Starcraft islander restoration

[yabmob]

Look up aluthane. When I got my islander it had soft floors At the back. I ripped out the floors and found a little water damage at the outside lower edges of the transom. Replacing  the transom on these boats is not hard. Check out the starcraft area of iboats. I used aluthane to seal the new transom and deck. I have left the deck with just the aluthane  it has lasted 4 summers so far with no hint of wear. I upgraded to 3/4 ply. If I were to do it again I would keep the 1/2 inch.

I was shopping for a 22 like yours but got a deal on a 19. You didnt get a deal, you got a steal.

Edited June 27, 2018 by yabmob

[DUGuy]

So I decided to bite the bullet and do the floor right. Ordering epoxy and fiberglass from uscompsites.com. $495.00 for the epoxy and glass to really tie in the wood the right way. I bought 3/4 plywood. Almost finished getting the old floor out then it will be time to clean up. While open I will be replacing all fuel lines. Epoxy most likely wont be in till next weekend with the holiday so will give me time to get everything right prior to putting in the new floor. Not sure what I'm going to finish with after all the epoxy and fiber are hardened up. Will cross that bridge after.

 

It doesn't look pretty opened up but believe it or not the foam is not waterlogged at all, so I'll be leaving it in. The fuel tank is aluminum and is in good shape also. 

 

Ps. I only need 4 sheets of plywood, the rest is for another project. 

 

Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions! 

[Knotlost Charters]

Two things I should mention number one the foam will never be wet on the top. You have to get to the bottom where the foam meets the boat hull and checked it very carefully. If it is wet it’s going to create corrosion and it will corrode through your hull eventually. With a piece of copper tubing push it down to the hull near the keel twisting it as you go. pull up A plug if you will, and check the bottom of the foam and see if has any water in it.

The second thing I want to mention is a three-quarter inch plywood is going to make your boat extremely heavy you’re thinking no it won’t. trust me I’ve done two of these with three-quarter Inch and regretted both. The other four I’ve done with half-inch seven-ply, it was fine especially when you’re using epoxy and fiberglass. Way strong enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

Edited July 1, 2018 by Knotlost Charters

[JTM203SOUTH]

I would also recommend staying with  1/2 inch panels . If you use 3/4 inch make sure you check all the other interior panels for fit before you do the finish covering. I used marine grade plywood and coated it with penetrating epoxy. A little more expensive but a better job, and let's face it, a new floor is a lot of work and time.Also, all of these older Cuddy cabins retained a lot of moisture, especially if covered with vynil. While you have the floor out, consider improving the drainage in the hull. The poured in foam leaves no space for bilge water to drain to the rear. One solution  i have seen is to create a two inch channel down the center of the hull and inset some of the plastic wool used by roofers when installing a "cap" on a roof. You can then refill the channel with foam. Any water you get below the floor will then drain easily to the back bilge pump. Best of luck.

[yabmob]

I found that when I removed the floor, it ended under the bulkhead for the cabin. In order to install the 3/4 inch, the slot under bulkhead needed to be widened. I used a oscilating tool to open up the slot. Next time,  there is one, I would stick with 1/2 inch. The original lasted over 20 years. The original had no coating. I think my new floor will outlast me

[DUGuy]

First off thanks for all the responses. Decided to go with 1/2 inch plywood as suggested here. Ran all new fuel lines and hoses. I ordered my epoxy from US composites. I did two layers of epoxy outside the boat and let dry. I then placed them into the boat and screwed down with panheads self tapping screws. I then layed out the fiberglass and did two more coats inside the boat. Overall I am very happy with the outcome. It's in the garage drying as I type this. (Thankfully because it's now raining) no real good photo of the finished product  because I took it in the dark. 

 

On to the next step...