In episode 8 of Florida Sportsman Project Dreamboat, the crew at Marine Customs Unlimited do some major deck repairs to a 2006 19-foot Cuda Craft.
Originally, the Cuda Craft was brought to MCU because the fuel tank was leaking. But as the team inspected the deck, some major problems began to surface.
The team at MCU discovered a deck full of poured foam that wasn’t attached or evenly filled. The foam not only added float to the Cuda Craft, but also caused the boat to become saturated with water.
The team carefully chipped and scraped away the foam all the way down to the stringers. Once finished removing the foam, they discovered the stringers weren’t properly bonded to the boat, which presented even more trouble for the 12-year-old Cuda Craft.
Before bonding the stringers, the crew sanded all around the boat and then applied new FGCI fiberglass and resin to properly bond the stringers. Once complete, the Cuda Craft was ready for new bilges, limber holes and a new deck.
The team at MCU is now ready to install a new deck on the 19-foot Cuda Craft.
To make a new deck for the boat, the team chose to use a kiln-dried laminate for marine plywood, which is not only strong but will add an appropriate amount of weight to the boat to even out the ride and improve the boat’s overall performance on the water.
The first step to building the new deck was to create a frame – a template of the deck. After matching the laminate gelcoat to the boat’s interior, the team then began the careful process of layering the deck with fiberglass.
After covering the fiberglass material with resin and dried, a bonding agent is evenly spread to create a watertight seal. Then the core material – in this case it’s perforated marine plywood – is laid in place and then covered with an airtight layer of plastic.
Using a suction hose, the air is removed to create a vacuum-sealed hold between the plywood and bonding agent.
After removing the plastic, the plywood is then sanded down to create a smooth, even surface. After which, another layer of fiberglass material and resin is applied to the deck.
The boat is now ready for its new tank – a powder-coated fuel tank from TNT Custom Boat Works. To secure the tank into the boat, a small amount of foam is poured around the edges of the tank, which is then sanded down and prepped for a fiberglass sealant.
When the tank installation is finished, the new custom deck is installed and secured in place.
Watch the exclusive clip of the new deck being made below.
And watch the entire Florida Sportsman Project Dreamboat episode 8 below for more exciting boat renovations.
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Stay tuned for episode 9!
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