But if you buy a fixer upper or have an older boat you love and don t want to part with there s a fair chance you ll need to replace part or all of the rotten boat.
How to fix a rotten floor in a boat.
If you have the means and resources to remove a piece of the boat floor and replace it then that is the best thing you can do for the boat.
Replace the carpet or use a fiberglass repair kit to finish the surface of the floor.
Once you are confident that the rotten sections have been removed you can start to repair the floor as needed.
Add thin strips of wood under the edges of the repair patch to make it flush with the floor of the boat.
Making these repairs will extend the life of the boat.
Step 1 remove the damaged flooring.
Over time boat floors begin to show wear and tear from repeated exposure to the elements specifically water.
Start removing the old damaged material using an electric saw to cut it.
Repairing a rotted boat floor is never considered an easy task.
The length of the wood screws is equal to the combined thickness of the floor and the marine plywood.
Replacing a rotten boat deck is a fairly common task and it s a lot easier than you might think.
The need for a new boat floor becomes inevitable when the floor has a soft spongy feel that is a sure sign of dry rot.
If the stringers and bulkheads are rotten get them replaced with fiberglass ones.
You cannot repair the boat floor while rotten wood remains as it will only continue to rot.
But with the right tools and enough know how it is possible to make the repairs without a lot of problems.