How do I put a new floor on a pontoon? Could I just take out the seats and put new plywood over the existing?

Question

I am looking into getting a pontoon but it needs a new floor and I want to know what I am getting into. My husband and I are both pretty handy but I just want to make sure that It won't be above and beyond what we are capable of. Any advice would be appreciated.

Answer 1

remove all the old lumber first and go to menards or home depot and get water proof lumber or make it out of fiber glass if you can so it  dont rot make sure you put some slip guard on the deck to keep people from getting the skids watch where you drill the holes so you dont hit a fuel line or a electrical wire make sure you  put access doors in it if need to be to get at the wiring,cables,fuel lines etc or you will be ripping it back up it should be easy for you both to handle  look at other boats to get some ideas

Answer 2

don't use the old plywood, it will not hold the new properly, take it down to aluminum, replace it with marine quality, not just outdoor, live long and prosper...or at least, get to use your boat.

Answer 3

if the wood under neat is not that bad go over it with s.s.screws

Answer 4

You could put it right over the old, but when you have it stripped down that far go ahead and take the floor out also. It is rotten anyway, and you most likely don't want the added weight. This is a relatively easy job, I have done it a couple of times, taking everything off is the tedious job. Tip: use tongue and groove, marine grade plywood and your floor will lay nice and flat.

Answer 5

Here I go again... putting my 2 cents worth in when you already have a good answer... jtexas is on the right track,

but maybe I can help you out a bit more and save you some extra effort and a little money...

It is true, that what causes the rot in wood is bacteria and like termites, it is a living thing and would just love you to hand feed it a new supply of fresh out of the oven new ply.

Sure, it would be easier to nail down some new on top of the old, but if you do... it won't last very long at all and rather than it holding up over the old, the old will be pulling the new ply down with it, with the year.

You can use tongue and groove "good on one side - exterior grade" plywood... and I would use 1 inch... some pontoon manufacturers only use 3/4" but most of the better ones use 1"...

Now, here is where "jtexas" and I disagree...

You don't want "poly" resin, you want to use boat "epoxy" resin.  I would go to "US Composites" they are online and I have included the link below... and order their "635 thin epoxy resin and hardner"... you will need to order a medium or slow hardner depending on where you live and the temperture...

What you really want to do is laminate, every single tiny molecule of that plywood on both sides... and on the corners and edges with boat epoxy resin... I would apply two coats... one penetrating coat, and one laminating coat.

Now... this stuff is expensive... at the link below, you will pay $61.00 a gallon and that will be a gallon of resin, plus another quart (or so) of hardner is included...  This is the very same stuff as West Marine's 101.   If you go to West Marine, or some other local Marine outlet, you will pay near twice this amount.

Depending on the size of your pontoon boat, you will need probably 3 or 4 gallons.  I use a large squeegee and a paint roller to apply the stuff.  It goes on like paint.

If you saturate the plywood on both sides and on all the edges, I assure you, you will never again have to replace that floor as long as you live... nether will your great grand kids.

You do not need to fiberglass it... no need whatsoever.  The fiberglass cloth is not only expensive as well, but, since you are laminating a solid deck, there is no real advantage whatsoever to laying fiberglass.

I have forwarded you two links... one is to US Composites, where you can buy your boat resin... I have used these people for years and never once had any problem... in fact, I get all my resins, fiberglass, supplies from them.

The second link is for Glen-L boat building... now I know you aren't "building" a boat - but they sell boat building plans and on their site (somewhere - you will have to click on a few links to find it) they have a wonderful pictorial - tutorial with good tips on how to use, mix, apply boat resin to plywood...

So, good luck with your project.

Happy and Safe Boating!

http://www.glenl.com/

http://www.uscomposites.com/

Answer 6

Remove everything. Install an aluminum deck and bolt it back together!

Answer 7

That would be fine as long as you don't mind cracks inbetween the wood. Also depends how your going to keep it down. Staples? Nails? Glue? make sure your staple/nailing it into solid material.

Answer 8

if you don't mind re-doing it again in a couple years, go ahead and put good wood down over rotten wood.   rot is a bacteria that won't quit as long as you keep feeding it.

marine ply is way expensive and hard to find in some areas.  For decks & floors in my boat I used B/C exterior grade, saturated in poly resin, with one layer of fiberglass cloth.  the fiberglass adds a lot of strength for the weight.

Coat your fasteners in 3m 5200 or some other marine adhesive sealant - otherwise it's the beginning of rot already.  A bit more trouble but a bit better sealed - drill out holes for the fasteners, fill 'em in with epoxy, then fasten through epoxy - no water gets in at all.

Answer 9

Always remove the old floor before replacing it and then you can reinforce the mounts for your seats also

Answer 10

you can, but it is best to remove the old first, you are adding weight and if you just cover the existing floor it will hold 1 less person, if not 2