Redoing the tube cabin sole

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36041
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Redoing the tube cabin sole

Post by 36041 »

All,

I don't know if anyone else has seen it, but I have been on several other cats at boat shows and what not and some of them (I remember the Voyager 440) had a floor surface that looked like black rubber.

I want to say it looked something like those spray on truck bed liners, although softer. Does anyone have more info on what this material really is? We are thinking about doing both cabin soles in the main area of the tubes in something that will wear a little better.

Also, for the sole in the main salon area, we need to repair the original coating. Has anyone else done this? We have small areas that are starting to show wear and tear and we aren't sure how to go about fixing it.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Tom

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Ed Ellis
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Post by Ed Ellis »

Tom, I refinished the floors in the main cabin sole area via the following steps:

1. I used paint stripper to remove the original coat of varnish. It took three applications ...put stripper on, scrape off varnish, repeat a couple of more times.

2. I used an orbital sander and 120 grain sand paper to smooth the surface.

3. I then applied four coats of Helmsman Polyurethan with light sanding between the coats. The poly is UV protected and water resistant. I've been very happy with the results. ...not much work and well worth it.

4. I then put down rubber-backed "runner" carpet over the wood floors. The carpet is slightly less wide than the floor, so the wood shows around the edges for looks, but the real wear is on the carpet. I got mine from IKEA. I purchased what were originally designed to be navy blue door mats and sewed them together, end-to-end to produce a long runner that lays down the center of the floors. The runner can be repoved to shake out sand, dry, etc.

***************
Personally, I'd be hesitant to cover a teak & holly floor with a permanent rubber floor because of what it might do to the resale value of the boat.

Before you put a permant rubber finish in the tube, you might wish to try this... Lowes & Home Depot sell large foam rubber squares, about 1/2" think and about 30" x30" that are designed for children's play rooms. They hook together like puzzle pieces and are very easy to trim to size. They feel good on your feet and work really well on boats. Although I haven't put them on my PDQ, I have used them on a previous boat for the same problem you are trying to solve. They come in packets of four squares, and are primary colors (red, blue, yellow, green, OR you can get them in grey, which is what I used).

They are cheap enough to try, and if you decide you don't like them, you can get rid'm. Although they can can be glued down using contact cement, it's not necessary. They will lay flat and thus can easily be removed for cleaning or replacing. Good luck, Ed
Ed & Linda Ellis
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Re: Redoing the tube cabin sole

Post by Main Event II »

I recently purchased a PDQ 36 (Hull #98) and it came with some water damage in the salon sole from what appears to have been water sitting during dry storage. During the scraping process, a small piece of the "teak" (about the size of a half dollar) separated and revealed a lighter material beneath. Now, I'm faced with not only refinishing but in need of a patch or splice of the "teak" portion of the "teak and holly." Has anyone had any experience with this sort of repair or any advice otherwise? Thanks,
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Re: Redoing the tube cabin sole

Post by Page 83 »

Hi Tom!
Bed Liner comes in a choice of colors, and some brands can be rolled on. The benefits are good traction with bare feet, a good seal against water, antifreeze*, fish blood and weasel pee. The down side is possibly resale value. With a bit of careful masking you could simulate Teak and Holly. :P

*In a panic one freezing night on the hard without electricity, I dumped some pink stuff in the stbd bilge. It soaked into and disolved the glue of my T&H sole. :oops:
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Page 83
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Re: Redoing the tube cabin sole

Post by Page 83 »

All totalled, the 36's cabin floors could weight 300 pounds dry, or 500 water-saturated. If you could find a source of honey-comb cored aircraft flooring (try an airplane junkyard) you could replace it all for less than a hundred pounds. Not much you say? Show me a cruising catamaran that couldn't lose a lot of weight!
Sandy Daugherty "Page 83" PDQ 36026
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Re: Redoing the tube cabin sole

Post by Bob »

I just refinished all the floors this winter. I had some water staining and had originally thought that I'd just replace them until I saw what was involved. I think one could overlay a new floor in the hulls using a 1/4" teak and holly ply layer something I might choose to do at a later date. I stripped the old finish with a heat gun and scraper followed with a quick hand sand with 150 grit as the PO had sanded once and had cut through the veneer around the bilge edges in a few spots. I then used oxalic acid to bleach the stains followed by a baking soda solution to neutralize. I then used 4 coats of Epifanes gloss varnish followed by one coat of satin. The oxalic took almost all the stains out and the satin blended everything together as to all but make staining invisible. I also did the cabin sides with Epifanes one part poly. I like their products. It just goes on so nicely.
Bob Johnson
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