Cherry wood on deck?

This forum is for comments and the exchange of information relating to Trojan Boats and boating. Please do not post used parts or boats For Sale in this area. For general, non-boating topics please use our "General Discussions" section.

Note: Negative or inflammatory postings will not be tolerated.

Moderators: BeaconMarineBob, Moderator, BeaconMarineDon

Post Reply
Lizz
Registered user
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:17 pm
Location: Norfolk, VA

Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Lizz »

Hello, everyone! I've got a question about wood. If you recall, Chris and I have a 76 F32. We've been agonizing about replacing the teak on the back deck because of the expense. Most everything else we can do as we can afford, but this we wanted to get done. We ended up getting a stunning deal on 50+ year old cherry, individual pieces 10ft long, 2 1/4 wide, 1 inch deep. What do you predict our chances are of getting away with using it? I've started planing and oiling it, and reading a lot about the best way to caulk and finish it. But of course all I read is assuming I have teak. Any thoughts? Thanks, and I hope all is well with you all!
Proud Owner of a 1976 Hot Mess of a F32 Trojan
Refit started Sept 2015. Finish Date: TBD...
User avatar
Big D
Ultimate User
Posts: 2874
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 10:39 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Big D »

Cherry (all except Black I believe) isn't really a wood I'd be using on exterior surfaces that will be exposed to the elements. Having said that, done right and protected with the proper product, you can put just about any wood outside. The issue is how long will it last and how much regular maintenance will it take to prolong the wood's life. Cherry is not one that would be very forgiving if water gets in past the coating, and I'm not just talking about the top surfaces, you have to consider the surfaces you can't see such as the sides, bottom, ends, etc. One may say that these areas will be caulked but wood moves and you can rest assured that the seal will fail, and you will likely not know about it. At least with woods that are typically used externally, they will be more forgiving in less than perfect conditions.

Have you considered alternative materials like some of the synthetic products that are out there or removing the wood and non-skid the deck instead? The non-skid will only work if the deck is thick/ridgid enough after the wood deck is removed.
She was a 1969 36 ft wooden beauty with big blue 440s that we'll miss forever.
And thanks to the gang, 2012 Trojan Boater Of The Year
Lizz
Registered user
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:17 pm
Location: Norfolk, VA

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Lizz »

Thanks for your thoughts. We replaced everything down to the hull, so the support under the wood is solid. It could be the floor. But your point about it moving is well taken. We can't keep it dry forever.

The strips were about $2.50 each, so I'm thinking it might be worth giving it a shot then maybe replacing it if needed. It's really pretty, though. I can't insert a photo, but here's a link to a photo of what it looked like when we got it: https://goo.gl/photos/DaNivadt7YcnNmBf9
Proud Owner of a 1976 Hot Mess of a F32 Trojan
Refit started Sept 2015. Finish Date: TBD...
Lizz
Registered user
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:17 pm
Location: Norfolk, VA

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Lizz »

And just to clarify - y'all know I'm still learning the language of boats - we used teak when we rebuilt everything under the deck. No worries there!
Proud Owner of a 1976 Hot Mess of a F32 Trojan
Refit started Sept 2015. Finish Date: TBD...
User avatar
AwayOnBusine$$
Moderate User
Posts: 240
Joined: Sat May 09, 2015 5:53 pm
Location: 75 F32 Lake Simcoe Ontario

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by AwayOnBusine$$ »

Have you checked out "Cherry Wood exterior use" on google.
F32 Fly 1975
Lizz
Registered user
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:17 pm
Location: Norfolk, VA

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Lizz »

I did, and it seems pretty consistent with Big D's advice. You have to protect it. Any advice on the best way to do that?
Proud Owner of a 1976 Hot Mess of a F32 Trojan
Refit started Sept 2015. Finish Date: TBD...
User avatar
lawyerdave71
Moderate User
Posts: 423
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:24 pm
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by lawyerdave71 »

Yeah I would look into synthetic aka plastic teak floors.

There are alot of you tube videos on how to do the work. I've been looking into it and most have warranties of 20 years.

If you want wood, boaters have been using wood (can't remember the specific name) from Brazil that looks amazing.
Captain Dave -

1978 F30 Flybridge Express
Lizz
Registered user
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:17 pm
Location: Norfolk, VA

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Lizz »

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think I could put a plastic floor in the boat. It just wouldn't feel right, especially since it was wood originally. The boat was given to us by friends who inherited it when their dad died. They were told by the appraiser that whoever bought it would probably sell the engines and scrap the rest. They wanted it restored and knew we'd do it in a way that would honor their dad and all the memories they have from the times they were on it as a family. If I have to spend extra time keeping that cherry protected, that's ok. You don't ever finish working on a boat, right?
Proud Owner of a 1976 Hot Mess of a F32 Trojan
Refit started Sept 2015. Finish Date: TBD...
User avatar
Big D
Ultimate User
Posts: 2874
Joined: Sat May 01, 2010 10:39 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Big D »

Lizz wrote:.....You have to protect it. Any advice on the best way to do that?
This is going to be long winded as there is a lot involved and may seem like overkill but it will last a very long time so here it goes;

Encapsulate each strip in epoxy. That means all surfaces. Epoxy breaks down when exposed to UV so for the top surface, you must use an epoxy with a UV inhibiter or use an additive or coat the epoxy with a product that blocks UV such as a good varnish with a UV block. The last method will require regular recoats though.

