floor boards

[brianeady]

My boat does not have floor boards. I have a couple of questions.

1. Is there a pattern or some form of instructions posted somewhere?

2. What type of wood (without breaking the bank)?

3. What finish stain/varnish combo?

I am hoping to learn from someone who has been down this route before.

thanks

[algonquin]

http://www.aisol.com/daysailer/floorboa ... _a_ds1.htm

This address has some dimensions and pics and other info about floorboards for the DSI. The dimensions may need to be adjusted slightly as not all DSIs were manufactured by the same builder and there are slight variances from boat to boat. As for the best wood to use is kind of up to you, your location, and your wallet. Mine are made from white oak, mahogany is popular, teak is great but very expensive. I have also seen floor boards made from white cedar which is probably the cheapest way to go and white cedar is long lasting. For stain I would suggest an oil base that will soak into the wood. I used MinWax brand and their spar varnish (marine grade). Brad

[GreenLake]

There are two general patterns. Two section floor boards and three section floorboards. The two section ones take fewer but shorter parts, but extra steps assembling. After that, they are said to be easier to get in and out (mine are the two section kind and I think they are fine).

The pattern Brad linked is a good start. Make sure you make some sort of template from stiff cardboard or something. That's to ensure that you get the measurements right.

The "feet" need to be adjusted (filed down) to fit the boat, so the floors are level. On mine, the feet (cross members) appear to be made from a softer wood than the slats. That way, they don't grind into the hull. The coamings on my DS were made from mahogany, which sanded to a nice pinkish hue, but the slats on the floors looked more yellowish when sanded. So I'm not sure what the wood is.

Finishing - you have several choices:

Oil - easy to put on, needs frequent touch ups, but those should be easy, as you don't sand or need to take off any old layers.

Varnish - needs more prep, can last longer. At some point you need to take old layers off by sanding. Varnish and PU need multiple coats, 6-8.

Polyurethane with cross linker - very hard, lasts several seasons. Tricky to recoat with good adhesion. Hardness makes it tough to get off if you need to recoat.

Epoxy sealing of all wood, then PU overcoat (for UV protection) - thicker film, wood no longer expands, so PU lasts even longer than on bare wood (should be no cracking).

If you are constantly puttering around your boat, and/or keep it exposed, then oil is the best. Just wipe down your boards with fresh oil several times a season.

PU is fine under cover for multiple seasons even if outdoors, sand well before recoating.

Epoxy promises to be the most durable, looks great because of the depth of coat, but I don't have multi-season experience with it. Epoxy coating should have two other effects. As it blocks water and vapor, it should allow the use of wood that's less moisture resistant. And it should harden the surface, perhaps allowing a lesser grade of wood there as well.

Finally, nothing prevents you from using oil-based stains one would use for deck or patio furniture. Those are similar to the pure oils, but if well maintained, should work - esp. if you keep a dry bilge.

As you can see, there simply isn't the "one way".

Good luck!

[brianeady]

Thanks for your help. That will get me headed in the right direction.

[kokko]

I think plastic decking would be a good replacement. If I woere building new, I migt choose something like Plasteak

http://plasteak.com/osc/index.php?cPath=22_34

[K.C. Walker]

Being that you asked a pretty general question it's not surprising that you got a wide variety of responses. You need to ask yourself what you want the floor boards to look like, how much maintenance you want to do, and how long you expect them to last.

I've got an Oldtown canoe from the 1930s with white oak floorboards. It spent many many summers outdoors, always on the rack turned upside down, but still, with maintained original finish and looking OK. On the other hand, I've got a Thompson cedar strip on white oak frame utility boat that looks horrible on the inside right now and it hasn't been that long since I overhauled it. This boat spends summers sitting at the dock in the sun and rain.

I think your choice of wood can be anything you want, being that the material cost won't be that much, as you are not covering much area. By the time you consider your labor or someone else's labor you might as well have the best material.

I kind of like the idea of unfinished wood for floorboards. I know that bright work looks great, but unfinished teak, ipe, or white oak has a lot of appeal to me. Unfinished wood is definitely the best for traction. You might even consider that over time it would save money. Maintenance would be an occasional pressure washing at most.

I think the main place to be concerned about rot is the feet. I think using something like ipe or locust makes a lot of sense in the bilge. Of course, if you can keep the floorboards dry and out of sunlight, when they are not in use, they will last pretty much indefinitely.

Rambling thoughts for a Wednesday morning…

KC

[algonquin]

I think plastic decking would be a good replacement. If I woere building new, I migt choose something like Plasteak

http://plasteak.com/osc/index.php?cPath=22_34

This would be an interesting approach. I like the concept but find it quite pricey. Brad

[GreenLake]

I would be concerned about the weight. Already, the floorboards add quite a bit of weight to the boat, but some of the manufactured materials are heavier than wood. And frankly, I like the look of the natural wood. To me, that's something that defines the DS1, especially the older ones.

[ctenidae]

If I were building new floorboards, I'd go with an oil finish. Low maintenance (an occasional wipe down is pretty easy, and a good post-sail beer activity). Ours we stripped down, sanded smooth, restained, and covered with spar urethane. Mostly because several of the boards are replacements and of different wood, so heavy stain was needed to match up the colors.

The plastic is an interesting option from a durability point of view, but I think it will always feel and look like plastic.