Subject: Boat Problems (rotted plywood)
Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003

Dear Sir/Madam;

I had a rather frustrating experience driving my boat back into the dock on my knees after my seat suddenly came out of the floor board due to some rotted wood. For a quick fix I had just drilled a new set of holes reattached the seat but now that it is winter I would like to provide a more permanent fix. There are two spots that I know are rotting and I needed some recommendations on the best fixes for both places.

The first place that wood has rotted is the board that is actually the bottom of the drivers seat.

The second place is the floor of the boat where the pole that the seat sits on is mounted.

It's a regular 20' Bowrider inboard/outboard and the floor is carpeted. The seat is just a normal captains chair that is covered with some sort of fake leather I assume.

Any advice on which of your products would best solve my problems and how to go about applying these products would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Nate D.

Take a wire brush, screwdriver, or other such instrument. Dig out any loose crumbly wood. Try and determine how far the rot goes. If it is localized to the places where screws were, you are in pretty good shape. If the damage goes further, you are going to want to determine how far. Using our products it is possible to restore full strength to the wood, but at a certain point it becomes cheaper, easier, and quicker to just replace the wood. Our products can be useful for this as well, they are just used a little differently. Let me know if you end up at the replacement stage, or are not sure which way to go.

If the damage is not too bad, make sure the wood is reasonably dry, then let as much CPES soak in as the wood seems to want to take. After this has had a chance to dry for one to three days, fill in the missing wood with either some Layup & Laminating Resin thickened with sawdust, or Fill-It Epoxy Filler. Sometimes I end up using both. After this cures, you can go ahead and drill holes for the screws and remount.

These are the general procedures to follow. Sometimes as you are getting into the repair, you might come across a tricky area. Contact us if you do, or if you just have some question about whether you are doing things right and we will help you get it done right. We've done this for hundreds if not thousands of people.

Good luck,
Doc