New flooring suggestions

Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I pulled up my original teak & holly plywood flooring and haven't decided yet what to put down. It's only 6' by about 3' with a somewhat oval shape that will be easy to replicate. The thickness is just 3/8" as it rests on a recessed fiberglass floor pan. The issue that makes me a bit nervous if I order replacement teak & holly plywood is how to cut out the 2 access panels to the bilge. The originals had such clean cuts with corners that were just barely rounded. I don't have the tools or the skill to duplicate the job that was done originally. I am somewhat interested in an artificial teak & holly replacement if I can be convinced that it would be a better quality alternative. I don't mind expensive, just not crazy expensive.
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
If you are able to remove the existing floor, in particular the bilge cut out areas you can use these as a template to lay over your new floor and from there with a skil saw and jig saw be able to replicate the cut outs. Suggest practicing on scrap plywood before attempting this on teak/Holley plywood. Another alternative is to purchase marine grade plywood, do your cut outs and then seal it with epoxy and purchase a 4x8 sheet of teak and holly laminate to lay over the plywood and trim out bilge openings from there. similar to laying out the old Formica countertops. Laminate is barely an 1/8” thick and easy to cut/trim. I used the latter method on my main cabin area floors when replacing.
 

PaulK

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Dec 1, 2009
1,222
Sabre 402 Southport, CT
If you’re nervous about your skills for making an opening for bilge access, have a carpenter do it for you. It will take him about a half hour and he won’t destroy the expensive teak & holly ply the way you might. You can then take the pieces he’s cut, seal them with epoxy and then varnish them at your leisure. Cutting out one layer of plywood and then cutting and laminating teak & holly over it sounds like more than twice as much effort.
 
Dec 2, 2003
751
Hunter 260 winnipeg, Manitoba
What size are the access panels? They may have been cut from a separate piece of ply and then inserted back into the openings. If that’s the case then you could take to a woodworker that has an inlay router bit and guide to cut the openings and inserts using the existing inserts as a template.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
There are 2 openings, each is 10" x 20" and they are in line. All sources indicate that plywood comes in 4' x 8' sheets so there is plenty of material to cut the opening panels separately. I thought that might be the best way to get the corners to match nicely. I did find a supplier in eastern PA (local for me) that also does the millwork. I think I will call them to see what it costs to duplicate my sole. I have it out already. It is usable for a template … not too far gone. I was thinking about restoring it, but one corner had the backing plywood falling apart and the veneer was barely holding it together, so I figured it was time to replace. I was wondering if anybody had experience with any of the synthetic products and had anything to share about that.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I have been exploring the new Vinyl floor materials. Water proof, and they can be glued to a plywood backing. Cutting is with a knife. Not very expensive for a small space (about $4 a sq foot) so if I screw up I can redo.

Material is several mm thick with a cover coat. Should be no more slick than water on a kitchen floor that is moving.:biggrin:
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
..... The issue that makes me a bit nervous if I order replacement teak & holly plywood is ...
The "if" in the quote leads me to ask the question... "how married are you to those two materials?" There are some new poly tiles that look and feel a lot like carpet but are a dacron/teflon mix. We have installed them in some of my buildings at school and what sold me on the sale was a demo where the sales-jerk pored a puddle of white paint and a puddle of Dr. Pepper on the carpet tile... left it with my physical plant guys and said, "l'll be back in a month to close the contract" Seemed cocky but... a month later he came back and peeled the paint off the tile and then rinsed of the Dr. Pepper and it looked fine. Nice thing is they come in squares so if by somehow you could damage one, you don't have to pull the entire carpet up but can just replace the single tile. We now use these tiles in all of our dormitories at school.

I'm thinking that when I replace the headliner and sideliners in my H26, I'm going with this stuff. It is TOUGH and looks good and feels great on the feet. BUT I get why people like a wood floor so.... :p
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
What would you prefer for flooring? All things considered equal, what look do you want?
I'm sure your costs and skills can be managed to meet most alternatives. I don't know much about synthetic materials, but what I've seen hasn't ladd me to believe you get ahead in cost or maintenance.

Do you have pictures of the access openings? Do they sit on a rabbet or a stringer or are they taperred? What holds them in place?

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jul 26, 2009
291
. . .
As a DIY, this project becomes infinitely more feasible if the edges of the original sole are still intact and you have access to a router. Even a palm router would likely work on marine plywood if you rough cut close enough to the final material/pattern.

Couple of resources for you:

This is the project I followed and it was invaluable:

Cabin Sole Replacement

Results for our boat w/ an embedded link to more details:

Cabin Sole - Before & After
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
What would you prefer for flooring? All things considered equal, what look do you want?
I'm sure your costs and skills can be managed to meet most alternatives. I don't know much about synthetic materials, but what I've seen hasn't ladd me to believe you get ahead in cost or maintenance.

Do you have pictures of the access openings? Do they sit on a rabbet or a stringer or are they taperred? What holds them in place?

-Will (Dragonfly)
It is a very uncomplicated shape. The ends are straight but the sides are curved like an oval (mimicking the sides of the boat). It is only 6' long because it is basically in the center of the salon. The fiberglass floor pan basically follows the contour of the boat bottom except that the pan is flat and recessed 3/8" where the wood sole is inserted. The two bilge panels are just 10" x 20" rectangles and all four edges catch the edge of the floor pan at the cutouts for support. The bilge panels are built up underneath with solid wood stringers for stiffness. It's very simple. The panels fit inside the cutouts in the sole pretty snugly (sometimes they bind on the edges if the heat and humidity is high). There are just finger holes in the panels to lift them out when I want access to the bilge. Very simple - no hardware, no hinges. I just want to make the panels a nice snug fit with clean cuts. The curved sides of the sole can easily be cut with a jig saw and sanded smooth to fit the recess - not worried about that. I am most concerned about the clean cuts for the panels into the bilge openings.

