380DA Floor Project

Gallf1

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2018
316
Palm Coast, FL
Boat Info
2000 Searay 380
Engines
Mercruiser 454 MAG MPI 7.4L
Custom Forward Hardtop
Whaly 270 Hard Dinghy, 4hp Honda

Bahamas Veteran
Hi:
Hoping to get some feedback from fellow owners who have gone thru this:
I am removing the original carpet from the cabin and will be replacing with vinyl plank flooring, aluminum trim around the floor hatches and solid Ash wood companionway steps.

WTF did they use to glue the carpet down with!!?? what a pain in the ass....but slowly piece by piece it is coming up.

My question to you all is: If I take the time to scrape all of the residual glue off of the fiberglass floor, would it be level enough to lay the new vinyl planks onto or is a plywood subfloor recommended (and if so, what 3/8" or 1/2" ply?)

Cant complain too much I suppose when I look out my living room window at my boat in the evening....
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Finally "pulled" (oscillating multi-tool, inch by inch....) all the carpet out, including the floor hatches. I think I am going to lay down a 1/2" plywood sub-floor to level it out, seal the plywood and then lay the vinyl planks over that.
IMG_1507[1932].jpg
 
I made new floor hatches out of 3/4" ply to compensate for the lack of carpeting being wrapped around them. In order to make them flush, I also glued in composite baten strips to the bracing under the hatches. There are detailed pics on my dropbox site I have shared many times. Do you have fiberglass imperfections on the sub floor? I would think it would be easier, faster, and cheaper to grind those down rather than laying a sub floor. That's a lot of curves to match up.
 
I made new floor hatches out of 3/4" ply to compensate for the lack of carpeting being wrapped around them. In order to make them flush, I also glued in composite baten strips to the bracing under the hatches. There are detailed pics on my dropbox site I have shared many times. Do you have fiberglass imperfections on the sub floor? I would think it would be easier, faster, and cheaper to grind those down rather than laying a sub floor. That's a lot of curves to match up.
Hey:
I saw your pictures....I dont have imperfections in the fiberglass, what I have is many areas where I just cant get all the glue off and it makes it lumpy. I am going to try a heat gun and floor scraper today and see if that helps lift it. I burnt out my Harbor Freight oscillating tool trying to get it all off.

I agree about putting down plywood (why make extra work).

Is your new flooring "floating" or did you glue it down to the fiberglass?
Thx!
 
I think even 36 grit wheels will clog. The glue heats up and gets sticky just as it starts to be removed (just tried it with my Dewalt)....I also just tried a heat gun and a sharp chisel. The heat/gun chisel combo works vvveeerrrrrryyyyyy slowly and only an inch or two at a time (quickly revealing bumps and hollows in the fiberglass).

I am thinking of just adding a 15/32" plywood subfloor right over the old glue as this will take care of not only covering over the remaining glue but it will also level out the few fiberglass imperfections I have already found, it will also help with hiding the edge transition to the vertical carpet "baseboard" as laminate flooring directly onto the fiberglass is not as high as the old carpeting and there will be a gap.

The amount of time it takes to make the plywood template for installation will pay off as it can be used when cutting the laminate flooring plus not to mention all the dust etc that will be eliminated all over the inside of the boat from grinding and fairing the fiberglass floor!

Bringing it up with the plywood and then the laminate flooring will hide that gap and no edge molding will be required.
 
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This is on my list of things to do, maybe next winter.... looking like a headache for sure. The hard floor surface looks great, just not sure I want to go through all these issues

Thank you for sharing, please keep this thread active with pics, descriptions and what materials you are using
 
looks like you already used the oscillating tool but with our old boat a sharp scraper blade with the tool on the highest setting made quick work of the glue. It was the dremel brand scraper attachment. The last bits I knocked down with a random orbital and 40 grit pads

I left the floor floating and it worked well. Occasionally I'd have to lock a piece back together but I didn't want to glue it all down. It was a much smaller boat and cabin (290DA) though, so you might need to glue a few edge pieces to keep it from shifting
 
Hey:
I saw your pictures....I dont have imperfections in the fiberglass, what I have is many areas where I just cant get all the glue off and it makes it lumpy. I am going to try a heat gun and floor scraper today and see if that helps lift it. I burnt out my Harbor Freight oscillating tool trying to get it all off.

I agree about putting down plywood (why make extra work).

Is your new flooring "floating" or did you glue it down to the fiberglass?
Thx!
floating totally. 3 pieces. snug enough to the sides that it does not move at all. If I get tired of it, or it gets damaged, I can have it out of the boat in 10 minutes, using it as a template for the replacement. You will want the floor flat. Any lumps that get traffic will eventually wear the top layer (the pretty part) off. Also, make sure the floor has some texture (i.e. not Pergo) for traction.
 
I think even 36 grit wheels will clog. The glue heats up and gets sticky just as it starts to be removed (just tried it with my Dewalt)....I also just tried a heat gun and a sharp chisel. The heat/gun chisel combo works vvveeerrrrrryyyyyy slowly and only an inch or two at a time (quickly revealing bumps and hollows in the fiberglass).

I am thinking of just adding a 15/32" plywood subfloor right over the old glue as this will take care of not only covering over the remaining glue but it will also level out the few fiberglass imperfections I have already found, it will also help with hiding the edge transition to the vertical carpet "baseboard" as laminate flooring directly onto the fiberglass is not as high as the old carpeting and there will be a gap.

The amount of time it takes to make the plywood template for installation will pay off as it can be used when cutting the laminate flooring plus not to mention all the dust etc that will be eliminated all over the inside of the boat from grinding and fairing the fiberglass floor!

Bringing it up with the plywood and then the laminate flooring will hide that gap and no edge molding will be required.
Touche' Go for it.
 
This is one of those "my back hurts just reading this thread" threads! Looking good, gentlemen. I'm hoping you'll keep updating this thread with progress...
 
Back, knees, shoulders, neck, elbows etc, etc etc....
 
I would recommend a 1/4" - 3/8" subfloor as some others have suggested. I used 1/4" before to minimize the floor build up, maximize headroom, and cut down on the work needed around the hatches.
 
It looks like your off to a good start. I used a similar rosin paper. Be careful with the screws on the port side near the fridge. If the 380 is like the 400 it is possible to hit the hull when you get near the edge. Also, on the 400 the salon a/c cooling hose is tight up under the deck. Be mindful of that. You might be able to see it under the hatch.
 
It looks like your off to a good start. I used a similar rosin paper. Be careful with the screws on the port side near the fridge. If the 380 is like the 400 it is possible to hit the hull when you get near the edge. Also, on the 400 the salon a/c cooling hose is tight up under the deck. Be mindful of that. You might be able to see it under the hatch.
Yikes....good call..Thx!
I definitely will take a look under hatches etc
 

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