# Boat deck replacement



## KalvinKlein (Jun 20, 2008)

Hello all I'm looking for a place in se Michigan to replace the flooring on my 18.5 foot older Starcraft ccs. Does anyone have any places that they trust? Does anyone know around how much it is to replace the entire floor? Thanks.


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## Homer (Mar 1, 2001)

Mike's Marine in Monroe replaced a transom on my Lund a few years ago, and I was very satisfied with his work.

http://mikesmarinefiberglassrepair.com/home


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## KalvinKlein (Jun 20, 2008)

Thank you I just emailed them. Also I am open to doing it myself. How hard is it if anyone knows.


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## Sling (Aug 2, 2005)

google replace deck 18.5 ' starcraft


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

Many or the so called pro's are not good at installing floors, be very cautious about who you pay to do this. Iv'e done a few of both glass and tin. It's very easy on tin boat, and if you do it, you will know it's done right. I've read way too many bad stories about huge prices and hack jobs done by "the Pro's". 

If you have basic skills, this is easy for you to do, but if the floor is soft, you must inspect the stringers under the floor, and even more important the transom. rot will always start down at the bottom and usually works it's way up. If you have a soft floor, odds are very good there is more rot. Do a core samples of your transom down towards the bottom, under the floor, drill with a 3/8 drill into the transom from the INSIDE of the boat. You want nice dry light wood shavings. check in 3-5 places, but dont drill all the way through, tape your drill for measuring how deep. If its all good, get some 3m 5200 and plug all your test holes, keep the transom sealed from any water intrusion, and brackets on the back of the transom(graph, speedo, anything ) are all places water could get in. Once it does, you are just waiting because it will rot. 

Home Depot sells plywood that is called Aruco (sp). great deck ply, but it must be sealled well before you instal. No presure treated wood on alum boats!!! chemical reactions will rot you alum. You can do this job IMO.


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## tuckersdad (Oct 30, 2010)

It is not a difficult job...take your time and use the old floor as a template and you will be fine...also a good time to clean all the sand out of the hull and refoam-rewire etc. It is amazing what you will find under there...a rewarding project...


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## yellowbelly80 (Aug 27, 2004)

he sent me a pm its a glass starcraft..the floor on these will be a little harder to complete than a tin can..also u can use pool noodles for flotation foam just lay them out in the stringers before the floor goes back in


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## syonker (May 7, 2004)

yellowbelly80 said:


> he sent me a pm its a glass starcraft..the floor on these will be a little harder to complete than a tin can..also u can use pool noodles for flotation foam just lay them out in the stringers before the floor goes back in


Yup, good advice. Make sure the noodles are closed cell foam. Some folks rip the noodles in half through a table saw to pack more into a space.

Go to the iBoats website & start reading restoration thread. Lots of great tips.


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## choover852 (Mar 8, 2012)

Greenbush, how hard is it to replace the transom? I am working on a 22' Starcraft Islander that needs the flooring replaced and now that you mention it, I imagine the transom is probably rotted as well. First time working on a project like this, just wondering what it will involve?


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## ricochet (May 10, 2008)

Forget the wood seen a boat were the transom was redone with Teflon plastic-tougher than a pigs snout and it really came out nice--never have to work on it again


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## yellowbelly80 (Aug 27, 2004)

u can use starboard on the transom but its gonna cost u a arm and a leg..i epoxied the wood before the install in it is water tight now


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

choover852 said:


> Greenbush, how hard is it to replace the transom? I am working on a 22' Starcraft Islander that needs the flooring replaced and now that you mention it, I imagine the transom is probably rotted as well. First time working on a project like this, just wondering what it will involve?


