Replace plywood deck flooring

Chuck

Active Member
My tin boat has 1/2” plywood decking covered with vinyl. The plywood is wet and soft and would like to replace it with idk what, preferably something more solid and skid resistant. Deck is 81” wide.

Any DIYer ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
 
We did our plywood floor with Linex. Seal the edges and underside before putting it down, then get the spray urethane put on. Many years later it's still solid.
 
I’m interested to know if a marine decking would work? Can’t see why not but not sure.
 
It depends on how long you want it to last, how much you want to spend, and what method of attachment you can use.
I would use marine plywood (no voids in the core) coated with marine epoxy (regular polyester resin is not waterproof), and add some non-skid sand/whatever. Seal any attachment screws wind 3M 5200. Should be cheaper than Linex; dunno about waterproofness of Linex.
 
Linex and other 2 part polyurethane coatings are very durable and waterproof.

Epoxy resin is a unique thermoset plastic which is made by liquid materials reacting with each other and irreversibly forming an inert highly crosslinked solid polymer (plastic) structure.

Epoxy is used in a wide variety of applications for coatings and adhesives, including on concrete, wood, FR plastic, PVC, glass and metals. It has outstanding toughness, hardness, mechanical strengths and durability, which makes it 4 times stronger than concrete.

However, some drawbacks of epoxy are its poor scratch and UV resistance. It tends to discolor (amber) rapidly upon exposure to UV and even with indoor applications, epoxy still ambers over time; the degree at which it will discolor depends on the specific formulations and ingredients used.

It can range from severe discolouration (browning) to slight ambering, all dependent on the product. It is important to mention that not all epoxy coatings in the market are the same, some are better than others.

In the coating industry, some polymers, such as polymethyl methacrylate (MMA), polyaspartic acids, and aliphatic polyurethane, are photochemically stable between the 300 and 400 nm where the UV lights are, because they do not absorb them. Only light that is absorbed is capable of initiating photochemical processes and irreversible damage to the coatings.

When the epoxy coating is exposed to UV light, either directly or indirectly, it causes a noticeable and permanent damage as a result of photo degradation, including loss of gloss, ambering (i.e. a yellow discoloration), and for the coloured one chalking and breakdown of the coating may also result.

UV rays from the sun turn epoxy yellow and an epoxy floor exposed to sunlight will always eventually amber. The ingredient selection in the formula to produce somewhat a colour stable epoxy is very crucial. Many of standard plasticizers, modifiers and amine curatives are not suitable for the purpose and tend to discolor readily.

There has been great advancement in stabilizing epoxy coating in the recent years. One approach is using a combination of UV absorber with HLAS (Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer). This combination is very effective in delaying the damaging effect of UV on epoxy coatings, but unfortunately it is not permanent.
 
Linex and other 2 part polyurethane coatings are very durable and waterproof.

Epoxy resin is a unique thermoset plastic which is made by liquid materials reacting with each other and irreversibly forming an inert highly crosslinked solid polymer (plastic) structure.

Epoxy is used in a wide variety of applications for coatings and adhesives, including on concrete, wood, FR plastic, PVC, glass and metals. It has outstanding toughness, hardness, mechanical strengths and durability, which makes it 4 times stronger than concrete.

However, some drawbacks of epoxy are its poor scratch and UV resistance. It tends to discolor (amber) rapidly upon exposure to UV and even with indoor applications, epoxy still ambers over time; the degree at which it will discolor depends on the specific formulations and ingredients used.

It can range from severe discolouration (browning) to slight ambering, all dependent on the product. It is important to mention that not all epoxy coatings in the market are the same, some are better than others.

In the coating industry, some polymers, such as polymethyl methacrylate (MMA), polyaspartic acids, and aliphatic polyurethane, are photochemically stable between the 300 and 400 nm where the UV lights are, because they do not absorb them. Only light that is absorbed is capable of initiating photochemical processes and irreversible damage to the coatings.

When the epoxy coating is exposed to UV light, either directly or indirectly, it causes a noticeable and permanent damage as a result of photo degradation, including loss of gloss, ambering (i.e. a yellow discoloration), and for the coloured one chalking and breakdown of the coating may also result.

