Wood Decks

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

OhioStateBuckeye

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
179
Reaction score
1
Location
Columbus, Ohio
Just a quick question on wood decks....


How long do they last? Ill be in freshwater (no saltwater at all) I know they rot after "awhile" but how long is that "awhile" stage?
 
I've had a wooden platform in another boat for a little over 4 years and I've had no signs of rot... and that boat sits out in the weather turned over year round. I painted the wood with deck stain and it's still holding up just as good as when I put it in. I also have rubber backed carpet on it
 
It depends on a few things; what kind of wood (mine's BC grade plywood; much less-prone to warping and checking [cracking and splitting] than a solid-wood), what kind of finish (spar varnish with a U.V. inhibitor is great, but definetly something to seal it good), and how well and often you maintain it. I don't think there's a finish you can apply once to a wood deck and just forget about it. It has to be touched up and gone over at least once a year. But you should be able to get quite a few good, usable years out of a wood deck before you have to replace it.
 
I put AC fir with water seal on pontoons 20 years ago and the owners tell me it's holding up well.Some of those boats are dock 24/7/365.
 
When I think of wood,I picture a patio deck.
It gets rained on,trampled and out in the weather 365 days.If treated well they will last for years,15 plus.

IMO.
 
I am a newbie to this forum, but I have my plans drawn and am saving to my budget to start my Yazoo conversion. I am going to use plywood coated with polyurethan resin and a hardener ( same product used to lay fiberglass). It gets almost as good a mortality as marine grade plywood. You can paint on top or carpet. I used 1/4" Corroplast board on the floor and carpeted it. It weighs practically nothing and will hold about 190 pound person with very little flex between the ribs on the boat (approx 18" span between ribs).
 
A guy I worked with built his own custom deck with wood he had imported from Africa. Apparently it will withstand anything thrown at it in the states. The temperatures in the states are nothing as hot as Africa so the wood doesn't warp and the rain here won't affect it either because they compared that to the trpoical rain they get there on a daily basis.. He told me it cost him $30,000 and he built it himself.. To much for my taste but after he stained it, its pretty much maintenance free. Just a suggestion
 
BLK fisher said:
A guy I worked with built his own custom deck with wood he had imported from Africa. Apparently it will withstand anything thrown at it in the states. The temperatures in the states are nothing as hot as Africa so the wood doesn't warp and the rain here won't affect it either because they compared that to the trpoical rain they get there on a daily basis.. He told me it cost him $30,000 and he built it himself.. To much for my taste but after he stained it, its pretty much maintenance free. Just a suggestion

I believe the wood is Okume.It is used here in the US to build and rebuild wooden boats.Okoume AKA Gaboon is a type of Mahogony.It is outrageously expensive.Here's the WIKI for it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aucoumea_klaineana
 
Gotta tell you, I am sold on using an epoxy resin as a sealant. It will outlast you and me... can be a bit pricey, but this is the type of thing that you apply then forget about for years to come. (Unless you drill through it or something...)

Good luck with what ever you decide.

:-k
 
jarhead said:
I am a newbie to this forum, but I have my plans drawn and am saving to my budget to start my Yazoo conversion. I am going to use plywood coated with polyurethan resin and a hardener ( same product used to lay fiberglass). It gets almost as good a mortality as marine grade plywood. You can paint on top or carpet. I used 1/4" Corroplast board on the floor and carpeted it. It weighs practically nothing and will hold about 190 pound person with very little flex between the ribs on the boat (approx 18" span between ribs).


:WELCOME:

Thanks for joining! :beer:

Thanks for your service! :USA1:
 
jarhead said:
I am a newbie to this forum, but I have my plans drawn and am saving to my budget to start my Yazoo conversion. I am going to use plywood coated with polyurethan resin and a hardener ( same product used to lay fiberglass). It gets almost as good a mortality as marine grade plywood. You can paint on top or carpet. I used 1/4" Corroplast board on the floor and carpeted it. It weighs practically nothing and will hold about 190 pound person with very little flex between the ribs on the boat (approx 18" span between ribs).

Hey look, another Yazoo on the boards. See mine in my sig. What dimensions is yours?
 
cprince said:
Gotta tell you, I am sold on using an epoxy resin as a sealant. It will outlast you and me... can be a bit pricey, but this is the type of thing that you apply then forget about for years to come. (Unless you drill through it or something...)

Good luck with what ever you decide.

:-k


Epoxy is good.I like it better than polyester resin like is sold in most auto parts stores.Polyester is really bad for your health and the environment.I'm not saying epoxy is good for health and environment,just not as harsh.
 
Hi all: Jarhead here. Been reading follow up posts.
1. What type of epoxy would you use instead of polyurethane resin? I am interested.
2. My Yazoo is 16 ft x 6 ft flat bottom 1972 model.
3. I will be glad to post any info I have on my conversion plans for the boat.
4. I am very pleased to find such an informed and friendly forum.

I am 62 yrs old, semi retired (meaning I need more money than I have)
I just got into fishing fresh water last year. Grew up in Fla fishing in the Atlantic. I have 5 kids and 6 grandkids.
I am looking forward to being as active and contributing a member of this forum as I can.
I hope to establish a website with pictures of the boat as I get into it this year.
 
jarhead said:
Hi all: Jarhead here. Been reading follow up posts.
1. What type of epoxy would you use instead of polyurethane resin? I am interested.
2. My Yazoo is 16 ft x 6 ft flat bottom 1972 model.
3. I will be glad to post any info I have on my conversion plans for the boat.
4. I am very pleased to find such an informed and friendly forum.

