Boat Floor Repair/Problem

[Badchoices03]

So back in 2021 I bought this boat, I was told at the time by the seller and also confirmed by LaveyJr on here that this boat had been completely gone through in 2019, it was even on their website in 2019 for sale saying everything was new, including new carpet, interior, everything.

I know that you cant always tell the that a floor has problems, so maybe they never caught it, and for the time I have had it, I hadnt noticed anything wrong, no soft spot, no cracking, nothing. Unfourtunaly I store it outside, but I am very good about doing the cover/uncovering dance.. standard fitted cover....putting heavy tarps over it when the hard rain comes...uncovering and wiping seats down, opening hatch when the sun comes back etc....

Well after this last big rain a few weeks ago...I uncover boat and jump in to start my normal wipe down process....and I notice this what looks like ugly fungus growing on the floor in the bow...so I walk up there to inspect it and as soon as I step in the bow area, I hear/feel a crunch...there seems to be a soft area about the size of a softball around where that mold is...

I have not dug into it further yet, I called my boat guy, and hes like $4500 for new floor and carpet and that is if I bring the boat with all the interior removed...great just in time for summer....FML

 

[Jay Dub]

get it dry and see how it feels after. I would not jump to spending $5000 for new flooring. if it feels decent, I would cut a piece of white Starboard to cover the entire carpet area to spread the weight. I then would enjoy boating season and deal with this next winter. Back in the 90's we had a Crownline with a soft spot next to the rear bench seat. I told the kids don't step there. We rolled with it for about 5 years until the boat was totaled by insurance after the engine and outdrive were stolen.

 

[hallett21]

Year of the boat?

 

[Badchoices03]

Year of the boat?

It's a '95....this is post is one of the reasons I went with this boat when I was looking, you always hear from sellers that everything was redone, but for some reason they dont have receipts, but when I came on here looking for info, this confirmed what I was being told...

 

[Rayson1971]

For that kind of money I do it myself

 

[hallett21]

Unfortunately floors are good until they’re not. Unless you pull up the carpet I’m not sure how you’d see signs of rot.


Edit. Assuming the floors original, almost 30 years is a pretty damn good run for a floor.

 

[Badchoices03]

Unfortunately floors are good until they’re not. Unless you pull up the carpet I’m not sure how you’d see signs of rot.

I agree....I am not at all saying anyone knew about it....

 

[Badchoices03]

For that kind of money I do it myself

My for this weekend is to see if I can get the carpet pulled back and take a look at what is going on....

 

[zbudman]

It's a pretty simple do it yourself repair. Also, depending on the damage, you could temporarily cover it with a self leveling epoxy. Lots of info on RDP.

 

[evantwheeler]

So back in 2021 I bought this boat, I was told at the time by the seller and also confirmed by LaveyJr on here that this boat had been completely gone through in 2019, it was even on their website in 2019 for sale saying everything was new, including new carpet, interior, everything.

I know that you cant always tell the that a floor has problems, so maybe they never caught it, and for the time I have had it, I hadnt noticed anything wrong, no soft spot, no cracking, nothing. Unfourtunaly I store it outside, but I am very good about doing the cover/uncovering dance.. standard fitted cover....putting heavy tarps over it when the hard rain comes...uncovering and wiping seats down, opening hatch when the sun comes back etc....

Well after this last big rain a few weeks ago...I uncover boat and jump in to start my normal wipe down process....and I notice this what looks like ugly fungus growing on the floor in the bow...so I walk up there to inspect it and as soon as I step in the bow area, I hear/feel a crunch...there seems to be a soft area about the size of a softball around where that mold is...

I have not dug into it further yet, I called my boat guy, and hes like $4500 for new floor and carpet and that is if I bring the boat with all the interior removed...great just in time for summer....FML

View attachment 1344616 View attachment 1344617

I don't have any input other than to say that is a beautiful boat.

 

[ChrisV]

Throw a rug on it. Fix it end of season.

 

[rrrr]

Back in the 90's we had a Crownline with a soft spot next to the rear bench seat. I told the kids don't step there. We rolled with it for about 5 years until the boat was totaled by insurance after the engine and outdrive were stolen.

I have a friend that bought a new Crownline bowrider around 1995. He lived in Houston, which gets about 50 inches of rain annually. He stored the boat year round in his side yard uncovered, and his yard had several large oak trees. I visited him at some point, and observed the boat was full of wet decomposed leaves.

Just three years after his purchase, the floor between the bow walkway and the front of the engine was completely rotted, and the seat cushions and backs were mush. I think it was a combination of his stupidity and the crappy construction of the boat. When he pulled the carpet, it appeared the plywood had little or no resin impregnation.

 

[Badchoices03]

I don't have any input other than to say that is a beautiful boat.

