Wood Flooring

[Bradb571]

I was looking at the new Sea Rays with the wood flooring in the cabin and was thinking of doing something similar. My question is : What could I use that won't buckle if it gets a little wet? Also I live in Michigan and store the boat outside in the winter. Could this also pose problems? Any input is appreciated.

 

[sbw1]

Our boat has 3/4" teak and holly which is very durable. I'd stay away from thin veneers.

 

[tobnpr]

What's "a little wet"?
Drips from wet bathing suits? Just wipe them up.
Hardwood in a boat is no different than a house, you don't want it to stay wet there, either.
I installed hardwood in the galley (glue-down method) and haven't looked back.

 

[wakeup 19]

what did you use for the edges? What kind of metal frame is that? I was thinking of using the veneer to keep the weight down, why don't you recommend it? How long did it take you to do the floor including ripping up the old? thanks wupII
p.s. look great!

 

[fwebster]

Before you guys begin ripping up carpets, think about the surface beneath. On Mike's 390EC, that area he floored with wood came from the factory with a vinyl floor covering on it, not carpet, so the surface was reasonable fair.....i.e. flat, smooth and level.

When Sea Ray installs carpeting, they do it with a heavy duty flooring cement that really sticks. Skip forward a few years and when you remove the carpeting, it comes out in pieces about the size of your thumb nail and the surface underneath is far from flat and smooth........no where near suitable for installing a wood flooring product.

Expect to spend many hours with a scraper, chisel, putty knife, etc., and then you will need to fill the low places and sand the floor flat or cover the OEM floor with new plywood to get a good surface for wood flooring. Cut corners here and you end up with an uneven flooring where adjoining pieces are higher or lower than the next one or there are gaps betwen pieces.

This isn't a hard project, but it is a lot of work if you do it right. One thing for sure is that it isn't nearly as easy as snapping 2 pieces of Pergo together.

 

[Sundancer]

There used to be a product called "Allure" (I think) that looks like a wood floor, but is actually vinyl. It goes together like a pergo floor in similar size pieces but it's actually a rubber/vinyl product. It looks pretty good from what I've seen and will handle the water better.

Frank is right, don't under estimate the chore of REMOVING the existing carpet and glue!

 

[berth control]

I put some vinyl "wood" flooring down in mine and love it. It came in individual strips like the pieces of hardwood would be and they glued down. I heated the floor and strips of vinyl up before sticking them to help them adhere, it worked really well. Does not look as good as real hardwood, but was VERY inexpensive, looks a lot better than carpet, stays cleaner, and could stay soaking wet forever and not get harmed.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=146950-84875-WD4012&lpage=none

Also, my carpet came out pretty easy. The majority pulled right out, some came in little pieces like Frank said, but I was able to get that up with a putty knife without too much hassle. Then I took a propane torch and burned some of the leftover little bits and pieces of glue stuck down on the fiberglass still. Sounds crazy, but it worked really well. You have to be careful with the torch obviously, but I never got anything too hot or got any real flames from the glue.

 

[tobnpr]

Frank's spot-on.
A lot of time with a heat gun and scraper to get up the old adhesive. And it is a lot of work. Believe it or not, about 10 hours total for that small area. Practically every piece is a cut- what a pain.
The metal angle you see is the original hatch angle. I couldn't locate any more so I used the wood transition on the other hatch, which is part carpet and part wood.

And be sure to check clearances for things like the fridge- as the hardwood adds thickness to the floor. I learned the hard way about that one...

 

[sbw1]

A friend of mine installed a real teak and holly floor in his 37 wide body SR. It is spectacular. He has strong finish carpentry skills and it looks as if it came right out of the factory. If you are going to do a floor, it should be done with the best materials and by a craftsman.

 

[osd9]

I've been getting serious about replacing the existing rugs in my 410DA. Unfortunately, I lack the necessary woodworing skill to do the job myself. I've been in conversation with a 'tradesman' who's worked on Sea Rays, and specifically my same model.

He confirms what Frank W said about getting up the old. He will spend two days just getting up the old and prepping for the new floor. He will lay down a marine grade veneer before starting the new floor. He estimates 4-5 days (10 hour days) to complete. Estimate cost is north of $3500.

I've also been in contact with Santa Claus....I'm still waiting to hear back from the elves....but I understand that Mrs. Claus is holding up the decision....

here's a few pics of the work he did on another similar model...

 

[fwebster]

I, too, have a close friend with a 370EC who removed the carpet and installed a teak and holley floor. The difference is he has no skills and is definitely dangerous when anywhere close to power tools. He hired a yacht services company to make the change. The results are spectacular, but it took 2-3 guys 2 weeks and the bill was between $8-$9,000.

 

[osd9]

Frank....that makes my estimate sound cheap.....

I'm going to have to get a little more heavy on the negotiations with Mrs. Claus......but she keeps saying something like.....'....then we won't be getting a bigger boat anytime soon'.....and that's a hard compromise to swallow!!!!!

 

[Lazy Daze]

Dom, that guy does some nice work! You can barely see the hatches.

It's amazing what a new floor does for a boat. Makes it look like like a totally new boat!

 

[fwebster]

Dom,

The price difference may be in the materials. Your talking about a venier and the guy in Florida uses custom cut and assembled teak and holley in whatever sheet size the installer needs up to 10 ft. long (which is why I didn't go this route...my boat need about 4 ft of 14' stock). The materials used in the boat I mentioned are full thickness teak/holley about 1/4" thick and each threshold or hatch is bound with teak.

 

[Bradb571]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm not sure what I will do yet but am not looking forward to the carpet removal!! I'll keep ya posted.