# Marine Plywood



## Bitz (May 23, 2010)

Anyone know of a place in columbus with marine plywood? Need to repair a small soft spot, but may replace the whole floor while I'm at if I can find marine ply at a decent price. Thanks
Bitz

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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

You don&#8217;t need marine plywood for a floor, you just need exterior plywood. The difference is the finish quality, and for a floor you don&#8217;t need to worry about the occasional knot.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i have to agree with m. magis on this. i did a search on line for marine plywood in indianaplois and found it that way. and i did my boat with marine grade plywood. but then i was told the same thing m.magis said. so i did some research on line and found out that exterrier plywood is just as good as marine plywood. the most important thing is what you coat the plywood with. im sure if you ask on here you can find out what to use to seal the wood.

i didnt know what to use to seal my plywood with. so i used paint on bed liner for truck beds. i painted it on real heave then sealed all my seams and edges with fiberglass after i got my floor installed. make sure whatever you use to seal the wood to seal both sides and the edges before installing in your boat.

i cant tell you how good the truck bed liner is going to work because i only put the new floor in a few yrs ago. but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
sherman


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

M.Magis said:


> You don&#8217;t need marine plywood for a floor, you just need exterior plywood. The difference is the finish quality, and for a floor you don&#8217;t need to worry about the occasional knot.


That's not entirely true. Marine grade is free of interior voids. Not a big deal, until you have to cut to size, possibly exposing these void on a cut edge. The reason this matters is any void is a place for water intrusion and freeze/thaw effects to further the moisture intrusion. Also, marine grade is made entirely of Douglas Fir or Western Larch, both woods with a high suitability rating to prolonged and repeated exposure to moisture, whereas exterior ply is a mixing more common pines. I read once that, otherwise untreated, marine grade has a ground contact warranty of 25 years. The only thing that is exactly the same between exterior and marine grade is waterproof glue. Also, Marine grade has more plys. I think the 1/2 inch marine has 5, and the 3/4 inch has 7. 

Obviously some disagree, but I always use marine grade in boats. As I see it, given the overall expense of a boat, $55+ for a sheet of Marine Grade is slight. Plus, I like the piece of mind of knowing I used the best materials, as opposed to worrying my corner cutting is gonna cost me in the end. There are 2 grades of Marine Grade, A and B. B grade would be the cheaper, and is what I use for flooring. Most likely you'll have to order it. I found the best price at Home Depot, but they were slow to get it in (6 weeks), and couldn't meet my deadline. The next best price, and where I got the last, was Carter Lumber. Good luck!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

That was my mistake, I meant to say it&#8217;s the MAIN difference. 
Here&#8217;s the definition set by the APA. It&#8217;s pretty basic, and I&#8217;m pretty sure not all plywood labeled &#8220;marine&#8221; actually fits the definition. And certainly not all are created equal.
http://www.apawood.org/level_b.cfm?content=srv_help_prd_marine


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

You can purchase exterior plywood without voids and using wood types other than fur, yet not "marine grade". Anything with the "marine" tag just adds to the price.
Use a 2 part epoxy to seal it with similar to the WEST SYSTEM.
If you want to seal it properly, make sure you rough the floor in, making all your cuts and holes prior to sealing and assembly.


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

A quick Google search brought up several places that deal in plywood around C-bus that were not a big box store.


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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

I did my floor over the winter I found that Menards sells it the cheapest I also use the West systems on top of it as kagee explained it was a little pricey but it will last forever

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## Bitz (May 23, 2010)

Great thanks all for the info, I'm going to look up that epoxy when I get home tonite.

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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

I just redid my whole floor on my 18' Crestliner last year. Ripped the old floor, seats, and old foam out, and replaced everything with new. 

I originally bought the West Systems 2-part, but took it back promptly. The first reason being that I had already spent $200 on it, and after some reading, realized that wasn't going to be NEARLY enough! Secondly, I also read that without some kind of cloth added (fiberglass) it kinda defeated the purpose of using it in the first place, in my particular situation. Since my boat is aluminum, the deck isn't tabbed to the hull like it would be on a fiberglass boat.

I ended up going with Helmsman Spar Varnish, for a mere fraction of the cost of epoxy resin. Went with, easily, 5+ coats of it over about a week, letting each coat completely soak in and dry before adding the next. Even added a few extra coats to the underside and sides of each piece. Was able to buy everything needed at Home Depot/ Lowe's (exterior plywood, 2" foam sheets, outdoor carpet/glue, hardware, etc.)


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## chopper (May 15, 2004)

I bought some marine ply at fifth ave lumber. I just re-done the deck on my houseboat. Trust me, there is a huge difference between the two. I bought exterior ply and took it back. Junk. You will pay out the butt for marine ply, but I only wanted to repair it once and fish more.


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## Sculpin67 (Dec 11, 2007)

I lot of duck hunting guys swear by it. I have it on the boat I'm getting ready to sell. It's cool to the touch and doesn't adsorb water. It does seem to get dirtier than a vinyl floor.


