Marine ply flooring

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I have recently acquired an 18ft x 5ft bare wooden hull, mahogany on oak ribs, partially restored by the previous owner. My first job is to fit a floor. Ideally I suppose mahogany planking would be right, but the expense deters me.Would mahogany faced marine ply be suitable, and if so what thickness? I would like to support on every second rib, ie 1ft centres, but could if necessary support at 6inch centres.
 
Dont see why not .... plywood boats have plywood floors, usually 10 - 12mm thickness and supported on the hull frames which on mine areabout 15 inches apart I think.

I have painted mine with 6 coats of epoxy, as they are likely to get and remain wet with rainwater.
 
You can get away with exterior grade ply for this job, provided the edges are well sealed with epoxy and they are well painted. In fact I would epoxy all sides then paint the upper surfaces to stop the U/V getting to the epoxy.

It is a mistake to use too thin ply; it will flex slightly when walked on and this will be enough to start it breaking down. I'd go for at least half inch ply. One foot centres should be fine with this - if you put too many bearers in you cannot get to the bilges easily to clean them.
 
Agreed.

My boat actually has 3/4" with 1/2" of teak glued to the top, which is probably OTT for a 37 footer and would be wildly OTT for a 17 footer. But they certainly don't flex under foot, on 2ft centres!
 
You don't say how your bottom boards will be supported. Are there bearers fitted in between the ribs? If you try to support directly on the ribs you will have problems with fit and bearing. Can you tell us more about the construction of the hull? What was the previous arrangement before the restoration started?
 
Thanks, gentlemen. You will have to bear with me, as my knowledge of boats is scanty. The boat was a ferry on the Severn, built circa 1890, carvel mahogany, new ribs and part keel fitted by the previous owner. I had intended to fit shaped supports, probably cut from marine ply, crossways to every second rib. The boat was found derelict, so I have no idea what the original arrangement was. Would longitudinal supports be a better method? Bodfish, is this what you mean by a bearer? Sorry about my lack of knowledge of boating terms. It is a nice boat, and I would like to make a decent job of it.
 
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