TOPIC: glassing in a new wood floor help

Hi everyone im a new member and i am new at boat repair . I just got a 1959 glasspar spor lido..i believe and i just got done with a new transom ready to do the wood floor need advice on cloth layup around the edges. Stringers are very thin so i probably wont be screwing the floor in especially around the edges the wood will meet the hull..im in southern ca in the high desert and have a hard time finding supplies..im a metal fabricator so i dont have fiberglass contacts..my question is how much cloth and type to hold down the edges..due to money i have to use polyester resin from lowes and using 5/8 plywood might be slightly thinner ..do i lay any glass under the wood around the edges or just strips on top?

First and foremost, welcome aboard! We've got some serious (very knowledgeable) Glasspar members, I'm sure some of them will be glad to advise on the best methods for your model.

Generally speaking, there are several methods of floor (sole) installation that will yield good results. I prefer to put a layer of CSM (chopped strand mat) on the bottom, use two layers of 1708 Biaxial tape around the edges and at least one layer of CSM over the entire floor when finished.

There's a big FG supplier out in Washington called Fisheries Supplies; www.fisheriessupply.com/#

or I use US Composites out of FLA, and of course they'll ship anywhere; www.uscomposites.com/

Hope some or any of this helps, share some pics of your project with us when you get a chance.

Hello! Welcome!

I'm in Los angeles. I can help you out. I got lots of extra fiberglass if you are looking for some.

Guzbeatz @aol.com

What glass is it? And what size have been told i need to cover the top bottom and sides of the floor at least with a layer of 6 oz cloth..i want to make it strong and lay it up correctly sinxe im using polyester ..but i did get thicker plywood so is the bottom really necessary..ive heard of people putting deck stain on the bottom

I dont know if it matters but it will be stored inside and not getting water from swimmers much or if at all. And a drain question do i really need a hull drain and a floor drain..kinda wanted to not have any holes below water..and just do an access hatch since the low spot in the hull when on the trailer is about center of the boat

Welcome aboard Dustin.
We do 3-4 Boat floors each year. I can quickly walk you through a floor installation.

#1 Make sure your stringers are sound. Laying a good floor over bad stringers is a waist of time and money. Your floor will fail. Many boats , like yours, have 3/4" plywood stringers or 1x4 or 1x6 wood stringers, which is barely sufficient. We will scab on an additional layer of plywood to each stringer, if we have any doubt in their structural integrity. We have also added cross bracing, as in the photo below. We often wrap wood stringers in 6 oz. cloth before installing the floor or at least paint the stringers with resin.
#2 We replace all 1/2" plywood floors with 5/8" A good Marine plywood is best, but, exterior A/C plywood will work. We paint the bottom side and ends of the plywood with resin. I don't like using screws to install boat floors. I will use a few stainless deck screws were I'm certain that they will hold. We glue down our floors using 3M 5200 QUICK DRY adhesive. Regular 5200 takes a week to dry.
#3 You must tab your floor to the boat hull. We use 1 layer of 4" 8-10 ounce fiberglass tape followed by a layer of 6" tape of the same weight. When your tabbing is dry you must sand it to eliminate any raised spots and assure adhesion of the fiberglass that you will lay on your floor. To answer your question; 1 layer of 6 oz. cloth will NOT permanently waterproof your floor. We use 1 layer of 1.5 oz. chopped strand fiberglass mat followed by a layer of 8 oz. cloth. We install both layers simultaneously. This takes a little practice to do, so.... you may want to do it 1 layer at a time. You may use laminating resin to eliminate having to sand between layers. Laminating resin will not cure for 8-12 hours giving you plenty of time to get the 2nd layer down.

HOPE THIS HELPS

Larry
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Bakersfield, CA

Thanks larry really helps..what weight of cloth and mat is sold at home depot and local stores? I really only have access to the 8 square foot packs..was really hoping to do it tomrrow..and since im using poly is it ok to juat do a thin layer of resin on the bottom..i do have deck stain too..i dont know if that works too...want to do a nice job on a budget.. ive heard those small packs are 6oz cloth but un certain on the mat..how many layers around the outside for tabbing ? Any steps and or ideas will be greatly appreciated..im a metal fabricator by trade and have only done fiberglass work on off road race cars..need options from the boat builder pros lol

I'm not certain, but, believe the packaged cloth a Home depot is 6 oz. and the mat is 1.5 oz.

I personally would NOT use it on a floor. The creases from being folded are almost impossible to roll out, leaving air bubbles when wetted with resin. You can use a roller to coat the bottom side of the plywood with resin. We use small diameter 6" foam rollers. At least 2 layers of tabbing are necessary. We use 8-10 oz. cloth because it conforms easily to the floor to hull transition. Biaxle or mat is tougher to lay in this situation (just my opinion). You want to thoroughly saturate your cloth or mat with resin as you lay it. You then want to remove all excess resin, in the process. There is NO strength in resin without the fiberglass material. Excess resin will assure that your floor will crack.

Larry

GREAT info! This has been a stumbling block for me. I am ready now. Thanks. Dave

Just got the floor done this weekend and it came out perfect..i wish i could post pictures from my phone on here but dont know how..or at least they dony come up..but definitly important to have a game plan and every step and layer ready to go luckally i didnt forget to cut any of my pieces at all since i layed them out before any resin was mixed..i used sparkletts cups pre poured ..thanks to my dad while he was handing me cups of resin and mat made it easy to stay in the boat..i worked from the front and worked my way out of the boat to the rear..thanks for everyones input very helpful! I will work at posting pics..

re: phone pics - I email mine to my home computer, then post them from there. You can also upload to Picasa or Photobucket, then paste the link in your post. It's probably a size issue keeping them from loading, you might want to check out this thread when you get a chance; fiberglassics.com/fiberglassics-forums/home/support/how-to-post-pictures

re: glassing the floor - It's a HUGE help to have someone feeding you resin and supplies, glad to hear you got her done!

Congrat's Dustin.
That's one BIG job behind you. Love to see a photo.

Larry

Woo Hoo floors done, cant wait to see pics.

Bob