How to fasten the wood to the deck really depends on your future plans. The permanent way that ensures it will last for many years follows. If you plan on removing the wood later, don’t use these methods as you will have a hell of a time trying to get all the wood off. These are best done with two people; one for coating the strips and one to put them in place, you must work fast so have everything ready before you lay the floor:

a) you can screw it down but again you must maintain the seal where the screws penetrate the wood. If this seal fails, the wood will start to rot from the inside. You should countersink the screws and then epoxy in plugs. Get rid of the gel on the deck and cut and dry fit all the pieces first. Wet out a small section of the deck with epoxy, and the bottom, sides and ends of each strip, then fasten them to the deck. If the ends are cut square and it’s a tight fit end to end, the coated ends should be okay, otherwise add a bead of thickened epoxy (see below) to one end to bridge the gap. The sides should be okay with just the liquid coating but again, if needed, apply a bit of thickened epoxy. These edges must not have a gap. To prevent cracking, predrill first, inject wet epoxy and screw in. This will seal the hole and screw. Then epoxy the countersink all around and insert a plug. Plugging can be done after all the strips have been screwed down and cured. Wipe off any excess that gets on the surface of the strip with acetone.

b) you can epoxy the strips to the deck instead of screwing them down. With this method, no fasteners penetrate the wood which is preferable. Grind/sand all the gel off the deck down to bare glass. Get a bunch of sand filled bags to use as weights. I have found these to be the best weights when gluing down any flooring. Get a few empty caulking tubes (West System has them). The bags don’t need to weigh much, maybe 5 pounds each. Cut all the pieces of wood and dry fit them first. This floor will float until cured so if you are leaving a gap between a side wall and the wood decking, you will need to fasten something down to the deck or put a spacer strip to ensure the first row of strips don’t move on you while pushing consecutive rows against it for tight edges. If you do this, do not coat that edge of the first strips, they can be coated later when you coat the top surface. Doing small sections at a time, wet out the deck, and the bottom, sides, and ends of the strips with liquid epoxy. While that is curing for a few minutes, make a thickened epoxy mixture and fill an empty caulking tube. Caulk a tight wavey bead of thickened epoxy down the length of the bottom of each strip and place it in position and push it down until you see epoxy squeeze out. Don’t make the bead so big that you have a bunch squeezing out. If the ends are cut square and it’s a tight fit end to end, the coated ends should be okay, otherwise add a bead of epoxy to one end to bridge the gap. The sides should be okay with just the liquid coating but again, if needed, apply a bit of thickened epoxy. These edges must not have a gap. Clean up anything that oozes on the top of the strips with acetone. After a few rows, place the bags on top to keep the strips down. Check to ensure that the top of the strips are all level with each other. Put a straight edge across the section.

After all the pieces are down and cured, all edges except for the top are sealed. If you have a gap all around the wood deck, those edges shouldn’t have been coated yet either as noted above. If you missed cleaning up epoxy that oozed onto the surface, sand it off, wipe everything down and coat with a couple of coats of epoxy. You want the second coat applied while the first is still tacky though this is not critical. I’ve done it by lying on planks above the deck for the second coat. Or let the first coat cure, wash the surface with soap and water to get rid of any blush, give it a light sanding, and apply the second coat. Remember that if it’s not UV stabilized epoxy, it must be coated with another UV stabilized product. You’d need to follow the product’s recommendations for applying to epoxy and the number of coats needed for best results.

The results of the above methods will depend on how rigid your deck is. The less movement the better but doing the above, you can basically consider all the strips to be one big piece of wood. One must also consider that epoxy will change the final color a bit. Do your homework as I believe there are epoxies out there now that take this into consideration. Read up on using epoxy as there are some very important safety precautions to be aware of.
She was a 1969 36 ft wooden beauty with big blue 440s that we'll miss forever.
And thanks to the gang, 2012 Trojan Boater Of The Year
User avatar
prowlersfish
2024 Gold Support
2024 Gold Support
Posts: 12645
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2005 6:56 pm
Location: Lower Chesapeake Bay ,Va

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by prowlersfish »

One thing I may ad is epoxy can be very very slippery . As would be most anything you would seal the wood with . Not sure how nonskid would work on this application .

Thoughts ?
Boating is good for the soul
77/78 TROJAN F36 Conv.
6BTA Cummins diesels
Life is to short for a ugly boat :D
User avatar
Barrie
Moderate User
Posts: 322
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2014 4:40 pm

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Barrie »

Big D, that is a very useful "article". I will definitely be using that in the future.
Barrie
Aylmer Ontario, Canada
36' Tri-Fly "The Obvious"
Lizz
Registered user
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:17 pm
Location: Norfolk, VA

Re: Cherry wood on deck?

Post by Lizz »

Wow, you have no idea how much I appreciate the level of detail in your advice. Thank you, thank you.
Proud Owner of a 1976 Hot Mess of a F32 Trojan
Refit started Sept 2015. Finish Date: TBD...
Post Reply