We are trying to several more years of service from our old inflatible
dinghy, which has been serving us well despite a few patches. I need
to repair and refinish the three-piece plywood floor now that it has
been dry for a couple of months. The corners of the pieces are worn
and delaminated, so I am wondering what to use to repair them - is
there some wood filler or epoxy that would be best? Also, I was going
to refinish the wood with Cetol but someone recommended a polyurathane
varnish instead. What would be best for a tough finish (not so
concerned about how it looks but I don't want to do this again for a
while)?

Since my husband takes care of the bigger projects with the boat, I am
trying to take on smaller jobs like this. Thanks for any advice or
helpful hints!!!

-Nancy

wrote:
We are trying to several more years of service from our old inflatible
dinghy, which has been serving us well despite a few patches. I need
to repair and refinish the three-piece plywood floor now that it has
been dry for a couple of months. The corners of the pieces are worn
and delaminated, so I am wondering what to use to repair them - is
there some wood filler or epoxy that would be best?

The best thing would be to feather in some light fiberglass
cloth around the edge. Filler, even if it's epoxy, is not
going to be strong enough.


... Also, I was going
to refinish the wood with Cetol but someone recommended a polyurathane
varnish instead. What would be best for a tough finish (not so
concerned about how it looks but I don't want to do this again for a
while)?


Blech. If you want to go to the trouble to put Cetol on it,
then use Deks Olje instead... it's WAY tougher (although it
is also a bit more expensive). Another option is to just
continue your edge repair with a layer of epoxy over the
whole thing. Holds up extremely well to scuffing & banging,
but not so well to UV or constant sun exposure.

Polyurethane is only good for glossy interior stuff IMHO,
such as on modernistic looking furniture. It does not stand
up well to exterior use and is a PITA to apply.

Since my husband takes care of the bigger projects with the boat, I am
trying to take on smaller jobs like this. Thanks for any advice or
helpful hints!!!


Good luck with it.

Fresh Breezes- DOug King

On 19 Dec 2005 09:57:27 -0800, wrote:

We are trying to several more years of service from our old inflatible
dinghy, which has been serving us well despite a few patches. I need
to repair and refinish the three-piece plywood floor now that it has
been dry for a couple of months. The corners of the pieces are worn
and delaminated, so I am wondering what to use to repair them - is
there some wood filler or epoxy that would be best? Also, I was going
to refinish the wood with Cetol but someone recommended a polyurathane
varnish instead. What would be best for a tough finish (not so
concerned about how it looks but I don't want to do this again for a
while)?

I would suggest making new floorboards from scratch, using the old
ones as templates for cutting the plywood for the new ones.

I would paint the new floor with ordinary porch and floor enamel.





--
Peter Bennett VE7CEI
email: peterbb4 (at) interchange.ubc.ca
GPS and NMEA info and programs: http://vancouver-webpages.com/peter/index.html
Newsgroup new user info: http://vancouver-webpages.com/nnq

On Mon, 19 Dec 2005 13:20:49 -0800, Peter Bennett
wrote:

On 19 Dec 2005 09:57:27 -0800, wrote:

We are trying to several more years of service from our old inflatible
dinghy, which has been serving us well despite a few patches. I need
to repair and refinish the three-piece plywood floor now that it has
been dry for a couple of months. The corners of the pieces are worn
and delaminated, so I am wondering what to use to repair them - is
there some wood filler or epoxy that would be best? Also, I was going
to refinish the wood with Cetol but someone recommended a polyurathane
varnish instead. What would be best for a tough finish (not so
concerned about how it looks but I don't want to do this again for a
while)?

I would suggest making new floorboards from scratch, using the old
ones as templates for cutting the plywood for the new ones.

I would paint the new floor with ordinary porch and floor enamel.


I'm with Peter on this. Wouldn't need to be marine ply necessarily.
Exterior, or exterior treated ply would do well. Floor paint is
exceptionally tough.

Brian Whatcott

You may find that replacing the ply is cheaper. I just bought new timber
for the storm boards on my boat. The Ply was cheaper than the paint. By the
time you buy filler and/or glass and do the job it may be in your interest
to just buy a fresh sheet of ply.

DP
wrote in message
oups.com...
We are trying to several more years of service from our old inflatible
dinghy, which has been serving us well despite a few patches. I need
to repair and refinish the three-piece plywood floor now that it has
been dry for a couple of months. The corners of the pieces are worn
and delaminated, so I am wondering what to use to repair them - is
there some wood filler or epoxy that would be best? Also, I was going
to refinish the wood with Cetol but someone recommended a polyurathane
varnish instead. What would be best for a tough finish (not so
concerned about how it looks but I don't want to do this again for a
while)?

Since my husband takes care of the bigger projects with the boat, I am
trying to take on smaller jobs like this. Thanks for any advice or
helpful hints!!!

-Nancy

d parker wrote:
You may find that replacing the ply is cheaper. I just bought new timber
for the storm boards on my boat. The Ply was cheaper than the paint. By the
time you buy filler and/or glass and do the job it may be in your interest
to just buy a fresh sheet of ply.


Have to agree. Plywood has come down in price in this area. This
summer, while doing a renovation project, I was pleasantly surprised to
find that outdoor G1S spruce plywood was only a couple of dollars more
expensive than that crappy 'chip board'.
(of course, this was before the hurricanes)

Would I need to use a special kind of plywood - some "marine" grade or
something? I think that the existing floor is coated with Cetol which
is why I thought that would be the best finish to put on.

Use an industrial grade ( same glues without the price of marine ply).

A/C grade would be fine.
Side one is an A grade smooth good quality finish.
Side two is a C grade, rougher with knots.

If you don't want to cut it yourself the local kitchen makers will often do
it much cheaper than a shipwright.

DP


wrote in message
oups.com...
Would I need to use a special kind of plywood - some "marine" grade or
something? I think that the existing floor is coated with Cetol which
is why I thought that would be the best finish to put on.

wrote:
Would I need to use a special kind of plywood - some "marine" grade or
something? I think that the existing floor is coated with Cetol which
is why I thought that would be the best finish to put on.


I've read that the glue in outdoor plywood is the same as used in the
marine version. The major difference is that all the 'knot hole' voids
are filled in the marine grade but not so in outdoor grade.
Since your dingy is old and will probably be replaced within 3-5 years,
I'd go with the cheaper plywood and seal it well with a good oil
primer/paint. (or Cetol if you already have some)

How about a sheet of plastic? I was looking at the plastic lattice but it is
a little flimsy. Thick lexan is strong but expensive. Any ideas?
- Allen