Poplar plywood for the deck? It isn't quite clear from your post.

I have ranted about plywood in fiberglass boats before. I say things like it is heavy, wicks water, and is a termite hotel. I'll leave it at that.

Maybe you can get foam for a better deal than I can? I would suggest it. It is expensive, but you will buy a lot of resin and glass, too. Balsa seems to hold up much better and be lighter than ply, too. If I didn't do foam, I would do balsa before I did plywood due to the grain direction and density.

Good luck! It looks like you have a good start, some help and a great workspace.

I agree with FS on the suitability of plywood for the deck core! Check out this article for more info on potential problems with cored construction. If water ever gets to the plywood in just one spot, a large area of the deck will start to rot. You'll see what happens to wet plywood when you open up the transom! Moesly used balsa core for the deck and cap, and those parts on my 42 year old boat are still solid, so you could do worse than building it like it was originally built! Although balsa will also rot if it gets wet, the wet area won't spread as fast as it will in plywood. As Pasco's article mentions, balsa also has better strength properties than most foams and soaks up resin better, so it's easier to get a good bond, and it should be cheaper as well. Among all the foams, he seems to like CoreCell the best.

FS, my apologies for the confusion. the poplar and 2x4's are only to fasten to the topside of the deck temporarily to maintain a level deck while i do the resin and glass work below. there are high and low spots that need to be straightened before the Foam gets bonded to the underside of the deck not to mention the reinforcing of any structural issues when lifting the cap off.

Many thanks for posting your project and the pics that go with it. I did a much less extensive redo on my 25 and really appreciate the work that goes into something like yours.

Keep'em coming

Connor

Hey Connor, thanks for the intrest! i'll be sure to keep the pictures flowing for you guys, P.S. im working for a CSC coupon code for forum members at the JamestownDistributors.com checkout. stay tuned!

Sweet!

Looks like you have a great shop to work in and a cool project on your hands. FWIW, I'm planning on vac bagging 1/2" Corecell into my original deck top skins to replace the shot balsa - I'm hoping that using the vacuum against a flat layup table will keep it pretty flat. Something you might want to consider if you are pulling the decks and building them outside the boat..

Flexpat, the TotalBoat shop is pretty awesome. Like yourself, the decks being straight and true is my top priority. The bros and I made a fairly heavy duty brace/subfloor out of poplar and 2x4's to fasten to the deck to pull any low spots and level any high spots. I plan to vacuum bag the stringers when I get to that point. Made some major progress tonight, I'll post some pictures in the A.M. :cool:

hey guys, i've been super busy in the shop sawing, grinding, and sanding. here are some updated pictures of the poplar and 2'x4' subfloor i was talking about. :)

I think I see what you are doing - keep the porn coming!
I'm making up a shopping list in anticipation! Any shipping discounts?