Replacement of soles in a 1983 H31

HMT2 · Sep 15, 2016

Ray I primarily used a Dewalt five inch random orbital sander for the first sanding and then a Dewalt 1/4 sheet palm sander for the 150 and 220 grit. I tilted the edge of the sander on the front side then the back side to get into the edges then hand sanded with a piece of sandpaper between the edges. I then epoxied them front and back then varnished the top and sides like I did the sole. I am a "git er done" kind of guy so I didn't worry about the shoulder of each slat. They turned out nicely. Jury is till out about adding a little non-skid to another coat of varnish. The off shore race I do next month will give me some more information about that issue.

HMT2 · Sep 15, 2016

Yeah, I struggled with whether to epoxy them or not, after all its teak! But just to have a consistent finish I did it. I did epoxy and varnish the sides of the slats as best I could not worrying too much about drips on the back side.

pateco · Jan 23, 2018

I still havn't gotten around to doing this on the Stargazer, but was wondering if anyone had tried anything other than plywood? Refinishing a whole section of my sole, and then having it destroyed by a hot water tank leak, has got me thinking about ways to do it with waterproof materials, and maybe a faux teak or mahogany and holly finish. My Dock neighbor just redid his floors on his Catalina 36 in standard marine ply with LonSeal, and it looks really nice.

I was thinking some sort of waterproof underlayment, and then using
Lonseal IMO Lonmarine Wood Marine Flooring - Mahogany & Holly

I am looking for inexpensive suggestions for a strong waterproof undelayment to use with this. It has to support the weight and span of these floors.

pateco · Jan 23, 2018

SFS said:
At $40 for a 1' by 6' piece (72" width sold by the linear foot), I wouldn't call that stuff inexpensive.

I know the Lonseal isn't cheap, that Is why I am looking for something cheap and waterproof to use under it.

However, I can find similar sheet vinyl on Alibaba
47in x 94in cheap wholesale boat floor US $28-35 / Sheet | 20 Sheet/Sheets (Min. Order)

Manly · Mar 6, 2018

This thread has been informative, especially the part about removing the sole around the galley and aft berth as that is the part my wife and I haven't done yet.

For the record, here are a few pictures of us changing the cabin sole in the middle of the boat, which was all rotted out when we bought our Hunter 31 August, 2017 and one of our first projects.

I used plywood coated with polyurethane and vinyl planking (purchased at Home Depot). That vinyl planking is essentially plastic and impervious to water.

We used only two sections of flooring. I templated the old rotten wood and that was how it was done originally. However, SFS, I saw you did it in 3 sections and that is probably a better idea so you can lift out the entire middle. Mine has a cutout I can lift for access to the bilge in the same place as the original, which is not a huge access area.

We also painted the primary bulkhead at the same time. In these pictures it just has the first coats of Kilz applied.

Oh, one other thing, in the picture, "Under Settee Cabinets," that vertical board on the right (the port settee support board) I also replaced and put access doors in the hallway so we can get in there without going through the seats.

Reg M · Jul 9, 2018

I finished my main salon sole last month. I applied one coat of matte varnish prior to installation then after the installation of the sole I applied four coats of gloss topped off with one coat of matte. I waited until after the installation before varnishing so that the plugs would be done at the same time as the sole. Here are a couple of photos.

Don Crowther · Jul 9, 2018

Well Done

Reg M · Jul 10, 2018

I only used Epifanes varnish, Epifanes gloss works well to build the thickness then finish off with a coat of Epifanes matte. I used this same stuff when I replaced all the cabin soles of my CSY 44 before we set off cruising and found the matte finish works quite well, it is not slippery like most gloss finishes are. I should also mention that all the undersides and edges were coated with epoxy. The edges of the hatch openings as well as the edges of the hatches are 1/4 inch teak. The epoxy should keep the soles from rotting in the future.

pateco · Jul 11, 2018

Reg M said:
I finished my main salon sole last month. I applied one coat of matte varnish prior to installation then after the installation of the sole I applied four coats of gloss topped off with one coat of matte. I waited until after the installation before varnishing so that the plugs would be done at the same time as the sole. Here are a couple of photos.View attachment 153485 View attachment 153486

How long did this project take?

Reg M · Jul 12, 2018

It only took about an hour to remove the settees and the old cabin sole. It probably took me about three days to make the new soles and hatches using the old ones and including coating the undersides and edges with epoxy. However, it did not happen all at once, it was spread over two months last fall. After launching this spring it took a half day to install the new soles, drill the screw holes with a forsner bit, screw the soles down, plug the holes and trim and sand the plugs. After that I put one coat of varnish per day for 5 days. The last part was to reinstall the settees which took about a day. I tend to be very picky with my woodworking so I am a bit slower than others. I am very satisfied with the result. It is very rewarding when you can do a job which looks just a good as the original but if you can do it with improvements over the original that is even more rewarding. I don't understand why the builder did not epoxy the edges and undersides of the soles on these boats given the dampness in the bilge and lack of ventilation under the soles, it is a given the soles are going to rot, just a matter of time.

Replacement of soles in a 1983 H31

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