J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment New Teak and Holley Flooring

I recently acquired a 1982 J30 with the teak and holley cabin sole. Over the past 20 years, the wood cover over the bilge has pretty much rotted away and is soaked with oil and diesel fuel, it is in dire need of replacing. The main cabin floor is showing the 20 years of use and will need at a minimum to be sanded down a good 1/16" or 1/8" to get down to good clean wood. My question is this, I have seen listed on various websites marine grade teak and holley plywood in 1/4" thick up to 3/4". I was thinking that this may be a simpler and cleaner solution to the cabin sole issue.

Has anyone gone this route and if so what was your experience? also any recommendations not to go this way would be appreciated as I am in the process of trying to decide whether to go for it or not.

Thanks

I am also considering putting in a teak and holly flooring on my 1981 J30. (it does not have one now). I have pricing on the wood; $255 for 3/16" teak and holly from IMP Marine in Halifax (www.impmarine.com)

I have been told to use marine cement. Any tips and tricks on cutting and installation would be appreciated.

There's nothing like real teak & holly but check this stuff out: http://www.plasteak.com/boating/boating.html

I got a sample of it last year. It looks pretty good and there's no maintenance.

I would say that, while genuine teak & holly soles are shipshape when in proper condition, they are problematic. They need refinishing frequently, replacing occassionally, and are prone to deep dings. Many new boats have gotten away from installing the stuff on newer models; all J/Boats, Farr 395 (& likely other Carroll Marine boats. They install a formica-type, or pergo-like flooring that is actually pretty tough to tell that its not teak & holly if you are standing there looking at it. I would guess this stuff is either more hardy (with the underlying board soaked in epoxy)and pretty cheap compared to genuine T&H.

I refinished my cabin sole and companionway steps recently. Started by removing the existing varnish with a finish remover. It is solid teak and holly, so I could use a belt sander to get out the big scratches followed by a random orbital. Went ahead and bleached the wood, then brushed on 7 coats of polyurethane. It has been a huge improvement that is easy to clean and looks great. I would certainly try to refinish it before installing something new.