wood vs foam

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elopomorph

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I have looked at several of the boat modifications and the work is very impressive. Every modification that I looked at used wood and plywood. However, in Florida the theme is wood=rotting. Why do you guys use wood and plywood instead of foam board or some other synthetic material? Don't you guys have rotting problems with your wood modifications? I don't think I would use wood because I think the humitity alone in south Florida would cause the wood to rot.
 
Rot will eventually set in,but coating with a quality water sealer will keep it lasting a long time.No one that I know of lays the wood flat on the floor,it's on top of the ribs.So no constant setting in water.I rebuilt a pontoon 17 years ago and it sits in the water year round,and the floor is only protected by Thompsons water seal and covered with marine carpet.The owner tells me that the floor has lasted longer than the upholstery I installed.I live in upstate SC and we have the same humidity conditions as most of Fl.We have lots of lakes, ponds, and rivers to add to the humidity.
 
There are a couple of reasons for the use of wood. Budget for one, most of the boats don't see salt water, and others don't have the ability to work with aluminum as easy as wood. The synthetic materials are expensive. Alot of your fiberglass boats are nothing but wood framed decks coated in fiberglass mat/resin. You could always go that route or even use all aluminum. It all depends on how your boat is stored, how much you use it, and of course as you mentioned the environment you use it in.
 
Wood's easier to work with, cheaper and stronger.
Tung oil is the best way to treat the wood. Find a way to put the Tung oil in the wood, it takes about three applications, and you'll never have to worry about the Rot or the Wet permeating the wood. And it is paintable or glueable.

I've had wood boats since I was a kid and scavenged my first boat off the Beach of Puget sound in 47.
I've never had anything I own and use, Rot!
I've purchased plenty of Rotted boats, and fixed a bunch by replacing the wood, but to have a boat rot, especially a Trailer boat that you bring home so it dries out over the week is rare to Rot.

PS: I used to build and repair wood boats. During my reading I came across this from a Scientist.
"Its a good thing we have wood rot. If not, the earth would be covered in wood to a depth of several hundred feet!" :D
 
I wouldn't use tung oil.It takes awhile to build up that much spit. :LMFAO: :LMFAO: :LMFAO:

On a serious note.I never thought of tung oil before.
 
Tung oil is natural wood oil. I think it comes from a Nut....hmmm I know some people like that? :p

Years ago I helped a guy make a bunch of wooden McKenzie River drift boats. We used Tung oil as the primer or undercoat for the paint.

The only parts he painted were the sides and parts of the inside the customers were exposed to. We didn't paint the bottom's at all.

We'd mix the Tung oil with a Thinner and slop it on liberally.
Then smear it around and keep smearing till it was into the wood pretty good.
Next day, we'd do it again. Thin, slop, smear and let dry.
The Third day the Tung oil went on all by itself.

Those boats went all summer long, on the rivers, with clients and we only had to replace a couple bottoms. The wood was as good looking at the end of summer, in all that sun and rain, as it was the day we rolled them out to the trailer.
On the north west coast of Washington state it can rain so hard your shoulders hurt from the pounding. In the Rain the water always beaded up on those Tung oiled surfaces. :)
 
I've found that 3 coats of polyurethane works just as good as tung oil, just make sure your first coat is very liberal and that it sits in the sun to dry. works well on plywood and 2x4s. be sure to coat the sides.
 
thudpucker said:
Tung oil is natural wood oil. I think it comes from a Nut....hmmm I know some people like that? :p

Years ago I helped a guy make a bunch of wooden McKenzie River drift boats. We used Tung oil as the primer or undercoat for the paint.

The only parts he painted were the sides and parts of the inside the customers were exposed to. We didn't paint the bottom's at all.

We'd mix the Tung oil with a Thinner and slop it on liberally.
Then smear it around and keep smearing till it was into the wood pretty good.
Next day, we'd do it again. Thin, slop, smear and let dry.
The Third day the Tung oil went on all by itself.

Those boats went all summer long, on the rivers, with clients and we only had to replace a couple bottoms. The wood was as good looking at the end of summer, in all that sun and rain, as it was the day we rolled them out to the trailer.
On the north west coast of Washington state it can rain so hard your shoulders hurt from the pounding. In the Rain the water always beaded up on those Tung oiled surfaces. :)
Click to expand...

Tung oil is made from the pressed seed from the nut of the tung tree
 

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