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## My Demeyes (Aug 2, 2010)

I believe 5th ave lumber has it or can get it. It's pricey but much better than regular treated plywood, has more plys.

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## larry2473 (Oct 26, 2004)

I'm looking for a piece for my transom would like to use 1-1/2" piece again Any ideas were I could get a thicker piece of wood


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

Larry, you will have to laminate two 3/4 inch pieces together.

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## larry2473 (Oct 26, 2004)

Was trying to avoid doing that they do make thicker mg ply seen some but not close would cost to much to ship


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i have to agree with what some of the guys are saying. the marine grade wood does have a smoother finish and is made with hardwood. but the exterrier plywood uses the same glue. and sealing the wood is the most important thing. if you are going to use marine grade plywood you can google marine plywood in columbus ohio. thats how i found it in indianaplois.
sherman


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## larry2473 (Oct 26, 2004)

It also has hardly any voids I want mine for the transom


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## eatinbass (Aug 6, 2012)

We use Homestead Hardwoods in Vickery Ohio for our lumber/marine plywood needs. It's a bit of a drive but we tie it into a fishing trip. 
http://marine-plywood.us/
We also use US Composites for resin and glass by far the best pricing, quarts to 55 gallon drums. 
http://www.uscomposites.com/
I'm no expert but last year I laid 80+ yards of glass cloth and 55 gallons of resin.
For transom replacing, I laminate two sheets of ply with 1.5 oz Chop Strand mat and 435 resin. This is sealed with 3/4 ounce CSM and 435 resin on ALL sides.
For a floor in a fiberglass boat, the floor is part of the structural integrity of the boat. 6 lay ups, alternating 1.5 ounce CSM and 1708 Biax weave. Finished with 1.5 ounce CSM to seal everything. 
On an aluminum hull, 1.5 ounce CSM and heavy on the resin to seal the floor.
On for the biggest faults I see with some of our customer repairs is lack of glass in the resin. Resin and glass by them selves are brittle, together its surprisingly strong.
I use more cloth and resin than needed and make the repairs stronger than needed but if my family was on the boat I'd want it that way. I also am confident our customers will be happy with the repairs for many years.



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## Daduru (Apr 14, 2004)

I redid my deck with marine ply, I wouldn't use anything else. Boats have enough problems on their own, there is no need to use subpar materials in addition. Less holes and knots, much better glue, and doesn't flex as much (more layers).


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

larry2473 said:


> I'm looking for a piece for my transom would like to use 1-1/2" piece again Any ideas were I could get a thicker piece of wood?


IMO, check out Coosa Board. Specifically Bluewater 26. http://www.coosacomposites.com/bluewater.html They do have 1 1/2", but you can only get it in full sheets. Unless you've got another baot (or a buddy with one) that needs a transom, just get one sheet of 3/4" and laminate it. I like 3M 5200 as a glue, but with through bolting everything else, I'm not sure you need it, but, Coosa recommends it. You can call them, they were very helpful.

Sure, there's cheaper ways, but this stuff is lifetime, and way easier to deal with, as far as not needing sealed with resin. It's pretty much just cut to fit, drop in, replace hardware, done. And, you'll never have to worry about a leaky transom, in so much as, it won't rot your wood, because you won't have any.


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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

Daduru said:


> ...Less holes and knots, much better glue, and doesn't flex as much (more layers).


Wrong on 2 accounts. Exterior grade uses the same glue as marine, and can be had in the same amount of layers... The only difference is the lack of voids & knots. That being said, the ONLY time I would choose marine grade over exterior is if the wood will be visible on the finished product (ie no carpet), where a nice even appearance is desired. (stain, paint etc). Then it's a no brainer.

If he has the money, and is happy parting with it, then by all means go with marine grade. But, to me, it's an unnecessary extra expense in most cases. You're going to need to seal it either way.

I mean, who buys the top sheets of plywood when you go to the store anyway?! You gotta pick the best ones out of the bunch!! Don't buy a warped up knotted piece of junk and then bash exterior grade lol.


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## duckhound (Apr 10, 2004)

After you have decided what plywood to buy, do a google search for waterproofing plywood. I found a site a couple of years ago that suggested using thinned down polyester resin on the initial sealing coats. When following this process, the resin actually soaks into the wood and seals the wood pores through the outside layer of plywood. Also be sure to do this process with the edges. After several coats the resin will start to layer on the outside of the board. As long as no further cutting or drilling of the wood is done, the wood shoud be completly waterproof and ready for installation. I performed this process with my own boat floor and was very happy with the results


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## cmiller (Jun 3, 2008)

I'm gonna have to replace my floor in the 1981 Blue Fin 16' sportsman.

What numbers are the epoxy should I use? I have a west marine catalog handy. Too many products in that catalog, need help choosing products.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

I redid a deck with recycled solid poly sheeting, 3/4", comes in 2'x8' or 4'x8'. No coating of any kind needed and will never rot again. It's the same material they make the outdoor decking and rails out of only made in sheets. I'd never use any wood again.


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## Popspastime (Apr 1, 2014)

Here's a link, not the exact one but the same.
http://www.totalplastics.com/


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