As for materials - I suppose the simplest solution is teak & holly plywood. I don't want to mess around with gluing down veneer. There are some laminated products now that appear to be like individual planks that click into place. They are thin and would have to be placed over a thin plywood subfloor. I would still have to deal with the cuts and the fitting to line up the holly strips in the panels. It seems like more work than it is worth. PlasTEAK makes a product that comes in a roll that you have to glue to a base. Again - maybe more complicated than necessary. I'm not fussy about this floor. If there is a good synthetic product that looks good and is easy to apply, I would consider it. If the simplest way is to put down a plywood teak & holly and varnish it, then that is fine, too. I want teak & holly to stay consistent with the original look. Synthetic or plywood ... doesn't matter but I think I would avoid the rolled products. We buy a carpet runner with the rubber backing every spring at Kohl's to put down on the floor anyway.

Attached is the best picture I can find of it. The runner is covering the bilge panel, with just the hole of one of them at the head of the runner.
 

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Jul 1, 2010
962
Catalina 350 Lake Huron
If you want to try a woodworking project without being out a lot of cash if it doesn't work out... here's a link to what I did with the cabin sole on our Seaward 25. It wasn't a big piece, so I figured I'd try the faux teak and holly approach and keep it if it turned out good and go with something else if it didn't. It was a keeper, and has held up well the last couple of years.

 
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Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
I figure that the right tool or accessory often costs the same or less than hiring a person who owns those tools to do it for me. Of course there are many jobs where I lack sufficient skill and so then I go to an artisan. In this case I would say that skill levels are small and patience and method will do the job for you.

First you need a template. I typically use heavy brown paper or thin cardboard and make the template up in several sections that I tape together to end up with an exact pattern. You probably already have a jigsaw, spend a little money on the right blade. Probably a small cross section fine tooth laminate blade. Use a high speed on the saw.

I would lay down wide blue masking tape, well pressed down, and then make my cutting marks on that. The tape helps prevent tearing, and if you lay down a "runway" of tape where the saw is riding, you will not mar the surface.

For making the holes for the cutouts, I drill small holes at all small-radius corners, and this helps in making exact corners, since sharp turns with a jigsaw are tough.

As suggested above, practice first. Also make sure you are comfortably positioned for each cut and only keep cutting while feeling comfortable. Discomfort in cutting leads to bad cuts. Take your time.

Bob
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
For making the holes for the cutouts, I drill small holes at all small-radius corners, and this helps in making exact corners, since sharp turns with a jigsaw are tough.
Well, I found a source for teak & holly plywood at a reasonable price and a location where I can drive to get it. This is how I am going to do the job. The only complication is that it is available either in 1/4" or 1/2" thickness. The original is 3/8" thickness. I need to determine if I should try to add 1/8" with some kind of backing, or use 1/2" to make it stand a little proud of the fiberglass floor pan - which is probably the way I'll go. I'll have to round the edges I suppose. It's funny how that 3/8" makes quite a difference in head room for me!

I figured that the best way to get small radius rounded corners for the bilge cut-outs would be with a drill bit. I suppose that is the best way to get the cuts started, too. What that means is that the cut-outs can't be used for the access panels. I will have to make them separately from the left-over plywood.

The problem I have with a jig saw is that the blade bends too easily to get a square cut. I think that I should take the time to secure guides to make the straight cuts without the blade wandering.
 
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Jul 30, 2019
216
Seaward 25 777 Fort St. James
I cannot comment on the appropriate thickness, except that thicker should be more durable.

You will have to make the cutouts separately anyway. Trying to do both at once would lead to a botched job, and then you would be buying a second sheet, or having it reproach you every time you looked at it..

The problem I have with a jig saw is that the blade bends too easily to get a square cut. I think that I should take the time to secure guides to make the straight cuts without the blade wandering.
Slow down, you're moving too fast.....

Let the jigsaw do its cutting, you are just guiding it. Buy a quality blade, which will be stiffer. Change blades if it seems unwilling to cut, although plywood usually has harder and softer patches. When it slows, don't get impatient and start pushing. You probably weigh quite a bit more than the jigsaw blade, and you are the only reason for the blade to bend.
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
or use 1/2" to make it stand a little proud of the fiberglass floor pan
Does the plywood sit flat on the fiberglass pan or is it on a frame? What I'm asking is, could you route an 1/8" rabbet to drop the floor panel into the pan?
There are also thin blades for circular saws that might allow you to use the cutouts.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
The problem I have with a jig saw is that the blade bends too easily to get a square cut.
Let the jigsaw do its cutting, you are just guiding it.
Absolutely. This does take some practice, you get tense and try to push the curve into shape. What needs to happen is the turn has to be taken by the cutting edge of the blade. The saw pivots around the blade. When the craftsman starts rotating the saw into a curve, it is reflexive to pivot the saw in the middle. This leads to sideways pressure on the blade and the blade starts to bend under the cut. Relax the pressure, go slow and let the saw tell you how to orient it.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Does the plywood sit flat on the fiberglass pan or is it on a frame? What I'm asking is, could you route an 1/8" rabbet to drop the floor panel into the pan?
There are also thin blades for circular saws that might allow you to use the cutouts.

-Will (Dragonfly)
The plywood sits flat on the fiberglass floor pan. The only openings in the floor are the two bilge access panels lined up in the center over the keel for access to the keel bolts and bilge pump.