Cabin Sole - Teak Holly plywood

[BareProductions]

Hello all,

I did a bit of searching, but wanted to get some opinions. I'm looking to redo the cabin/salon sole on our 1975 Prout Catamaran. Originally it was carpet, that was pulled, sanded and the deck painted with some kind of garage floor paint (before I bought). Anyway, the deck looks to be constructed of plywood epoxied to the hull fiberglass.
Is there any reason I can't sand down good and glue in some 1/4" teak and holly veneer plywood (the rest of the boat is solid teak/holly...looking to match)?
Should I get thicker than 1/4" if I'm not installing some sort of sub-floor?
Thanks!

[Celestialsailor]

I use to have a Tartan Blackwatch 37 that had a cork floor. That had to go. I bought teak decking. It was about 3/8" thick. I put it down with brass brads (recessed) and epoxy. Another option is teak parquet flooring.Some factories in the 70s and 80s did this and it has held up nicely.

[BareProductions]

Looks like the local marine lumber place has 1/4" 1/2" and 3/4" teak holly plywood. I'm planning to use 1/4" for ease of cutting, less weight, and it's cheaper...I've got a solid base to epoxy it to. Anyone see a reason to use 1/2" instead?

[marlinmike]

With a solid floor 1/4 would be fine. I have been hearing good things regarding the composite teak/holly flooring now used on many new boats. Might want to look into that a little bit. Good luck.

[skipmac]

If the current floor is solid, provides adequate structural support, no delamination, etc then 1/4' should be fine.

The only reason I would consider a heavier grade would be if the teak and holly veneer was thicker.

[Roy M]

This must be the season for teak and holly discussions, so here's my perpetual question: Why teak and holly (is it a Christmas thing)? With that type floor, you must keep it shiny to show off the wood colors and grain. With that kind of shine you slide around on it when things are wet and wild. Oh, unless the boat is for sale to an inexperienced buyer who thinks that this is what real cruising boats have. In that case, go for it. Teak and holly interior soles, along with real teak decking topside, are two of the biggest cons ever perpetrated on the boating public, brought to you by the same folks who bring us all good things in life: marketing departments. I'm done ranting on this subject, for today at least. I guess it's too ingrained in our reptile brains that teak and holly is the real deal.

[Ukeluthier]

Well, it WAS the real deal back in the day when cabin soles were made of real, solid timber, and it had nothing at all to do with appearances. The teak and holly were ideally left bare, and they wore at different rates, creating a natural nonskid texture.

[robert sailor]

You make some good points BUT did you buy a diamond ring for your wife when you got married.....Brought to you by the marketing dept of DeBeers.

[Roy M]

Nope, I bought a gold one. Which do you think held its value better? But I DO have a good collection of diamond encrusted sharpening stones, sticks and other tools. Much cheaper and they get used more than a faceted diamond ring.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Roy M

This must be the season for teak and holly discussions, so here's my perpetual question: Why teak and holly (is it a Christmas thing)? With that type floor, you must keep it shiny to show off the wood colors and grain. With that kind of shine you slide around on it when things are wet and wild. Oh, unless the boat is for sale to an inexperienced buyer who thinks that this is what real cruising boats have. In that case, go for it. Teak and holly interior soles, along with real teak decking topside, are two of the biggest cons ever perpetrated on the boating public, brought to you by the same folks who bring us all good things in life: marketing departments. I'm done ranting on this subject, for today at least. I guess it's too ingrained in our reptile brains that teak and holly is the real deal.

What rot. Can't think of anything with a better combination of beauty and practicality. It is very water resistant. The stuff in my Bristol has 3/8" thick veneer, you could sand and re-varnish that regularly and it would still last 100 years.

It is not so slippery if you use a semi-gloss varnish.

It is even less slippery if you have a nice oriental rug, with non-slip backing between the rug and floor.

[ssanzone]

go for it. looks great and wears well.

i spray the entire sheet (compression varnish) before cutting and then epoxy the cut edge to prevent wicking and then epoxy down.

-s

[Cheechako]

Sounds like the 1/4 is fine. Take a look and make sure that the top veneer is the same thickness on it as the thicker stuff. You want that top veneer to be as thick as possible....

[keepondancin]

you might find it a little difficult to get 1/4" plywiid to lay flat, it might buckle when you are adheareing it down. 1/2" will be easier to convince it to lay flat. The cost shouldn't be that much more because you are paying for core material, now Teak veneer.

[BareProductions]

Thanks for the info! The rest of the boat, down in the 2 hulls (it's a cat), is teak and holly, just looking to get it to match a little.

Here's a follow on question: Previously there was carpet in this area. The last owner did a poor job of stripping the old carpet adhesive before painting the area. My sander keeps getting clogged up with soft/semi-hard carpet adhesive. Is there a better way to strip the adhesive out? Wire wheel on on angle grinder? ...don't want to tear the fiberglass up too much.

[BareProductions]

Think I found my answer searching...going to hit it with a light wire or carbon wheel on a drill. Not concerned about fiberglass perfection as it's just going to get covered.