TOPIC: plywood ?

OK guys i have a problem i need some 3/8" marine plywood. or is that treated plywood , i don't think i want treated cause its still wet. with treatment i don't have many places that carry marine plywood. oh this is for my floor. if i get regular wood and treat it with resin then top coat it with several layers of glass then maybe a thin layer of bed liner, no water under the floor, should that work.????????? i want to try to seal up the under deck , or i can put access ports in the floor and keep bilge pump in there.
i am also testing closed cell foam but that's another question.

the wood i took off was glassed on the top ad bottom . i saved a piece for reference its too old to know if it was marine or not.

I am making payments on my seacast now so i will be rocking soon.

billy at

cap-n billybob,

Try MDO plywood. - That is what Interstate highway signs are made of. - just paint & those signs last for decades.
Coated with slow-set epoxy they will last longer than you/me.

It's CHEAPER than marine ply, too.

yours, satx

Which type of plywood to use is a subject that has been the subject of many discussions or debates here Billy, there are valid viewpoints on several sides IMHO. You can use the "Search Forum" box in the upper right corner of the screen to view some of them if you'd like, but I believe the bottom line is use the best wood you can afford - and get your hands on for your project.

Marine plywood is probably the best quality available, fewer voids - more layers - waterproof glue - etc.. Some consider it "over-kill" and unnecessary, but is is designed for use in this environment.

Many folks use (ACX) exterior grade plywood, the quality will vary from different sources and regions I'm sure. As long as it's sealed with thinned resin and protected with layer(s) of fiberglass (on all sides and especially the edges!), the results should outlast what was originally used in many of our boats.

I haven't personally tried the MDO wood satx and many others use, but his/their argument does make sense to me! IF it lasts as long as it does out in the elements it must be good stuff.

The general consensus is NEVER use pressure treated wood in your boat. The moisture content is very high, and resin/fiberglass cannot form a good bond with all the chemicals and moisture in the wood.

Just a short overview of what I've learned listening to folks who know much more about the subject than I, HTH.

Although my deck is pressure treated I would not use it in a project like yours. My deck is open in front and back and is just a single sheet 8 foot long. Air can easily circulate under it. My boat never gets wet inside unless it rains while I'm in it. It has been good but I have seen in a few other boats I looked at that they used it and it had warped. Of course in those times I seen it it had been left to the elements without even paint.The area by the stern was left this way because my fuel tank and tackle box fit perfectly and does not slide.

My boat get used roughly and shows it. The it was put together just for fishing. After I get The Winner done I'm thinking of putting the old girl back to what it looked like in 1958. That will take much work since the only thing original is the wooden internal keel and inverted A brace in the stern.
Winner is in the background here. It has since been painted.

ok guys thanks a lot i knew i could get ideas and back up my thinking, i don't mind spending money but i don't want overkill if i'm going to coat it in the long run. i will check on the mdo , my floor is 3/8" so the better grade, that is available in Georgia something that is straight and not likely to warp. again thanks i hope to get started on this, but now i have a lake house i need to try to acquire from my family and repair, roof ,ceilings. wooh is me.

thanks billy

Don't retire because for some stupid reason nobody has been able to explain is you will have no time for anything.

robert-lorigan; all,

I wish someone would explain why most retired people (anyway the ones that i know) are BUSIER than when they were working a 40-60 hour a week job.

yours, satx

One word, "Female"

I'm thinking more like Grown children who can't seem to do anything themselves. I'm cutting back on that stuff because it's time they learn themselves.

skipthescrounger;robert-lorigan,

At least, in my case, come to think of it, you are BOTH correct. = My adult daughter's wants/needs DO keep me busy.
(More so than "duckie's" projects.)

yours, satx

Menard's latest ad shows marine 1/2" laminated fir around $49.

cap-n-billybob,

Since I posted to you, I've found out that half-inch-thick 3-ply "SPIB-marked" SOUTHERN YELLOW PINE plywood (made into a commercial lobster/fishing skiff for Atlantic Ocean service) lasted over 20 YEARS, with nothing but 2 coats of CHEAP Porch & Deckpaint, until the skiff literally was "beaten to pieces" by "hitting stuff" & "being dragged up on the dry".- Even then, the ply had NOT delaminated!

IF you can "stand the weight" of the 3-ply, it is DIRT CHEAP & if "glassed"/epoxy coated, it will likely be "a one time fix".

yours, satx

OK...here's my 2 cents worth. I do this stuff for a living and have learned most of what I know the hard way. Doing anything with wood takes just as long whether you use primo stuff or junk. Labor is the most expensive part of any restoration. Buy marine plywood...period. Call Al Jernigan at World Panel Products in North Carolina: 252-794-9944 Tell him I sent you. Saving $50-100 in the short haul will prove to be a big regret in the long haul.