decking needs replacing

[gaggle]

Wooden decking on cruiser stern is starting to fall apart " plys seperating around edges " as it is open to all weather.

Can aliminuim plate such as -

 

be used as an alternative to the wooden stuff i have now.

[The Commodore]

I was heading that direction myself this year until i put down a sample piece one July morning, by midday it was hot enough to cook the dinner on.

[Sunset Rising]

Slippery in the wet ???

[gaggle]

That is something i never give a thought to , i only wondered about heat rising from the engine below.

I am sure i seen a boat in the albert dock making use of the plate and meant to ask the people aboard how useful it was but i left the dock and forgot , think the boat was called EVENING STANDARD.

[RLWP]

How thick is that alloy plate Gaggle? I'd be worried that it would support a person if used in the sizes that our back boards are. It might be OK as steel checkerplate, but that would weigh a ton

 

You'd also have to watch what to do to avoid any steps between the decking and the checkerplate.

 

Richard

Edited September 19, 2010 by RLWP

[gaggle]

The site i looked at for sheet metals shows various thickness available , two of my lads have mates who work in fabrication yards and they have offered to help with making the cuts and sorting out any strength issues in the largest piece i need.

The wooden boards i have down must only be half inch thick and i doubt that when cut any treatment was given to the cut edges , i have started to worry about the board collapsing through and my leg wrapped around the prop shaft and the gearbox connection.

[KeithL]

your local 'scrap dealers' might find that ally plate quite tempting . . .

[gaggle]

It was posted before that some people felt access to the engine space ,bilge pump ect should be more secure so i am wondering if the plate can be made more secure than wooden decking.

i will soon have to make a choice ,certainly after the winter a decision will need to be made about what is to be used and what else can be achieved using different materials .

[david and julie]

We used to use it on our recovery trucks (if weight was an issue) it isn't the nicest of materials to work with and is very expensive, especially in the thickness you'd need to replace (18mm? Phenol).

 

Only a personal view, but I think it wouldn't absorb any noise at all - indeed it may create some - it would be slippy when wet and any dips would hold water which would then freeze in the winter, as Keith intimated, it would also be popular with scrap metal thieves.

[FORTUNATA]

I have to renew mine too. It may be a case of using a standard hand saw as I lack any sophisticated woodwork tools. I'm settling on 8 by 4 weather hardy plywood but will be paying particular attention to my deck drainage. I'll probably just cut to size and then paint the wood several times so it looks presentable.

 

Wooden decking on cruiser stern is starting to fall apart " plys seperating around edges " as it is open to all weather.

Can aliminuim plate such as -

 

be used as an alternative to the wooden stuff i have now.

[ChrisPy]

I am in the process of replacing my engine covers. They are extra big (about 5ft x 7ft overall, in 3 sections).

 

I bought Buffalo board cut to size from Lathams (Advanced Technical Panels) and am fixing aluminium stair nosing to the edges like a picture frame. The aluminium was good value from Goodings:

http://www.goodingalum.com/p9/prod223/Aluminium-Profiles/Aluminium-Stair-Nosings/Aluminium-Single-Piece-Economy-Stair-Trims/Single-Piece-Economy-Stair-Trims

[Bullfrog]

 

I bought Buffalo board cut to size from Lathams (Advanced Technical Panels)

 

 

Does this mean they are now doing retail? and if so how do you contact them please?

 

Used to be trade only and carriage was arm and several legs!

 

David

[Philip Davies]

Hi

 

Same problem.

 

I am thinking of using "Stokboard" although it is very expensive.

 

Any thoughts.

 

Cheers

[soldthehouse]

Try www.resistant.co.uk They have distributors all over the place.

[ChrisPy]

Does this mean they are now doing retail? and if so how do you contact them please?

 

Used to be trade only and carriage was arm and several legs!

 

David

google for Advanced Technical Panels.

 

I collected from Yate near Bristol but they have other depots. Delivery would not have cost a lot though.

Edited October 2, 2010 by ChrisPy

[nb Innisfree]

Does get hot in the sun and can be slippy in the wet and ice but very satisfied with it, screwed down on existing ply engine board, sides overlap board edge and turn down to provide a drip.

Edited October 2, 2010 by nb Innisfree

[FORTUNATA]

After the downpour last week, I decided the cruiser deck situation couldn't be put off any longer. I've had to address the problem. The 8 by 4 boards cost about 27 pounds each. The job now involves redesigning the layout of the boards so all edges run along the gutter channels below. At the moment, the previous boards don't all run in unison with the channels so the system could be improved somewhat.

