Replacement Cruiser Stern Boards

[Simon D]

Hi,

 

I need to replace the boards over the engine on my cruiser stern, which are end of life.

 

It currently has 18mm Buffalo Board (installed at build 8 years back) but they have eventually failed because of water seeping in around the edges of the board where the varnish/sealant has been chipped and water has soaked in.

 

Any recommendations for replacement? Is the buffalo Board worth the extra money, or just go for WPB ply, or something else. I am beginning to think that it is the treatment the boards get (varnish/paint/other preservative, especially around the edges) rather than the actual type of board you buy that is important.

 

I wonder if it is best to get something reasonably cheap and simple, knowing it will have to be replaced in a few years. Or is something more complex worth the investment in time and money?

 

I would be glad to get any advice from people with more experience.

 

Thanks

 

 

[Nightwatch]

In my view, Buffalo Board is the cheaper/less expensive board. Hexagrip is,in my opinion, better. Cost more though. But buffalo board is okay.

[Grebe]

We has a similar thread back in August

 

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=86882

Edited November 17, 2016 by Grebe

[Neil2]

Whatever you use it's all about sealing the edges effectively but even with epoxy the deck boards on a cruiser have a hard life and it will fail eventually.

 

If I had a cruiser or semi trad with wooden boards I would look to having proper steel hinged covers made, maybe chequerplate but steel would be better for soundproofing. I suspect it wouldn't be a lot more expensive than replacing the phenolic ply. Unless yours is one of those where the entire deck is ply boarded.

[Simon D]

Whatever you use it's all about sealing the edges effectively but even with epoxy the deck boards on a cruiser have a hard life and it will fail eventually.

 

If I had a cruiser or semi trad with wooden boards I would look to having proper steel hinged covers made, maybe chequerplate but steel would be better for soundproofing. I suspect it wouldn't be a lot more expensive than replacing the phenolic ply. Unless yours is one of those where the entire deck is ply boarded.

'

Agreed about the edging, I was wondering about gluing a strip of hardwood along the edges for protection. It wouldn't be that big a job and might lengthen the life.

 

How does steel compare to board in terms of cost and weight?

 

Thanks

[Simon D]

One more thing, that other thread mentioned EKOply, made from recycled plastic. Has anybody had any experience of this? I wonder if managing wear at the edges might be a bit tricky.

[OldGoat]

One more thing, that other thread mentioned EKOply, made from recycled plastic. Has anybody had any experience of this? I wonder if managing wear at the edges might be a bit tricky.

 

I have used a similar product - Stokboard (?spelling) which is made out of compressed polythene.

It's certainly waterproof, but needs support as it has no real mechanical strength.

[Rebotco]

One more thing, that other thread mentioned EKOply, made from recycled plastic. Has anybody had any experience of this? I wonder if managing wear at the edges might be a bit tricky.

 

I have just tried to order a sheet of this for my cruiser stern deck.

 

Their "Plus" version of this at 19 mm thickness and dense core, looked an attractive alternative to Hexagrip. Unfortunately it transpired that they have not actually made any yet!

They do have their "Standard" version, but this has a very coarse core with lots of biggish voids, so you could not screw anything to it with any confidence. They also do not have any distributors, so their Wales farm is the only source of supply, with a £25 delivery cost for one sheet. My impression is that this is something of an amateur outfit at the moment. Hopefully they will grow and become more professional by the next time I need to renew my deckboards.

 

In the meantime I have had to obtain an 8 x 4 sheet of 18 mm Hexagrip at £103.

[blackrose]

I've just replaced mine after 11 years, painted the edges with 2 coats of bondaprimer and then stuck aluminum angle over the edges with Stixall. I'll try to post a picture on Saturday.

[blackrose]

One more thing, that other thread mentioned EKOply, made from recycled plastic. Has anybody had any experience of this? I wonder if managing wear at the edges might be a bit tricky.

I was sent a small sample of the stuff. In terms of rot resistance and wear on the edges I think it would be fine. What put me off is that my largest deckboards is nearly 4ft wide x 6ft long and I don't believe that EKOply is as strong (3 point bend strength) as ply because the grain is so much shorter than wood. For deckboards with smaller distances between load bearing centres I'm sure it would be fine.

Edited November 17, 2016 by blackrose

[Psycloud]

When I asked about boards years ago someone mentioned plastic type boards and someone else said that they wouldn't be much use given the heat from the engine. Plus if there were a fire they would just melt?

[blackrose]

When I asked about boards years ago someone mentioned plastic type boards and someone else said that they wouldn't be much use given the heat from the engine. Plus if there were a fire they would just melt?

How hot is your engine getting? Perhaps for air cooled engines it might be an issue but polymers like PE or PP can generally withstand temperatures of 140 - 170C, so board that's not in direct connect really shouldn't be affected by water cooled engines.

[Mitchellmoxo]

I have ekoply and it's not as strong as ply however does not melt in when the engine is running but I have re inforced it with roofing batterns underneath

[blackrose]

 

As well as sticking aluminium angle to the edges I've also stuck strips along the some of the edges to close the gap between the deckboards and gutter. The gutters sometimes overflowed into the engine hole during heavy downpours because the gutters and the 2 downpipes couldn't cope with the amount of rain water. It seems to have solved the problem.

 

Now I just need to paint the deck!

Edited November 19, 2016 by blackrose

[Sea Dog]

It seems to have solved the problem.

Good result! Of course, with that now looking so smart, you're gonna be getting the paintbrush out in the spring for the deck around it! One job makes another! Nice job though.

[blackrose]

Good result! Of course, with that now looking so smart, you're gonna be getting the paintbrush out in the spring for the deck around it! One job makes another! Nice job though.

 

Not just the paintbrush. The angle grinder is coming out with flappy discs and wire wheels to get all that flaking paint off first.