# I have a soft floor on my 88 stratos.



## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

Anyone with any ideas or hints or insight on how or what replacing the floor job could be like.or if someone here does this resonible please let me know thx......

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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

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## All Eyes (Jul 28, 2004)

Our boats are different, but I re-decked and carpeted my boat and found the job to be pretty straight forward in my case. Most if not all of the flooring should come out fairly easy by unscrewing it. Use the old pieces as a template to trace your new ones where possible. From experience on other boats I would tell you not to skimp on your new carpeting. The cheap stuff does not hold up well and is easily color faded by the sun. Also make sure to lay your new carpeting in all the same direction nap wise, or it looks almost like two different colors in certain lighting. In other words, if the grain or nap of the caret is running north and south on the floor and east and west on the hatch lids or other pieces, it looks like patch work. Just my two cents. Good Luck!


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## ssv1761982 (Jun 2, 2004)

Is it aluminum or fiberglass? If you have bad wood in a fiberglass boat you probaly have wet foam and bad stringers below. You will need to cut out part of the floor to see what is below it.


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## Carpman (May 18, 2005)

best way is to cut out a piece of the floor like ssv said. that will give you a good idea of what is going on underneath.


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## ranger373v (Oct 26, 2012)

Id inspect the floor then build a composite deck.


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## Wannabitawerm (Apr 13, 2004)

Good advice here. Replaced a few boat floors myself. If they are wood, cut a few holes in the soft spots to see what is going on. If its the whole floor, pull it out and check the stringers. If they are soft, I would just dry the out and jack stud them. Don't remove them as the hull could deform. Glass them in with fiber and resin. Use the old floor as a template, cut out the new boards. I would seal them with poly before glue and screwing them in then glass and fiber it in. Sand smooth, another layer of resin and recarpet. Almost all boat floor rot from underneath so the poly helps them last just a bit longer. Hope this helps. 


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

i redid the floor in my boat and it really wasnt that bad. i just took out as many screws as i could get out the pried the rest of the screws through the old wood then removed the screws that was left with a pair of vise grips. i used cardboard to get a template of my old floor, then used it to cut my new floor. i used marine grade plywood but a good exterior grade plywood will work just as good. whatever you use you want some type of sealer on it. i dont really know what would be the best thing to use. but even a good coat of paint would be better than nothing. i used a brush on truck bed liner for my floor. then after removing the floor i found a couple of small bad places in a couple of stringers. i took some good ceder boards and placed them beside the old stringers and sandwiched them together.

then i put in the new floor. and made my first mistake. i took cheese cloth and fiberglass resin and sealed all the seams and the edges real good. the mistake i made was doing it inside the pole barn where there was no ventilation. and that was a mistake. the fumes from the fiberglass was really rough. but i got it done. then i ordered a high quaility carpet and glue from cabelas. then i cut the carpet to fit the floor going up both sides. then i started putting down the glue for the carpet with the tool i got to spread the glue, but it just wasnt working for me, so i threw the tool out and used my hands to spread the glue. put the carpet in and pressed it down all around the floor.

for an old man working by myself i think i did a good jod. but only time will tell. i dont know for sure how good the truck bed liner will hold up in my boat, but as good as it works on a truck bed it should last for years. and i believe the coating you put on your wood will be the life of your floor. so coat it with something that is going to last.

when i did my floor i believed you needed marine grade plywood. but someone on here showed me a link from the mfg that said exterier plywood was just as weather resistant as a marine grade plywood. its the sealer you use that really makes the difference. good luck on your floor, and hopefully something i have said helps you just alittle.
sherman


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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

Le Worth air Sherman what kind of boat did you work on

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## Wannabitawerm (Apr 13, 2004)

I've worked on Starcraft, mfg, slickcraft and Searay. 


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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

I am in the process of redoing my floor now. I have purchased marine plywood. what kind of sealers are used. I have read to use epoxy based resin? Any brands out there? I do not want to deal with fiberglass. I have a vinyl going on top also not carpet.


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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

Any pictures of your project so far?

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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

avantifishski said:


> Le Worth air Sherman what kind of boat did you work on
> 
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i did the floor in an 86 21 foot cobia open bow. and i only did the back section, as the bow is still good and solid. its only been a few yrs since i did the floor so i really cant say how long its going to last. but im hoping it out lasts me,LOL.

a good epoxy resin would probably be better than the truck bed liner i used but i just did the best i could with the knowledge i had at the time. i knew the stuff they use for truck bed liner is some tough stuff. i just painted the plywood with a good heavy coating and made sure i got all the edges real good. then after i got the floor in i took fiberglass and sealed all the edges and seams to keep water out of the inner hull. and to protect all the edges of the plywood.
sherman


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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

I have taken many pictures along the way. If you need questions answered pm me your number.
Sherman my floor is sectioned. I have removable parts of it. So I need not seal the edges on the boat. I settled on West system two part epoxy resin so that is what I will use as my sealer on the wood. Did you paint the bottom of the boards? My Marina told me not to so they could breathe. But I am not sure I agree with that.

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## Eriesteamer (Mar 9, 2007)

Thought you done this by now if you need any help just yulp. I know where you live and got lot time to help you. As i was planning hit West branch I can help when there fishing but not now after warm weather sets in. this is to Adam sorey to other guy your to far away for me help you but I do so if you was closer then you are.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

nicklesman said:


> I have taken many pictures along the way. If you need questions answered pm me your number.
> Sherman my floor is sectioned. I have removable parts of it. So I need not seal the edges on the boat. I settled on West system two part epoxy resin so that is what I will use as my sealer on the wood. Did you paint the bottom of the boards? My Marina told me not to so they could breathe. But I am not sure I agree with that.
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


i painted all of my plywood, but i dont know if that was the right thing to do. it just seemed to me if the whole board was sealed it would stay dry. but then im no expert either. i would get a few more opinions on that one.
sherman


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## Wannabitawerm (Apr 13, 2004)

It has always been my understanding and experience that the floor rots out from the bottom up. The top gets wet but dries out regularly. It's the bottom that gets moisture from the bilge and stays damp for the longest time. 


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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

Ok fellas what did u replace the old soggy foam?

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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

I had no foam issues. Can you pull it out and let it dry out.does your boat take on water at all it seams odd the foam is water logged.

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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

I haven't started yet to tear up floor I'm still reasearching and picking the Brains of my fellow ppl here. To make sure I can handle this job I don't wanna get to the point of no return in the project and realize I can do it right and ruin the season or worse damage the structure of my vessel. But every thing I read or see on youtube projects have soggy foam this is why I asked the previos question.what to replace it with

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## Misdirection (Jul 16, 2012)

There is a product called Pour Foam which is a two part foam that expands and provides flotation. If your foam is wet, I'd recommend removing and replacing it. You should be able to find Pour Foam at Jamestown Distributors or any of the other distributors where you buy bottom paint. Good Luck!

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## avantifishski (Apr 8, 2012)

Where did u guys get ur marine grade plywood? And what thickness did you use 1/2 or 3/4?

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## nicklesman (Jun 29, 2006)

Menards. I used 3/4 that was what was on it. It is 70 a sheet there. That was by far the best price I found. It was worth an hour drive to go get it.

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