Some of the gutterings really need a bit of spot welding in places. The boat is old so some rust has accumulated over the years. It will be a matter of scraping the muck out again. The hard part will be measuring and cutting the boards to exact size. I may well use cardboard cut outs to make templates.

Thus, a bit of a rest from my engine project but you can't neglect your main boat. Once this is sorted out it will be back to work on the engine.

 

Does get hot in the sun and can be slippy in the wet and ice but very satisfied with it, screwed down on existing ply engine board, sides overlap board edge and turn down to provide a drip.

[ChrisPy]

After the downpour last week, I decided the cruiser deck situation couldn't be put off any longer. I've had to address the problem. The 8 by 4 boards cost about 27 pounds each.

what kind of waterproof ply can you buy for that price?

[FORTUNATA]

A few coats of the right paint should help. As for "waterproof" that opens up a whole can of worms. Can a cruiser deck ever be waterproof? I've had a look at my guttering and it really falls a long way short of a traditional narrowboat deck. To even attempt it, the deckboards will have to be flush throughout and at the sides. It looks to me as it wasn't designed that way. I'll be chewing it over the next few days as to what improvements can be made.

 

what kind of waterproof ply can you buy for that price?

[FORTUNATA]

I've experimented with wood stainer and varnish. It looks really good. I'll give it many coats to be sure it soaks in well. This job has cost very little really. A total outlay of less than 100 pounds to replace a large cruiser deck. I'm using the old decking as firewood and it was really pretty knackered.

My guttering is now a bit dodgy as the boat is old. It really needs a bit of welding attention.

[FORTUNATA]

I'll now share what I've learned: Everything so far leads me to yacht varnish. This is designed to protect wood outdoors and can be bought cheap enough from Wilkinsons. If you do want to use chequer plate it can be ordered from China and you can then screw it onto your wooden boards.

I've experimented using wood stain for the plywood and then giving a few coats of floor varnish. This is a bit of a risk as floor varnish is used indoors on boats. However, the plan is to seal the floor varnish with yacht varnish but I can't say for sure if this will work. For now I have ultra posh deckboards that look like a church floor but tend to scratch easily. I haven't yet put on the coats of yachet varnish.

Still, if nothing else it looks far better than the old rotten decking.

 

Wooden decking on cruiser stern is starting to fall apart " plys seperating around edges " as it is open to all weather.

Can aliminuim plate such as -

 

be used as an alternative to the wooden stuff i have now.

[pamaloon]

Hi

 

Same problem.

 

I am thinking of using "Stokboard" although it is very expensive.

 

Any thoughts.

 

Cheers

 

 

Being available in sizes up to 12mm makes Stokboard seemed a flippin' good idea to me. My cruiser-stern decking needs complete replacement and I've been tempted by the fact that there's a 9mm thickness available; it's darn well pretty tough and could certainly take the knocks and bumps of big and little feet kicking it around. If it's good enough to be kicked by the odd bullock, I can't see any problem. I did think that although it's initially an expensive outlay, it'd last for years and that'd make up for the cost with it not rotting. I'm going to lay a non-slip surface on mine. Whatever happens, it'll be so much lighter than the really heavy floorboarding that's there now. Sometimes I really struggle with the huge "over-the-weed-hatch" section and have decided that when I put the new piece/s down, I'd convert to a two-piece section here. With possible worries regarding excessive heat from the engine by etc., I thought I'd put in some kind of venting. That should fix any possible problems on that score.

I'm glad someone else has considered this hardy product.

 

Cheers to you Phillip Davies!

[RLWP]

Being available in sizes up to 12mm makes Stokboard seemed a flippin' good idea to me. My cruiser-stern decking needs complete replacement and I've been tempted by the fact that there's a 9mm thickness available; it's darn well pretty tough and could certainly take the knocks and bumps of big and little feet kicking it around. If it's good enough to be kicked by the odd bullock, I can't see any problem. I did think that although it's initially an expensive outlay, it'd last for years and that'd make up for the cost with it not rotting. I'm going to lay a non-slip surface on mine. Whatever happens, it'll be so much lighter than the really heavy floorboarding that's there now. Sometimes I really struggle with the huge "over-the-weed-hatch" section and have decided that when I put the new piece/s down, I'd convert to a two-piece section here. With possible worries regarding excessive heat from the engine by etc., I thought I'd put in some kind of venting. That should fix any possible problems on that score.

I'm glad someone else has considered this hardy product.

 

Cheers to you Phillip Davies!

 

Two things

 

Our deck boards are probably 18mm, 9mm would be desperately thin and would bend a lot when you stood on it

 

We have two deck boards over our engine-hole and I'm considering replacing them with a single board to avoid having the join where the rain gets in

 

Richard