Floor

Anything to do with mechanical, construction etc

Postby angib » Thu Oct 28, 2004 5:34 am

Every time I see a photo of an old, old teardrop, they all seem to have completely untreated plywood underneath - maybe not pretty but still there 50 years later.

But the important thing is never to say things like "now that can never leak". Water molecules can hear that sort of thing and it just gets 'em so riled up.... Getting in becomes like a professional challenge to them, then.

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Postby mikeschn » Thu Oct 28, 2004 5:42 am

I can second that Andrew!!!

When I painted my Baja Benroy, (two coats of paint, mind you) and did the water test, there was this strange little leak in the galley.

I put more weather stripping on... it still leaked. I used more caulking, and it still leaked. Finally I expanded my search, and found a pinhole in the paint, where I had pounded in a nail. I put caulking in that pinhole, and the problem was solved.

The water came in, down the headline a little bit, and then across the hurricane hinge a little bit, before dripping on the counter. Water molecules like playing with you like that!!! It just tickles them so!!!

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Postby Arne » Thu Oct 28, 2004 7:46 am

While on our trip (we slept heads at the back), I happened to stick my hand down in the back corner, past the 6" foam mattress and felt a couple of drops of water. I can only think it was condensation, but do not know for sure. We had suffered through 2 days and nights of torrential rain from Mathew. There may have been a very minor leak, but once we headed north and into lower humidity, no more droplets.... I did not insulate the floor... if the problem rears its ugly head again, will have to investigate further...
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Postby Dave M » Thu Oct 28, 2004 11:44 am

As an amateur boat builder I can attest to the fantastic properties of expoxy as a glue and a sealer, but I can also attest to the zelous nature of water to get where it shouldn't and water just loves a "sealed" box. Again I don't really think it's going to amount to much. Riks web page shows a very well made floor and I doubt he will ever have any trouble, it's more of an academic question at this point.

On the question of how to protect the other sealed spaces such as walls and roof I intend to paint all the interior surfaces before assembly to help protect the wood from any water that makes it in. Sort of like painting the bilge or frames in red lead on a boat. Epoxy or CPES would be great but too much money for that application IMO.

My approach to the water problem is a fatalistic one. I know the water will get in someplace so instead of trying to fight it off and seal it out completely, leaving me helpless once it gets in, I'd rather open the floor space up, let the water hit the foam and the bottom of my ply floor. The sealent will protect the wood itself and with no box to infiltrate I don't have to worry about it getting in anything. It's the zen approach to TD floors :wink:

"so if sealing the ply works why wont sealing the outter layer on the sandwich work to keep it out of there"? Good question, beacuse there are no joints to fail or fasteners to funell water through. The ply will take some infiltration even throgh roofing tar but it wont be trapped in a open space where it can mix with the air and brew up some nasty wood eaters. IT will probabyl just cook out of the ply as it dries. This is how my plywood canoe works right now (no epoxy sealer just good ole house paint on ply).
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