UV rays from the sun turn epoxy yellow and an epoxy floor exposed to sunlight will always eventually amber. The ingredient selection in the formula to produce somewhat a colour stable epoxy is very crucial. Many of standard plasticizers, modifiers and amine curatives are not suitable for the purpose and tend to discolor readily.

There has been great advancement in stabilizing epoxy coating in the recent years. One approach is using a combination of UV absorber with HLAS (Hindered Amine Light Stabilizer). This combination is very effective in delaying the damaging effect of UV on epoxy coatings, but unfortunately it is not permanent.







If you paint it epoxy's fine in sunlight.
 
If you coat the plywood floor with epoxy, can you still glue down a vinyl on top? Usually nothing sticks to epoxy.
Who sells Linex?
 
If you coat the plywood floor with epoxy, can you still glue down a vinyl on top? Usually nothing sticks to epoxy.
Who sells Linex?
Amine blush may need to be cleaned from epoxy before applying primer or other finishes. Check the recommendations from the manufacturer. Line-X has dealers in most communities.
 
When I installed a belly tank in my boat I used finished one side plywood, completely sealed all sides/edges with epoxy resin. I also fiberglassed it but you don’t need to. Then applied a primer specifically for epoxy, then a anti skid deck coat from Interlux. I can find the primer and deck coat in the shed if you want the names of them.
 
When I installed a belly tank in my boat I used finished one side plywood, completely sealed all sides/edges with epoxy resin. I also fiberglassed it but you don’t need to. Then applied a primer specifically for epoxy, then a anti skid deck coat from Interlux. I can find the primer and deck coat in the shed if you want the names of them.

Fox, product info would be great. Is it possible to post pics of your finished project, also how thick of plywood did you end up using?
 
Fox, product info would be great. Is it possible to post pics of your finished project, also how thick of plywood did you end up using?
No need for pics until I re paint lol. I wanted to go fishing really bad and the deck coat wasn’t dry so I mucked it up pretty bad. It is an awesome finish where I didn’t muck it up and could still snap some pics. Will get product info tomorrow. I want to say the plywood was only 3/8”. Had to put back what was already there as I didn’t cut out the whole floor. Original wood was still bone dry and no rot. It’s still very easy on bare feet and has good grip
 
What's everyone using for epoxy resin when redoing their floors? I'm looking at doing a floor replacement soon. I'll need quite a bit of epoxy for coating the plywood, sealing holes, also fixing up some issues on my RV while I am at it. The cost of Epoxy is quite shocking. Any good deals out there when buying by the gallon?
 
What's everyone using for epoxy resin when redoing their floors? I'm looking at doing a floor replacement soon. I'll need quite a bit of epoxy for coating the plywood, sealing holes, also fixing up some issues on my RV while I am at it. The cost of Epoxy is quite shocking. Any good deals out there when buying by the gallon?
Well, I guess nobody has any insight on good deals for epoxy resin. Looks like I need to pony up and buy it from Steveston Marine lol.
 
can it be poly resin? Lordco has stuff that I use for making knife handles and it is stupid tough as nails. reasonably priced. i’m not sure what kind of prices you are dealing with
 
can it be poly resin? Lordco has stuff that I use for making knife handles and it is stupid tough as nails. reasonably priced. i’m not sure what kind of prices you are dealing with
Polyester resin is not a substitute for epoxy. Epoxy will penetrate wood, bonds extremely well and is entirely waterproof. I bought a gallon of epoxy resin for about $125 and the required hardener is an additional $50. If you have never worked with epoxy, read all the information and safety literature first.
 
I would just use ploy and do both sides, maybe a bit of mat on the top and cover it in vinyl decking. Better then new, and I bet way cheaper then doing it in epoxy.
 
Well, I guess nobody has any insight on good deals for epoxy resin. Looks like I need to pony up and buy it from Steveston Marine lol.
Compare at International Plastics and Paint. West Systems and S-3 are among the best epoxy products.
 
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