Using a boat over the years may cause soft spots on your boat floor. So, you need to repair the soft spot on the boat floor before they cause further damage. While it’s risky, it’s expensive. Most people ask for the process of fixing a rotted soft spot on the boat floor.

Fixing a rotted soft spot on your boat floor is a cinch for the experts. But it’s pretty challenging to mend the soft spots of the boat floor if you need to know the right process. Don’t worry!

In this article, I will reveal how you can fix a rotted soft spot on your boat floor.

What Is A Soft Spot On A Boat?

A boat soft spot is quite dangerous and increases the risk of accidents and injuries. This problem typically arises when the foam under the fiberglass layer becomes compressed. Attending to a soft spot as soon as possible is a must, as it can spread throughout the entire surface. It also ruins the entire look of the boat floor over time.

7 Steps Fix a Rotted Soft Spot In Your Boat Floor: DIY Method

To protect the boat floor while increasing the durability of your boat, you should take care of your boat floor regularly. When you notice the boat floor starts rotting or getting damaged, you should fix the boat floor immediately.

The following seven steps will explain the process of fixing soft spots on the boat floor. First, read the article about the boat floor fixing procedures.

Step 1: Equipment That You Need To Fix A Soft Spot In Your Boat Floor

To fix your rotted boat floor, you must gather the following equipment to make the process easy. Let’s take a look at the equipment below!

Drill Machine
Jigsaw

Epoxy
Wood Putty

Step 2: Check The Transom

If you want to fix a boat floor, you must restore the transom floor in the ship. First, you need to check the rotted area on the boat floor and test the transom’s stability step by step while putting heavyweight things on it. If there is any sign, that is very grim for the flex, which means it has decayed.

Step 3: Build The Cradle

To prevent damage, you should build a dedicated cradle to support the boat hull instead of fixing the trailer. While fixing your boat, you need to take everything out.

Fixing the boat floor is inevitable. So, you should remove everything attached to the previous deck. While removing seats and consoles, you need to deal with wiring.

Step 4: Dismantle The Old Floor

Determine the depth of the circular saw while cutting the boat floor. For the projects, the 5/8″ familiar figure is needed. After installing the new deck, you will maintain the old floor’s dimensions and leave at least 3″ of the previous floor up from the boat edge.

Step 5: Check The Rotted Part And Find The Old Floor Out

Now, check the condition of the foam and the stringers. You will see that the bulkheads and the stringers are all blacks. If the tell-tale sign is more, they are rotted. You need to be sure that the foam is unharmed.

If the foam looks good, replace the wood. If the foam is not looking good, you need to replace everything. A mini tiller is very helpful for removing damaged foam, and you can easily scrape the foam with this design.

Step 6: Start Measuring And Cutting The Plywood

While fixing the boat floor, you need to remove all decayed and damaged components of the floor. First, you should determine how much you need to cut. Then, use the original floor portions, and start laying down the plywood. While cutting the plywood, you must use a tape measure to double-check.

Step 7: Lay Down The Cut Plywood

Now, lay down the cut plywood and apply epoxy to the new plywood. It will provide water protection. When the plywood is dried, you can use the drill to make holes in the appropriate areas where you need to screw.

Cover the floor now with a fiberglass mat. You do not have to add a foam layer because you lay down the fiberglass mat on the plywood plate. Use the resin to seal and sand the edges to smoothen when it dries.

Finally, reinstall the removed components and fix the last parts. If you want to place a new carpet, be mindful of wiring and screw holes for the seats.

What Type Of Plywood Do You Use To Replace A Boat Floor?

There are three pieces of plywood that you can use to replace the boat floor. Let’s take a look!

Marine Plywood:

The marine plywood ⁽¹⁾is used to fix a rotted boat floor. It is a premium quality plywood that holds bending strength. Marine plywood is available in different grades, appearances, lengths, thicknesses, and widths.

Pressure Treated plywood:

You can use pressure-treated plywood to fix a rotted boat floor. Pressure-treated plywood is used with mold growth retardant, and the process is not water-soluble. It reduces water adsorption in the plywood.

Marine Vinyl Flooring:

Marine vinyl flooring will protect against water, mildew, sunlight, and oil. Marine vinyl is used on boat seats, and it is incredibly durable.

How Do You Fix A Soft Spot On The Boat Floor?

The soft spots will give you an indication of rot on the boat floor. If your boat rots, you will see it on the boat floor. Before you envisage your boat seaworthy again, you must examine and inspect it.

You should check the soft spot on the boat floor. If the soft spot is in fiberglass, you can quickly recover it. Take a look at how to check for rot on a fiberglass floor.

Find The Damaged Area On The Boat Floor:

Firstly, tap around the soft spot with a screwdriver. When you hear the hollow sound, you think it is a damaged area. However, if this sound is sharp, you understand that the damaged area is more robust. Next, you need to select the damaged area with a grease pencil.

Fix The Soft Spot On The Boat Floor:

To deal with a soft spot on your boat floor, you must sand the damaged area until the spot lessens. Sand all the fiberglass. If you use a fiberglass fix kit, it will help you cut fiberglass matting.

While going to the putty route, you need to fill the area with resin-based putty in the damaged area. Then, sand down the putty, fill the damaged areas and leave it to cure. These spongy boat floor repair tips will help you save money on labor costs.

How Do You Fix A Soft Spot On A Fiberglass Boat?

