Decking Material - Azek Board

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Captain Ahab

Captain Ahab

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So i initially decked my 16' MirroCraft conversion with marine grade plywood - epoxy sealed and then painted with Overton's Tuff Coat non-skid paint. After about 5 years the upper decks started to rot on me, which was strange because they are completely out of the wet and on an aluminum frame.

I re-did the deck this spring and used Azek board (which is a cellular PVC board) - same paint but now no chance of any rot. Also was a lot easier to work with - did all the cuts with a jig saw

Gives great support and weighs less then the plywood

has anyone else tried this?
 
Long Time - No See !!

I am particularly interested in your issue:
Marine Grade Plywood - epoxy sealed and then painted with Overton's Tuff Coat non-skid paint.
After about 5 years the upper decks started to rot on me, which was strange because they are completely
out of the wet and on an aluminum frame.
Click to expand...

I have seen "dry rot" in the old 1960s era marine grade plywood - not wet rot.
so just wondering what went wrong with yours. Do you remember the humidity
level in your area when you applied the epoxy sealer? Did you apply any kind
of sealer prior to the epoxy ? where did you purchase the marine plywood ?
did you have adequate ventilation under the upper deck?

photos would be awesome !
 
It was a wet rot - but only the upper decks (which have 1005 air circulation - some if it had to do with crud around the edges i am sure - i leave the boat outside all year uncovered and i used /14 inch ply because it is well braced. Even the 3/4 (2 pieces of 3/4 doubled and glued together with 5200) transom rotted out.


weird thing is the lower deck (which sits at the bottom of the hull and is wet) did not rot at all - still using that


I also replaced the transom with the Azek - and sandwiched that between two sheet of aluminum which is super solid now
 
Johnny said:
I see - - -

The Azek boards should last as long as your boat now.
Click to expand...


Well i do not know about that - my boat is a 1974 and i expect that it is good for at least another 43 years :)


The Azek will likely not last that long - UV rays usually shorten the life span of any plastic. LOL
 
Ozark River Runner said:
How well would this work to use as a floor in a boat? and What thickness would you recommend?
Click to expand...


It will work better than mot anything except alum. Thickness will depend on the amount of bracing - I used 3/8" but it also comes in 1/2"

Stuff is super easy to work with
 
I found out building a wood epoxy stitch and glue boat that the moisture already in the wood will rot it out real quick after you seal it up. Makes a enclosed area to rot. On a side note I have better luck in some cases to prime and paint the wood with no epoxy sealer to hold in the water and rot it out. I guess that's just for a amateur like me that don't know how to dry out and test the wood before sealing it up. I do know you need a moisture meter to make sure its very dry first. Most products bought in box stores has been sitting out in the rain just before coming in the store and is soaking wet with a moisture meter anyway. You cant tell by looks and feel. What I thought was dry as a bone was really wet and had to be dried for three months in my shop to get low enough moisture content to encapsulate with epoxy.
 
skipper123 said:
I found out building a wood epoxy stitch and glue boat that the moisture already in the wood will rot it out real quick after you seal it up. Makes a enclosed area to rot. On a side note I have better luck in some cases to prime and paint the wood with no epoxy sealer to hold in the water and rot it out. I guess that's just for a amateur like me that don't know how to dry out and test the wood before sealing it up. I do know you need a moisture meter to make sure its very dry first. Most products bought in box stores has been sitting out in the rain just before coming in the store and is soaking wet with a moisture meter anyway. You cant tell by looks and feel. What I thought was dry as a bone was really wet and had to be dried for three months in my shop to get low enough moisture content to encapsulate with epoxy.
Click to expand...


That is very interesting and might have been what happened to me - only lasted about 4 years before it rotted
 
Ozark River Runner said:
How well would this work to use as a floor in a boat? and What thickness would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Azek is really heavy stuff, that's the only downfall. Oh, and it has less structural rigidity so in applications like decks where it sits on the flat, it has to be thick material so it doesn't sag over time. Even framed 16" O.C. you have to use 2x material to avoid sagging.
 
jethro said:
Ozark River Runner said:
How well would this work to use as a floor in a boat? and What thickness would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Azek is really heavy stuff, that's the only downfall. Oh, and it has less structural rigidity so in applications like decks where it sits on the flat, it has to be thick material so it doesn't sag over time. Even framed 16" O.C. you have to use 2x material to avoid sagging.
Click to expand...

So then what is the best? I've got a lot of flooring in my boat. If I could knock 50 lbs out of it for a few hundred bucks I'd do it. Besides who is not sick of plywood?
 
jethro said:
Ozark River Runner said:
How well would this work to use as a floor in a boat? and What thickness would you recommend?
Click to expand...

Azek is really heavy stuff, that's the only downfall. Oh, and it has less structural rigidity so in applications like decks where it sits on the flat, it has to be thick material so it doesn't sag over time. Even framed 16" O.C. you have to use 2x material to avoid sagging.
Click to expand...


The Azek I used is lighter then plywood of equal thickness - it is slightly less rigid but I did not have to add any additional support

Plus it is way easier to work with than plywood and impervious to water
 

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