Cabin Sole Part 1- Replacement

berner73 · Oct 9, 2014

FWIW http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=839436&highlight=berner73

Johnb · Oct 9, 2014

Please keep the pictures and information coming.
Thanks

Ian McGain · Oct 9, 2014

take a look at this: www.PlasTEAK.com

Total cost: Just under $500.00

SeaTR · Oct 9, 2014

For my sole I laminated Ipe and maple. Looks very much like teak and holly and holds up pretty well...I'm digging around for pix.

berner73 · Oct 9, 2014

No complaints at all, holding up well and still look like they do in the photos. One tip; you need to drop something on them soon after finishing the project, just to get past that first time...

Ross · Oct 9, 2014

I just used all black walnut for the cabin sole. It is solid and durable.

Tsatzsue · Oct 10, 2014

Cool to see what is underneath the sole. Not a view often seen.

Skippie10 · Nov 3, 2014

Ease of removal of old teak and holly floor?

I'm just about ready to "pull up" my teak and holly floor in my S2 9.2 sailboat and have been reading this post and have been enlightened....apparently, it's not going to be simply "lifting" the floor up and hauling it out to get it replicated by a local cabinet shop!

I can see that the existing floor has some glue leaking out near the engine, so mine is probably glued down, as well.

So, I do have a "Fien" oscillating tool which is used to remove flooring/tile and I'll use that but...I'm concerned that I might cut into the hull with my oscillating tool. Should I, rather, use a careful manual chisel and putty knife? Not sure if my sailboat (S2) has a double floor (i.e. braces to which the floor is glued/nailed) or not.

Don

NYSail · Nov 3, 2014

Damn.... We're they glued down? Mine are screwed down so I can lift the sections when I want to see under. Do so a few times a year when cleaning bilge. Had sections of mine replaced and was able to bring the old section to a wood guy who replicated. Came out nice.

Skippie10 · Nov 3, 2014

Well, unfortunately, I sanded too hard on mine and wore/sanded through the veneer and went into the plywood beneath the veneer. So, I'm not able to salvage the existing veneer.

So, I have the new plywood/veneer coming from Boulter Plywood and will need to remove the old and have a local cabinet maker match the size/cut of the old.

Don

Skippie10 · Nov 10, 2014

Very arduous work

I, too, have resorted to chisels and hands and knees - to remove the original teak and holly sole in my S2 9.2 sailboat. In my boat, there are no stringers and what I have is a flat continuous fiberglass floor layed above the boat hull and then the teak and holly plywood was glued (and, I mean 100% glued) to the fiberglass false floor.

What a huge task. Can only handle about 3 or 4 hours/day of this type of work and it is going to take at least 4 or 5 days to get the old floor removed and the subfloor prepared for the new teak and holly floor.

Good thing I made a template before I started pulling (chiseling) the old floor out! It is coming up in 1" pieces/chips!

I'm not sure what to do in laying the new floor down...seems a shame to glue it down but - hey - the old one lasted 25 years! And, the teak and holly has to have a joint in it since the floor is more than 4' wide (and the plywood/teak and holly is 4' wideX8'long).

Any ideas on how to lay in the new floor?

Also, what type of sealant should I use at the edges to keep water from seeping into the edges of the new plywood?

Don

Skippie10 · Nov 12, 2014

Re: More photos cabin sole removal...

Hi, I need to seal off some areas in the floor of my boat to assure condensation is diverted away from the edges of a new teat and holly plywood floor.

What is the best caulk or sealant for this?

Also, what type of wood varnish might be used on the sawn edges to keep moisture from seeping in through the edges?

Thanks for any help or referral you could provide on this.

Don

woodster · Nov 12, 2014

Skippie10 said:
I, too, have resorted to chisels and hands and knees - to remove the original teak and holly sole in my S2 9.2 sailboat. In my boat, there are no stringers and what I have is a flat continuous fiberglass floor layed above the boat hull and then the teak and holly plywood was glued (and, I mean 100% glued) to the fiberglass false floor.

What a huge task. Can only handle about 3 or 4 hours/day of this type of work and it is going to take at least 4 or 5 days to get the old floor removed and the subfloor prepared for the new teak and holly floor.

Good thing I made a template before I started pulling (chiseling) the old floor out! It is coming up in 1" pieces/chips!

I'm not sure what to do in laying the new floor down...seems a shame to glue it down but - hey - the old one lasted 25 years! And, the teak and holly has to have a joint in it since the floor is more than 4' wide (and the plywood/teak and holly is 4' wideX8'long).

Any ideas on how to lay in the new floor?

Also, what type of sealant should I use at the edges to keep water from seeping into the edges of the new plywood?

Don

i am in the process of doing the same thing right now....do you have acess to an air chisel...if so get the wide blade bit and sharpen it and take out the old by running it in lines or passes ...another way to do it is take a skil saw and set the blade depth to 1/4 of an inch and cut kerfs the length of your floor in passes about 1 and 1/2 apart then chisel the spaces as you go ..i have found over the years if you have a method for doing things like this it goes a lot faster and easier..when you get it all out then take a belt sander with a very course grit belt say 40 or 36 grit and dress the surface for the new material ......when you cut the new flooring it may be best to go to the big box store and get some cheap under layment plywood and make patterns and dry fit them first then when you have all your patterns made place them where you want them in the boat and where they come together for final fit make some indexing lines at the joints ...then take them out and go to your work space an lay the new material on the floor then lay your patterns on top and mark out the cuts ....the indexing lines or to insure you keep the holly lines continuous .....you also need to establish a center line on the head door from front to rear so the holly will be parallel to the cabin...as far as sealing the edges you may use thinned epoxy resin (use acetone for the thinner about 50 % ) make sure you dont get it on the finish side of the new flooring as it will cause consistency in the finish

jibes138 · Nov 12, 2014

+1 on using thinned epoxy to seal the edges of the plywood. Consider two coats as the first coat should soak in and the second coat will assure it is sealed well. Put the second coat on before the first coat is fully cured. I'd consider either a polyurethane adhesive like 5200 to glue it down or epoxy thickened with microfibers. I've used thickened epoxy to laminate layers of plywood for boat transoms and 15 years later they are still like new.

Have you tried an oscillating tool to remove the old floor? These are like wonder tools and should cut through the adhesive like butter. They also have a nice attachment with carbide grit that you can use to rough up the subfloor for good adhesion for the new floor.

Tim R. · Nov 12, 2014

Please do not use 5200 or epoxy. Use something more pliable like Sika 291. 5200 is why removing old soles is such a PITA. 5200 is the BFH of marine sealants.

Chief RA · Nov 12, 2014

+1 Tim! Can you imagine the grief the next guy will have removing a 5200 or epoxy seal?
Chief

Cabin Sole Part 1- Replacement

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