Cracked fiberglass deck?

[Yojax10]

So after I finish my electrical project that was supposed to be a simple addition (wishfull thinking) of a second battery and on board charger. I plan on tackling re-carpeting, as the current carpet has seen better days and is not really even glued down much anymore. I am thinking of moving away from glue down carpet and something more like Deckadence that can be removed and cleaned under and such.

Anywho, upon taking a peek underneath the carpet, I see what looks like the fiberglass deck all cracked up. I am afraid to ask, but Is this something that I need to look into?

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[alwayssummer]

It looks like it's just the glue that separated from the carpet. Note the lack of glue left on the carpet after you pulled it up.

[lee]

Looks like the fiberglass resin is cracking. When you pull up the carpet you can remove what is loose and put down another layer of resin on top of what is left.

[Yojax10]

Yeah, I had very little understanding of the deck construction (and still do). So I did pull a chunk of this off to get a better idea. It looks to me like I should be able to do just what you said and remove as much that comes off easily, which seems to be the stuff closer to edges, and then just replace it with a new protective layer of fiberglass resin.

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The one thing that does concern me though, is I was talking to an acquaintance that I did not realize just went through some fiberglass repair training courses or something. I sent him these same pics and his reply (with the disclaimer that he would have to physically look at this for proper assessment) was that the floor underneath was rotten and it all needed to be replaced and re-glassed in. Yes, the plywood does look like it has been gotten wet, but to me, it seems like it is still solid wood. Is there a reason he went straight to that conclusion other than just assuming the worst?

[lee]

The product that was used in 2000 was XL Panel by Greenwood Products and was dark in color from the start. Does not look soggy in the pictures.

[Yojax10]

Cool. Good to know. I am thinking I will be okay then as long as I take care of this now. After glassing the exposed areas, would putting down something like Tuff Coat give an extra layer of protection?

[KoolAid]

What you have is the filler resin used to smooth out the transition from the floor to the deck. The deck thickness varied so the lip would be taller than others so they were filled in with a fiberglass dust and resin mixture. Don't be alarmed by the cracked pieces. It was only there to make the carpet install look better lol!

[KoolAid]

The greenwood panel could get wet but it will not rot. Dry out that area, rough sand then put a coat of epoxy or resin over it. The rest of the floor should have been resin coated from the factory.
One more thing. When you put down the carpet just know at the factory at that time, one person installed and cut around the gelcoated lip without running the knife blade into gelcoat :-)

[Thegerman618]

Did a carpet job in my last boat and had the same fears as you when I started pulling carpet and seeing what looked like spider cracks and bows in the floor. After many discussions, I was told the same thing as KoolAid mentioned. I left the carpet off covered the boat for a week and let sit in the heat and just bake under the cover to dry out everything. I went a little different route and used a truck bed liner (without the grid) to seal the wood, then used a high quality marine carpet to finish it off it looked sharp but will NEVER EVER put black carpet in another boat. Lake Havasu heat and black carpet don't mix unless you like dancing on what feels like molten lava.

[Germaine Marine]

^ This jolly green giant dancing......

[Yojax10]

Did a carpet job in my last boat and had the same fears as you when I started pulling carpet and seeing what looked like spider cracks and bows in the floor. After many discussions, I was told the same thing as KoolAid mentioned. I left the carpet off covered the boat for a week and let sit in the heat and just bake under the cover to dry out everything. I went a little different route and used a truck bed liner (without the grid) to seal the wood, then used a high quality marine carpet to finish it off it looked sharp but will NEVER EVER put black carpet in another boat. Lake Havasu heat and black carpet don't mix unless you like dancing on what feels like molten lava.

I am glad to hear from you and others that this is an easy fix and is not as serious as I was afraid it might be. I think I will be going the mesh vinyl mat (AKA budget Deckadence). I got some samples from American Floor Mats and I think I will be happy with the feel of it. But yes, I think I will be staying far away from black, which is a shame, since I think it would look good in an all white boat, but my better judgment says to choose comfort over looks So I will probably be going with a light to medium grey.

^ This jolly green giant dancing......

LOL!

[BurnMac42]

Man we are gonna have to definitely meet up this summer....You are doing all the projects that I wanted to eventually do on the boat and it's gonna look pppuuurrrttyy!

[Yojax10]

Man we are gonna have to definitely meet up this summer....You are doing all the projects that I wanted to eventually do on the boat and it's gonna look pppuuurrrttyy!

Lol. Definitely. I know, I always end up thinking the same thing. It never seems to fail, every question that think about asking, I first start searching the forums a bit, and there you are... asking the same questions a year earlier.

I hope to have her all dolled up by launch time in Spring. I am mostly finished adding the 2nd battery and on board charger. Next up is repairing the deck and new carpet. Then I hope to get a a good buffer and see how much more shine I can get out of her before Spring.

[Yojax10]

So, I have been pushing off this repair as long as I can because I know how much of a mess its going to make, but I need to get on it. I am getting ready to purchase the materials I need for this project and with that I have a few questions. It looks like most of the problem area is only about 6" around the perimeter, so the plan is to remove this area and repair only this section, slightly overlapping the old, still good area. What type of fiberglass should I use? Chop, Biaxial or a woven cloth or a combination? Also, I have noticed that the hatch in the middle where the gas tank is, is just one big solid chunk of bare wood. Should this thing be glassed as well? Or is it not such a big deal since it could be easily replaced if needed?

[KoolAid]

I assume you want to fill the sections in like the factory so it has a smooth transition from the gelcoated area. I would say to resin coat the plywood that is exposed and use bondo as the filler to make the transition from the gelcoated portion to the floor. It will be much easier to work with and a lot less messy. I don't see where you need any fiberglass (Cloth/Woven) unless you are trying to give something structure. You can resin coat the center floor if its the original marine plywood. Using a thin woven cloth glass wouldn't hurt it if you just want to use some. To me its not really needed. That marine plywood isn't very cheap so its worth it to try to protect it with a coat of resin.