dinghy floor slats - wood?

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SteveTibbetts

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My Zodiac floor slats gave up the ghost some time ago and started breaking. I'm finally fed up with the wobbly floor so looking to get some new ones made (well, cut timber bought - i'll do the sanding and bevelling the edges)
Before i go - what wood? I'm thinking maybe a Mahogany or Iroko but have always found input from the forum very useful
I'll be buying from Davies Timber in Birmingham if that helps..


Thanks in advance

Steve
 
I would suggest that you use good quality marine ply as it is more dimensionally stable. With solid wood there is the very real possibility (read probability) of warping due to the wet conditions.
 
I'd use good marine ply and then just give it a paint with some wood stain to give it a nice durable finish. Hardwood is overkill and too 'active' for the application (in my opinion :) )
 
I would not go down the wood route as floor boards thin enough to be reasonably light will also be pretty fragile. I would go for 6mm GRP sheet, cut to shape and with the edges and ends very rounded.
 
Alternative?

Depending on the size of your dinghy, you could consider an inflatable floor. I replaced the slats on my 2.6M Avon Typhoon with one and it was an absolute transformation- really stable and rigid & lighter & easier to row to boot. And drier! They are usually pretty expensive, but found a good source on ebay for C £100.
 
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A friend has a Bombard with slats on the floor which broke. He replaced them with ply, which also broke. I've made a set for him using UPVC strips (using the UPVC which is used for bargeboards). None of those have broken. (So far!)

Cheap, easy to work, waterproof, don't need painting, UV resistant, light. They are a little more flexible than the ply slats.

UPVC is useful for all sorts of little jobs on the boat.
 
SteveTibbetts said:
My Zodiac floor slats gave up the ghost some time ago and started breaking. I'm finally fed up with the wobbly floor so looking to get some new ones made (well, cut timber bought - i'll do the sanding and bevelling the edges)
Before i go - what wood? I'm thinking maybe a Mahogany or Iroko but have always found input from the forum very useful
I'll be buying from Davies Timber in Birmingham if that helps..


Thanks in advance

Steve
Click to expand...

Seems like more marine friendly materials are required, just my honest opinion.
 
Rigger Mortice said:
A friend has a Bombard with slats on the floor which broke. He replaced them with ply, which also broke. I've made a set for him using UPVC strips (using the UPVC which is used for bargeboards). None of those have broken. (So far!)

Cheap, easy to work, waterproof, don't need painting, UV resistant, light. They are a little more flexible than the ply slats.

UPVC is useful for all sorts of little jobs on the boat.
Click to expand...

UPVC?

i.e. Estate agents' boards?

If they're tough enough for 90% of motorcycle couriers to fab up semi-disposable fairings, then they might make good tender floorboards ;-)
 
Ikea single bed slats are an exact fit for my Avon Rover.
Best of all they are light which is important when wrestling the dink up a steep slope from the shore.
Occasionally they break when heavy footed crew jump on them. Pull them out of the rubber retainer and replace.
Easy.
 
mcframe said:
UPVC?

i.e. Estate agents' boards?

If they're tough enough for 90% of motorcycle couriers to fab up semi-disposable fairings, then they might make good tender floorboards ;-)
Click to expand...

Similar material, I think. The stuff I'm talking about is thicker; about 6mm. It's also available in 10mm but that is probably too thick for slats on most inflatabubbles.
 
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