Thank you

 

[cofooter]

Do you know if the floor is wood, or some other composite. If wood im sure it has been wet for years before becoming soft. If the wood floor is wet, better check stringers as well as the floors are screwed into them. Its not a bad job for DIY. I agree with the others that you don't have to do it this year, just don't be bombing over any surf boat wakes.

 

[Badchoices03]

Do you know if the floor is wood, or some other composite. If wood im sure it has been wet for years before becoming soft. If the wood floor is wet, better check stringers as well as the floors are screwed into them. Its not a bad job for DIY. I agree with the others that you don't have to do it this year, just don't be bombing over any surf boat wakes.

I don’t know what the floor is, I plan on digging into it this weekend to see….

 

[bagged97taco]

I don’t know what the floor is, I plan on digging into it this weekend to see….

Do you have a ski locker? Stick your head down there with a flashlight and see what’s going on.

 

[Badchoices03]

Do you have a ski locker? Stick your head down there with a flashlight and see what’s going on.

I do, but it’s blocked off at the front

 

[Sawtooth]

Wow sorry you are experiencing this, hopefully you are catching it early enough that it’s not an “oh shit” when you start getting into it. One thing I see with the picture you posted of the ski locker is there is no drain hole. So any rain, water over the bow, water from washing and of course water climbing back into the boat has no where to go. With a drain hole in the front and back of the ski locker it allows water to make its way to the bilge so it can be pumped out or drained out at end of day when you pull the transom plug.
It’s a pretty straight forward fix and hopefully just from the bulkhead/toe board forward.

 

[HST4ME]

Don't use wood

 

[Badchoices03]

The boat has a ski locker and I’m guessing an “ice chest” compartment, the compartment has a drain into the ski locker, and the ski locker drains into the bilge, but no drain from the bow into the ice chest compartment, I’m guessing by design so that melted ice doesn’t drain forward?

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

The boat has a ski locker and I’m guessing an “ice chest” compartment, the compartment has a drain into the ski locker, and the ski locker drains into the bilge, but no drain from the bow into the ice chest compartment, I’m guessing by design so that melted ice doesn’t drain forward?

View attachment 1344737

Still should have had one, even to just leave it plugged for convenience. Part of winterizing is pulling all the plugs.

 

[MPHSystems]

I do, but it’s blocked off at the front

View attachment 1344709

I’d think there should be a hole in that bulkhead to let water run out. I wonder if someone plugged them both to turn it into a drink cooler. Bad idea IMNTBHO.

 

[Badchoices03]

Still should have had one, even to just leave it plugged for convenience. Part of winterizing is pulling all the plugs.

I’d think there should be a hole in that bulkhead to let water run out. I wonder if someone plugged them both to turn it into a drink cooler. Bad idea IMNTBHO.

Yes I agree, my thought is that there is/was water trapped up there with no way to get out...

The small compartment does have one hole that allows it to drain into the ski locker, just doesnt have a hole to allow any water in the bow area to drain into it....doesnt look like someone plugged it up, its built into the boat, so has to be by design...

 

[lbhsbz]

To get you through summer...I'd probably just cut it back to the bulkhead, then maybe add a nailer to the bulkhead and replace the just the stuff in front...stick some new carpet down and call it a day. All depending on how much damage you find once you get in there.

 

[Jay Dub]

I have a friend that bought a new Crownline bowrider around 1995. He lived in Houston, which gets about 50 inches of rain annually. He stored the boat year round in his side yard uncovered, and his yard had several large oak trees. I visited him at some point, and observed the boat was full of wet decomposed leaves.

Just three years after his purchase, the floor between the bow walkway and the front of the engine was completely rotted, and the seat cushions and backs were mush. I think it was a combination of his stupidity and the crappy construction of the boat. When he pulled the carpet, it appeared the plywood had little or no resin impregnation.

Our Crownline was a 1995. I was told that in the early 90's Crownline was using regular plywood, not marine as well

 

[Badchoices03]

To get you through summer...I'd probably just cut it back to the bulkhead, then maybe add a nailer to the bulkhead and replace the just the stuff in front...stick some new carpet down and call it a day. All depending on how much damage you find once you get in there.

Thats the current way I am leaning.....we will see once I get into it

 

[Badchoices03]

Because of rain, work travel, and kids baseball, I finally had time today to dig into this, and man it is way worse then I thought…water was trapped in the bow, as soon as I pulled the carpet, the wood was just falling apart and water was all the way up to the floor…it looks like it was only on the port side, the starboard side wood is pretty solid except for some residual rot at the middle stringer, everything needs to be replaced…

 

[ChrisV]

Ouch

 

[cofooter]

Waterlogged foam is a killer of wood......

 

[crzy2bealive]

Ugghh that sucks man!

 

[Orange Juice]

Save the old wood for a pattern if you can.

Guessing interior might be close too.

I redid my interior in 2005. I replaced the floor at that point too. It’s part of owning a boat. Mine is now 20 years old, and still looks new. You’ll be happy when it’s redone for years to come. Looks like the hole drilled in floor started the rot.