Lew,

Thanks for the response. Two questions.

1) 4" "boat tape" (about 6 OZ glass) -- is this 6 OZ fiberglass, or is
it something else called "boat tape" (or they are one in the same)??

2) If I fiberglass, then lay marine carpet.. what do you think the life
expectancy of the deck will be with continuous water splashing on the
deck soaking into the carpet?? or should i just do the evercoat
skid-no-more solution.. this is my first boat and i am worried it might
hurt the kids feet? but i don't want to do this whole project over 3
yrs from now either...



Lew Hodgett wrote:
kyle wrote:

snip

question1) how do i remove the rotten plywood.. do i take a saw and
just cut the wood out.. or is it screwed in somewhere.. do i need to be
careful *where* i cut? what is underneath the plywood.. more wood
(that is probably rotten as well)??

Remove the plywood in as large a piece(s) as possible, then later use
them as a pattern for replacement.

question2) i've read that if you fiberglass over plywood, sometimes the
fiberglass cracks and lets water seep into the plywood and rots all
over again.. ?? myth or truth?

It depends.

Epoxy provides a water tight bond to wood, polyester resin does not.

Use epoxy for repair work.

question3) so.. what i really want to do is have plywood and then a
paint with sand in it to give a grip to the feet when walking.. and be
done with it.. what plywood/paint/anything in between the two should i
use?

You can use any kind of plywood available if you cover it with epoxy
and glass.


If it were me, I'd use a piece of cheap, 1/2", 4 ply, CDX plywood with
a layer of DB170 (17 OZ, double bias, knitted glass) on each side,
then seal the edges with a layer of 4" "boat tape" (about 6 OZ glass).

It will be bullet proof.

Lew