on the top and approx 5" around the edges underneath. So there is some bear timer underneath but I'm told there should be so the timber can breath. I won;t be putting carpet down I'll be painting it with a rubberised paint called Tredgrip amazing stuff. I'll keep updating the post as that was the real reason I started it was like me alot of guys don't like carpet as well as the traditional deck paints so I wanted to show there is an alternative.

The other reason I opted not play with any additional storage as I wanted to keep the foam flotation that sits in there.

Here is a shot of the floor pieces as they are at the moment.

Edited March 17, 2010 by spic

[spic]

Made some progress over the weekend.

Got the cracks welded up, coated all the bear metal with etch primer and gave it a spay with some white enamel. I also installed the additional rear floor supports.

In goes the tank, replaced all the fuel hoses and fuel lines. Filled her up and gave the motor a run just to make sure I didn't over look anything.

I managed to get the new floor screwed down, real pleased with the fit and I sealed up all the gaps. The front pieces have already had 2 coats applied of Tredgrip. This is the product I chose to paint the whole floor with. It's a rubberised paint with small pieces of rubber in it. Has extremely good grip and it's quite soft on the feet and it doesn't get hot like normal decking paint. I'd been searching for quite some time and came across this product and discovered quite a few of the pro crayboat operators in WA use it on their decks. Time will tell but so far I'm really pleased with the finish.

Hopefully next weekend I'll get the entire floor coated and show the final result.

[spic]

Hey Spic..

Floors looking good !!

Just a quick question about where I presume the seats bolt down.Have you screwed directly into the timber with screws ??

If so the new floor may rot very quickly if it gets wet.Not trying to scare you but have seen this before.Water will quickly find its way down the screws into the timber and start to rot.

All the Best !!

I appreciate your comment, I was planning to load the screws up with Sikaflex before I screw them in, not sure what else I can do. I'd appreciate any other ideas!

[spic]

What a great solution I never would of thought of that.

Many thanks.

[spic]

Okay I finally got the boat finished today and planning to go out tomorrow morning for a quick fish.

I'm quite happy how it turned out now to see how the new coating holds up. So far it's it's very comfortable on the feet and very grippy.

Not sure if get the idea but if you zoom on the pic you should see the finish

It's extremely satisfying when you finish a project like this not just the money you save but the peace of mind knowing that it was done right.

Edited April 2, 2010 by spic

[davegroves68]

Okay I finally got the boat finished today and planning to go out tomorrow morning for a quick fish.

I'm quite happy how it turned out now to see how the new coating holds up. So far it's it's very comfortable on the feet and very grippy.

Not sure if get the idea but if you zoom on the pic you should see the finish

It's extremely satisfying when you finish a project like this not just the money you save but the peace of mind knowing that it was done right.

Nice job mate!! One question. Where did you get the rod holders down near the floor?

I've been looking for some of them for mine.

Thanks,

Dave

[spic]

Nice job mate!! One question. Where did you get the rod holders down near the floor?

I've been looking for some of them for mine.

Thanks,

Dave

Dave,

Thanks mate!

All I did was buy these from Bias

http://www.biasboating.com.au/p-1885-alloy-bull-bar-mount-rod-holder.aspx

and purchased the nylon inserts that sit in the top, I think I got them from Bias as well but Witworths has them

http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_itemdetail.asp?cat=136&item=72037&intAbsolutePage=1

Cheers,

Vic