A soft spot on the boat makes life unhappy. So, fiberglass soft spot repair is important to stop further damage. Sagging and hogging are conditions of your boat, and those are cumulative.

The following tips can help fix floor soft spots in your boat:

Add Support:

When you see a soft spot on a fiberglass boat, you need to add support here as soon as possible. In the beginning, the soft spot seems small. So, you must take care of the spot in the initial stage. Then, you can sand the surface and apply the epoxy.

Protect Yourself:

While using boat floor epoxy, you should wear a mask and gloves. In addition, wear safety glasses and long sleeves. You can work in the air movement area because you will not face shortness of breath.

Cut The Soft Spot Area:

You need to cut the hole when you see soft spots on the fiberglass. Afterward, fix the fiberglass delamination by drilling tiny holes in the boat. Then, inject these materials. For example, a west system and resin that will dry, protecting the fiberglass boat.

What Causes Soft Spots On the Boat Floor?

Many factors can cause soft spots on the boat floor. Here are the factors:

A soft spot appears when the foam is compressed down the fiberglass deck.

The fiberglass comes back to the place, but the foam stays compressed.
The body weight will bounce up and down at the same spot.
Putting the boat on for a long time on the water makes a soft spot.

Another cause of soft spots is dropping some things on the floor, such as a tree branch and ice.
The soft spot is made of cracked internal fiberglass.
The moss under the boat gives birth to other trees.

If someone wants to stand up or walk around on the ship, tell them to walk in the textured non-skid, not the deck.

How Much Does It Cost To Fix A Soft Spot In A Boat Floor?

Fixing the soft spot in the boat deck is very costly. People say that the fixing cost of the soft spot is the same as the room floor fixing. If the soft spot is tiny, the cost is low. However, you must spend around five thousand dollars fixing the whole boat floor.

There is a little soft spot on my boat floor. It is 3 ft wide and 4 ft long. Once I wanted to fix the soft spot, I bought the materials for fixing my boat floor. The materials were pricey. To tighten my budget, I fixed the soft spot myself.

It costs me around $300 to fix the soft spot. You can also rely on a boat soft spot repair kit to save money.

What Types Of Damages Commonly Occur With Soft Floors In A Boat?

The soft floor of the boat is vulnerable and can cause spots to damage your boat. The boat floor is flexible and holds scratches easily. Nails and moisture cause the scratches.

Look into the boat floor. Find the damaged area and open the hatch. Hull liners are typical to fix stringers. There are two types of damages:

Impact Damage:

The composite materials cause impact damage. While fixing the boat floor’s soft spot, materials can be dropped to cause damage to the floor. Therefore, while maintaining your boat, you need to be more cautious.

Rot Damage:

Boat floor rot is caused by water damage. It happens because the boat isn’t sealed properly, resulting in water leakage to deteriorate your boat floor. So, you need to seal the holes to protect your boat floor from rot damage.

How Do You Avoid Mistakes While Fixing A Rotted Soft Spot In Boat Floors?

A rotted boat floor fixing is simple. Now there are plenty of things that can go wrong If you are not careful. You will do more harm than better. For example, many people do not want to clean the impacted spot before fixing the floor. It is a huge mistake. It is essential to clean this area thoroughly. You make sure debris, dust, and mold have been removed entirely.

Remember that some people will leave rot behind. It will cause the problem to worsen in the future. You should get rid of it to control further damage. Using nails is extremely vulnerable. Nails do weaken the structure of the boat.

If it is the only option, you should use wood putty and epoxy to cover the nails.

Avoid using the wrong materials.

The materials make a huge difference in the long run. I recommend that you buy the Epoxy Patching Compound from Amazon.

If you want the boat to last for a long time, use high-quality waterproof materials to make the boat.

Related Questions:

How Do You Fix Soft Spots In Hardwood Floors?

Fixing soft spots on a hardwood floor is a common problem, and the solution is simple. First, examine the entire floor to understand the depth or area of damage. Once you have assessed the damage, replace the old flooring with the new one. You can either get it done by a professional or on your own.

Apply finish on the new floor to give it an appealing look while ensuring water resistance. Lastly, clean the entire floor with a bleach and water mixture to kill any existing mold, mildew, etc.

How To Check For Soft Spots On A Boat?

Soft spots can easily spread throughout the surface of the boat. Checking for soft ⁽²⁾ spots is simple and does not require complicated machinery. Step on the flooring or hit it with a rubber mallet. There is a soft spot if the flooring dips or makes a dull sound.

And when this happens, it can be hazardous for the boat and the people on it. So make sure to go for the boat floor soft spot repair as soon as you find one.

How To Repair Rotted Wood On A Boat?

There are several products in the industry that claim to repair rotted wood within hours. However, in reality, the rotted boat floor cannot be repaired and must be replaced. First, remove the rotted area of wood and ensure no other area is affected. Then, install new and fresh wood in that area and ensure proper installation.

Apply finish to the entire area to give it a new look. Replacing rotted wood on your causes a significant amount of money, and this cost will increase if you get the word done by a professional.

Final Thoughts:

Repairing a rotted boat floor should be a challenging task. Repairing something requires research, tools, skills, and knowledge to implement practically. To extend the boat’s life, you must take care of your boat floor properly. If you have any further queries, leave me a comment. I’ll get to it soon.

How To Fix A Rotted Soft Spot On Your Boat Floor?