replacing floors on used boats

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Have bought a used 86 supra boat. Floor needs to be replaced. How big of a job is this?

[wotan2525]

Spend some time going through this forum.... if it's ONLY the floor, it's not too bad.

If it's (more likely) the floor + the stringers + everything else wood. You should probably plan on some kind of insurance fraud. (I'm kidding, of course.)

If you need stringers and floor and blah and blah and blah.... I hope you got a really good deal on the boat because it's going to be a while before it sees water again. It's a big, expensive project that will leave you with gray hair when you're done.

I'd check your engine mount bolts -- are any of them lose or pulled out? This is a really strong sign that the stringers are junk. Go buy yourself a bottle of Jim Beam and start reading the forums. Do they look good? Pull one out... is there good wood behind it and does it thread back in with some bite? It's probably just some soft spots in the floor. Go buy a lottery ticket.

Sorry to be the bearer of (possibly) bad news.

[rickr]

+1 Wotan
For me it is a 1 year project that has turned into 2

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/fiberglass-composite-boat-building/ski-boat-stringer-sole-replacement-20668.html

[Salty87]

i agree with what these guys have said.

everything depends on what you find when you open her up. since you've already bought it, it's not too hard to tell how bad things might be. wotan mentioned checking the lag bolts on the engine mounts already.

you can also take a hole saw and open up a hole in the floor. a section of pvc with the end serrated a bit will twist and dig down into the foam, it should pull a plug out. either way, it will give you an idea of how wet the foam is. all wet foam must be removed, it will not dry out.

if you find wet foam you will find at least rotten sections of stringers. then you start getting into whether the engine needs to be pulled and if it's real bad then you should probably pull the rub rail and split the top half of the hull off.

floor is easy, keep your fingers crossed