I'm thinking thats a tin boat right? IMO they are much easier that glass, head over to iboats.com and spend an hour reading the restoration section. They have step by step instructions that will help you do this yourself. There are a couple guys doing your exact boat, so I would think if you have some basic wood working skills,tools, and such you can do this. Most start out thinking they just need a floor, because it's soft. What that usually means is, they have rot under the floors, stringers (they support the floor) and most important, the transom. You can drill 3/8 diamiter holes from the inside on your transon, DONT DRILL ALL THE WAY THROUGH!. You want nice light colored wood shavings, drill low, lower than the floor if possible, rot starts at the bottom usually. If you get good wood low, just use some 3m/5200 and plug the test holes up. And dont use treated ply, it will cause a chemical reaction, and rot your tin boat. Take pictures, lots of pictures, and go do it. It's not that hard if you have a warm place to work.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

ricochet said:


> Forget the wood seen a boat were the transom was redone with Teflon plastic-tougher than a pigs snout and it really came out nice--never have to work on it again


Many like to use epoxy instead of wood, you might be saying the same thing. It's another option, but go price that stuff out and you will see why most guys use wood, just like the manufacture did. If you do it right with wood, it will last a longer than you will need. If you have cash to burn and are in a hurry, the epoxy pour is an acceptable option too.


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## choover852 (Mar 8, 2012)

I have been over on iboats.com doing some research, and it seems like most of the info there is regarding boats with i/o. This boat has an outboard, would the process of replacing the transom be basically the same?


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## KalvinKlein (Jun 20, 2008)

Thank you for all the responses. To give you guys more info the boat has a 4 cylinder I/o so does it still use a wood transum? Also if I have to replace the stringers how do I attach them to the boat?


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

I've got to redo my old lund floor. What's the recommended faster for wood to aluminum stringers? That aruco plywood, seal it with fiberglass?

I want to bedliner the top and silicon the sides and joints to minimize leakage underneath


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## TROUT TRACKER (May 21, 2002)

I am currently doing my Lund 1850 floor. From my research you can get a cca treated marine plywood that does not harm aluminum like the standard treated plywood. You can google cca marine plywood for more info. That is what i plan on using. I plan on painting the floor with durakote rubberized bed liner. I will paint each piece all sides before install so panels can be removed if access is needed under deck in the future. I think its going to be a fun project

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## choover852 (Mar 8, 2012)

limige said:


> I've got to redo my old lund floor. What's the recommended faster for wood to aluminum stringers? That aruco plywood, seal it with fiberglass?
> 
> I want to bedliner the top and silicon the sides and joints to minimize leakage underneath


I used some TEK self tapping screws to do some temporary patch work to my flooring last year before I re-do the whole thing this year. They are specifically made for fastening wood to metal, you can pick them up at any hardware store. They worked pretty good, and you don't have to mess with lining up with existing holes in stringers.


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

I tried to use SS when I did the last one and many broke off and stripped. Ill look for those screws and try that.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

limige said:


> I've got to redo my old lund floor. What's the recommended faster for wood to aluminum stringers? That aruco plywood, seal it with fiberglass?
> 
> I want to bedliner the top and silicon the sides and joints to minimize leakage underneath


The guys on iboats will use stainless I think but the deck should be sealed completely with fiberglass, they I think you countersink the holes, screw it down then cover (seal) the screw holes. The concept is to seal thet puppy us so NO water gets in. 
Aruco is the wood of choice, any treated wood will have moisture (and chemicals) that kind of defeats the sealing effort. Bedlinner stuff on top isnt viewed well my sources, for many reasons. And I cant tell you why not, I know just enough to be dangeous LOL, so anyone who is even considering floor, transom, or stringer work, realise you can do this, but I wouldnt even consider doing it without reading for at least a few hours over on iboats resoration section. There are many little things that make a huge difference that I'm just not qualified to answer. But I do love the subject, and have done a few tin and a few glass resto's. 
I'm redoing a late 50's glass Lone Star that came with twin 1957-35hp outboards. The boat is way cool, I will spend way too much doing this, and I don't care, it's become a hobby for me.

Have fun, get them fixed while the snow flies, spring time is no time to take a boat in for service of any type. Everyone will be swamped and work is done in haste, and at a premium price.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

Couple shots of the Lone Star I am redoing this winter.


