1977 WE240 with OMC235 I/O and rotten floor.

[bobnlee2007]

I have had the 24' Weekender sitting for the past 5 years in my driveway. Before that it was in the water at a marina at Lake Lanier where it got flooded.
$1400.00 later at a mechanics to get a new starter, the fuel tank flushed and some
Othe misc. items and the I towed it home where it has sat for 5 years.

Now I find the carpet (never again will I use carpet) has a woody fungus growth
and the flooring and the support stringer area around the fuel tank has rot.

So, I have started a project to remove the rotten wood deck and flooring support stringers.

After reading several threads about repair of stringers, I was concerned about the effect
rot would have on the OMC235 engine mounts. Well, the OMC235 electric shift setup is
on it's own very large glassed in pads that are not part of the flooring stringer supports.
And it appears they are not affected by any rot. Yet.

I viewed a nice website, "www.rotdoctor.com", that showed how to stop wood rot by using
Ethylene glycol based antifreeze to kill the fungus. The antifreeze will saturate the wood and kill and prevent any further rot. Once the affected area has been dried it can be turned
into a permanent epoxy area that will no longer rot.
Or you can remove the rotted wood and replace it with a treated wood or fiberglass fill
that can be fiber glassed over.

I have identified the rotted flooring under the fiberglass overlay and the rotted stringer
Area around the fuel tank (70gal). I am just removing the fiberglass overlay and rotted plywood flooring and will try a drying method using a home made vacuum manifold
For the stringer sections. I will replace the plywood flooring and glass it in and use
a vinyl flooring for the cockpit area. No more carpet.

I also have to rebuild the seats. So far I have spent $200 on new vinyl upholstery
and sewing for the replacement cushions.
Yes, I am a member of the "Hole in the Water" club.
And I am once again contributing to it.
I will be posting some pictures to this thread sometime tomorrow.

Regards and POR - Press On Regardless

 

[bobnlee2007]

Okay, I have peeled back the top fiberglass/resin flooring and found spots of VERY Wet plywood. Pulling up the plywood reveals
the layer of fiberglass/resin over the foam cells. This has a lot of water laying in it.
So, what I had was a layer of carpet, a layer of carpet cement, a Fiberglass/resin layer, a layer of plywood, another layer of
fiberglass/resin that sandwiched the plywood. Then the foam cells. The cells are made of plywood that is encapsulated in
fiberglass/resin except for the ends of the plywood joining with the plywood floor.
The water got in but did not get out. Hence the soggy bottom flooring.

I checked the 2 motor mounting pods that appeared to be huge wooden block encapsulated in fiberglas on the bottom of
the engine bay. They are not WOOD!! The material appears to be some sort of Blue Plastic/Acrylic stuff.
So, no rot on the engine mounting pods/stringers.

I am going to remove all of the wood flooring in the cabin area and dry the areas in the foam cells.
The replace the wet plywood flooring with painted/sealed plywood. Then a Vinyl flooring instead of carpet.
I'm not sure about encapsulating the plywood in fiberglass anymore. Doesn't seem to provide a drying or
draining environment for the wood.
I'm not sure how the water got in the fiberglass area. I'm going to make sure that if it got in it will have
a way to get out.
I have some oak flooring that would look nice in the cabin area. I have some concerns about the weathering
on the finish.

Time to get on with the demolition first. The 102F temps stopped me today. I'll have at it again tomorrow!

P O R - Press On Regardless !