I am 62 yrs old, semi retired (meaning I need more money than I have)
I just got into fishing fresh water last year. Grew up in Fla fishing in the Atlantic. I have 5 kids and 6 grandkids.
I am looking forward to being as active and contributing a member of this forum as I can.
I hope to establish a website with pictures of the boat as I get into it this year.

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your retirement. I dream about it daily when I am at work... only 27 years to go... even then, only if I can afford it!!!!

Epoxy resin (And hardener) are made by many different companies. West Systems if the most popular but, there are many brands to choose from; MAS epoxies, Flag and a bunch more.

The type you use will be dictated by how fast you want to work; If you want it out of the can, onto the wood and into the boat before Law & Order comes on, get the fast hardening epoxies. But, if you are like me and don't want to end up noticing that my watch is stuck to the floor of my boat, go with the slow hardeners. This is also dictated by the working temperature. If you are working and it is under 50 or 55 degrees, you may want to go with a quicker hardening style, opposite goes for high temperature, go slower harder. The warmer the quicker it will harden no matter what style you are using. The colder the longer it will take.

The mixing of hardener is also important. Make certain to use the syringe or measuring cups. Do not eyeball it!! Mix it well... real well.

There low to high viscosity and medium. I would go with the lowest viscosity (thinnest, runniest liquidity) epoxy possible. This should permit it to soak into the wood providing amazing protection.

One thing to be concerned about;

A lot of people will screw their 4x8 to the garage or workshop wall above a heater for a week or longer. This will ensure that the wood starts out dry. What happens if the wood is not dry enough? I warps and splits and cracks all to hell when the epoxy kicks (dries) and you have a strong useless piece of wood. It is not a bad idea to treat it while it is in place screwed in on the wall and let it kick braced.

Once you have treated your wood the put into your boat, you will not have any regrets at all that you did it.

Good luck! I hope this helps.

** Almost forgot** Pre-drill your screw holes and seal the inside of the holes. Don't forget the edges. Do not give moisture a foothold anywhere on your wood.

Craig
 
cprince said:
jarhead said:
Hi all: Jarhead here. Been reading follow up posts.
1. What type of epoxy would you use instead of polyurethane resin? I am interested.
2. My Yazoo is 16 ft x 6 ft flat bottom 1972 model.
3. I will be glad to post any info I have on my conversion plans for the boat.
4. I am very pleased to find such an informed and friendly forum.

I am 62 yrs old, semi retired (meaning I need more money than I have)
I just got into fishing fresh water last year. Grew up in Fla fishing in the Atlantic. I have 5 kids and 6 grandkids.
I am looking forward to being as active and contributing a member of this forum as I can.
I hope to establish a website with pictures of the boat as I get into it this year.

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your retirement. I dream about it daily when I am at work... only 27 years to go... even then, only if I can afford it!!!!

Epoxy resin (And hardener) are made by many different companies. West Systems if the most popular but, there are many brands to choose from; MAS epoxies, Flag and a bunch more.

The type you use will be dictated by how fast you want to work; If you want it out of the can, onto the wood and into the boat before Law & Order comes on, get the fast hardening epoxies. But, if you are like me and don't want to end up noticing that my watch is stuck to the floor of my boat, go with the slow hardeners. This is also dictated by the working temperature. If you are working and it is under 50 or 55 degrees, you may want to go with a quicker hardening style, opposite goes for high temperature, go slower harder. The warmer the quicker it will harden no matter what style you are using. The colder the longer it will take.

The mixing of hardener is also important. Make certain to use the syringe or measuring cups. Do not eyeball it!! Mix it well... real well.

There low to high viscosity and medium. I would go with the lowest viscosity (thinnest, runniest liquidity) epoxy possible. This should permit it to soak into the wood providing amazing protection.

One thing to be concerned about;

A lot of people will screw their 4x8 to the garage or workshop wall above a heater for a week or longer. This will ensure that the wood starts out dry. What happens if the wood is not dry enough? I warps and splits and cracks all to hell when the epoxy kicks (dries) and you have a strong useless piece of wood. It is not a bad idea to treat it while it is in place screwed in on the wall and let it kick braced.

Once you have treated your wood the put into your boat, you will not have any regrets at all that you did it.

Good luck! I hope this helps.

** Almost forgot** Pre-drill your screw holes and seal the inside of the holes. Don't forget the edges. Do not give moisture a foothold anywhere on your wood.

Craig


Thanks for all of the great data and responses. I can see this will be a great forum to be a part and party to. I hope I can reply with some meaningful contributions. I will first have to figure out how to attach some drawings or images. I will definitly look into epoxy vs: polyurethane resin.

Thanks
 
I have used MAS and West System.I like the metered dispenser pumps that come with some of their products.I am considering trying Easypoxy on an up coming wooden boat project.
 
Hey, I hope OhioStateBuckeye is reading the posts. I hope it is helping you figure it out too. I know it will help me do a little more research on the wood finish to get a good mortality out of the labor and materials investment.

What is a veteran?

A 'Veteran' -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or
reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his, or her life, wrote a blank check
made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount of 'up
to, and including his or her life.'
 

Latest posts

Top