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## yellowbelly80 (Aug 27, 2004)

Greenbush future said:


> Couple shots of the Lone Star I am redoing this winter.


that rig is sweet..that was the cats ass back in its day..twins on a small boat sweet


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## yellowbelly80 (Aug 27, 2004)

any good exterior grade ply will do for a floor..if u wanna top it off u can epoxy the wood no need for glass just seal her up good with epoxy and screw her down cover with carpet or *vinyl*


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

I think the reason they do with Aruco is that it has very few if any voids in the layers and cost. It may also be waterproof glue but I'm not 100% I used it for my sole-(deck) and my transom, then you take these chopped fibers and poly resin, mix em up and they call it peanut butter, that stuff will seal the edges of the sole to the boat hull, and transom wood to the skin in back. 
CAUTION!! working with fiberglass is nasty, you MUST get a resporator, and protect your self from the chemicals, and dont go cheap, a paper mask is NOT what I'm speaking about. Go spend some coin on a good one, especially if you are grinding the old stuff out. I coated my garage with dust before I knew better, a tyvek suit would be a great idea do. Dont mess with these chemicals W/O the right safty gear and good venting too. It can still be done on the cheap, but safty first IMO.
Sorry about the typo's guys.

And epoxy is an acceptable option for those that dont want to deal with glass and resin. But it's costly, and it has certain rules about using with glass that I dont know "jack" about so I would read up before using and spending your hard earned coin. Lets see pictures of everyone's project??


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## sparkville (Apr 20, 2006)

Did my aluminum late last winter.
Found this local vendor that supplies many boat builders with decking. Wholesale only (truck or train loads) but will sell to local guys as the thread implies. Although this thread is from 2009, I thought I would give it a try. The guy was still working there and the offer still stood. I saved quite a bit of money buying the marine board from him.

Here is his info
http://www.lakestclair.net/index.ph...arine-plywood/page__view__findpost__p__901374

If you are looking for marine board give this guy a call. I did and it worked out great.

Another thing I did was instead of vinyl or carpet I used this product.
http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=56089

Was a little hesitant at first about the price and application method but it ended up working fantastic. It seams to be a durable, non skid finish that should last. The application was easy and it turned out great. 

I logged a ton of time on the internet researching and planning this. Websites such as tinboats.net and iboats and anything I could find regarding this project. If you end up pulling the old deck and the factory buoyancy material is not water logged, I would just use it as is. Mine was and older boat and the foam was shot so I ended up using the pink sheets of foam (closed cell) that they use in construction. I used a combination of 1' and 2" thick sheets that allowed me to cram as much under the deck as possible without restricting the flow of water that will be there no matter what you do....spray over the bow, rain, etc.

As far as fastening the deck to the stringers, etc, I went with the manufacturer's method of aluminum rivets. You can get whatever length, rim size, and strength of rivet you want. I was able to get exactly what I needed (even the pin in the rivet was aluminum) to do a good job. So the deck is all epoxied then you have to drill holes for rivets. To treat the holes I dipped the rivet in 5200 just before setting. I am hoping that this method will stand the test of time. 

Like I said, this was done last winter and only used for one season. Overall though, I believe this will last but time will tell.

One note, when I talked to the guy at the lumber yard he told me that all the boat builders were using a treated plywood that they are selling. He said that the pontoon builders (aluminum) use it like it is going out of style. I believe the new treated wood uses a different method of treatment that does not react with aluminum. I still opted for the untreated marine board anyway.

Although this was a project I needed like another hole in my head, it was enjoyable to spend time with my sons while they were helping me out.


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## cbgale2 (Oct 21, 2008)

The AC2 treated plywood is loaded with copper and it will eat away at aluminum that it contacts. Post up your projects on iBoats if you havent already. Everyone there will be more than happy to help you along. I'm on my third Starcraft tin resto now.


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## sparkville (Apr 20, 2006)

Greenbush future said:


> I think the reason they do with Aruco is that it has very few if any voids in the layers and cost. It may also be waterproof glue but I'm not 100%


Yes, marine board is all about lack of voids, waterproof glue, as well as extra ply layers.

One other thing I want to add was that, although the manufacturer's original deck was in rough shape, when I lifted it I did my best to preserve it for use as a template for the new deck.


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## Wishin' I'm Fishin' (Jan 26, 2009)

I am also going to be replacing my deck in a 1987 Starcraft CC aluminum. I've done a lot of research on the floor replacent. One question I have, is disconnecting the steering from the center council a big deal? Any concerns I should have?


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

Here's the one I've got to do. Its an old lund


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

I tell you what, I've caught a lot of fish out of that boat. Too nice of a size to junk it. Aluminum is heavy gauge too


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## mike h (Jan 11, 2003)

yellowbelly80 said:


> any good exterior grade ply will do for a floor..if u wanna top it off u can epoxy the wood no need for glass just seal her up good with epoxy and screw her down cover with carpet or *vinyl*


Exactly what I done with my Starcraft rebuild.


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

Would you guys go vinyl over bedliner?


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

limige said:


> I tell you what, I've caught a lot of fish out of that boat. Too nice of a size to junk it. Aluminum is heavy gauge too


 That boat is sweet for sure, once you finish, it will be even better, I really wish I had kept my Lund. Those old ones are awsome in every aspect, and your ROI will be very good, or you can keep it for the rest of your life, and know it's safe and done right.
Just about every post here is great advice, just use extreeme caution with any treated wood, the moisture content, and chemicals are not good for tin boats. And the bed liner idea, might do more digging around, but I do remember guys at iboats, suggesting not to use. Might have been on the interior, as in on the alum. Decks may work just fine. But I think there are better products out there. Just do it right if youre tearing it down. And I wasnt kidding about a resperator.

The alum rivits is spot on too, I happen to have buckets of SS fasteners, so I will go that route. My stringers are not tin, they are glass/with wood under. Seal everything back up, and cover the boat in winter, better yet store in the garage if you can. It will last forever.


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## Greenbush future (Sep 8, 2005)

This picture just showed up on one of my other sites, its the poster child for what not to ignore. This guy was lucky he didn't lose his life on the water, this happened dragging in a sand launch. It should catch a few folks who elect to put band aids on bad transoms, or ignore the signs when floors are rotted out and stringers and transoms are not fixed. 



Here's the link: http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...a-tri-hull-transom-destroyed-help-578908.html


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## magnumdeke (May 6, 2009)

I am in the process of doing an Islander, complete gut job and restore. Converting from i/o to bracketed outboard. Basic rules to new transom and floor, exterior grade ply, NO PT PLY!. use the old pieces for templates and epoxy coat the new with us composites 635 thin epoxy. Screw with stainless or use all aluminum rivets. Fairly straight forward process. definitely labor intensive but you will have a transom or floor that is better than it was new! There is a great group of Starcraft nuts on iboats, you can find any info needed. Good luck and get her done.
My project can be found here if you are interested, stop in and say hi
http://forums.iboats.com/boat-resto...mdekes-1976-22-starcraft-islander-551054.html


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

What engine bracket are you using? I wondered if I could do that with my 22' Penn yan


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## magnumdeke (May 6, 2009)

built it myself, very similar to most on the market. got about 700$ into it. there is a guy on ebay that is around a grand built to your specs. 
Heres a couple links to what mine looks like
http://i831.photobucket.com/albums/zz239/Magnumdeke
/1976%20Islander/100_1285.jpg


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## limige (Sep 2, 2005)

How thick of plate and what grade did you use?


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## bald eagle (Dec 4, 2011)

There also is a product that is pvc that comes in 1/2" or 3/4" 4x8or 4x10.Very rigid. There are a few brands out on the market Azek,Kleer etc. These products are not cheap. Approx. 160.00 dollars for a 4x8-3/4 sheet. The nice thing about these products you don't have to worry about voids, rot, re-action to your alum. or absorbing water and you wouldn't have to apoxy all 4- surfaces, and they hold a screw very well. You can also put your vinyl flooring right over it. This fix will last a life time. Last year I made planer boards out of 1x8 and they work great. This might not be the fix for everybody due to cost, but it would be the best in my opinion. Go to a Home Depot right now and price a sheet of 7/16 osb, the price has sky rocketed in the last 4-months. Yikes.


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