Boathouse Floor
#11
We bought an Amish style wooden building about fifteen or twenty years ago to use as a boathouse for the kayaks and fishing gear, and added a rollup door.  It has served us well.  We painted the floor with garage floor paint, and built a ramp.  We could come rolling in from Night Fishing and run the trailer in, then put all the stuff away the next day.  
Laugh   We had been very diligent in keeping the floors and ramps on both buildings painted and maintained but with the health issues this last few years I was unable to do so and Miss T had other things on her mind... it has come back to haunt... 
Rolleyes

Several months ago we started to notice that there was a soft spot in the floor at the entrance.  It has gotten progressively worse. 
No  
Miss Tina didn't want me messing with it, so she asked several folks to take give us a bid to care of it, but for one reason or another, they all fell through.  

The worst thing that ever happened to our little farm is we lost OUR guy.  He was always available for jobs like this, he did great work, and we paid him in cash.  If HE said he would be there at 10am on Thursday, he was there NO later than 955.  Ya'll might remember him, HE built my new wood shop and ya'll followed along in that thread.  Unfortunately, HE does great work and has gotten so well known since he sold his store and went into contracting full time, that he has NO time for small jobs anymore.

Looks like gimp or no gimp, Miss T attitude or no, I am going to take my time and do this job myself.

Here is a look at the actual problem, pictures make it easier to visualize. 
Cool

This is the boathouse:


   


If you look at the base of the roll up door, you will see where the floor has rotted through, from what I expect is standing water damage.


   


With the roll up door up, you can see the extent of the damage inside as well.  I am afraid if I play around looking for someone to do the job, eventually we will roll the kayaks into the boathouse on the trailer and that side wheel is going to fall right thru the floor.


   


Here is a look at the boathouse and how we are storing things.  By the time we haul gear home, there isn't much water to drip inside.  Plenty of room to store the rods, baits, the extra kayaks and all the gear.  You might have noticed the contact in the floor for the alarm system.  Both these buildings are alarmed. 
Smirk


   

Now, my plan of action would be:

Cut across the floor about two feet back and replace the entire floor section from one side to the other with 5/8ths Marine Plywood (IF that is what would be best)
I will check the joists and sister in replacement sections if need be.
Then remove everything in the building and paint the entire floor again after priming the new wood.  
While everything is OUT I will check the soundness of the entire floor and if need be, put a second layer of plywood in the entire boathouse.
We could use rubberized roof paint, which Tina had used in the past for the floors and lower walls of chicken coops and it worked out well.
In addition, to avoid the standing water issue on the outside lip, I could install drains (Say 3/4 or 1" holes, every two feet across the lip?) with pvc liners?
Tina also said perhaps an overhang (awning type) over the entrance.
Will also redo the ramp.

Suggestions? 
Do I need to go with Marine plywood, or just exterior grade and keep it painted?
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#12
Marine ply could work (and it would be kind of appropriate for you. ;
Wink ) but I would be inclined to see if you couldn't use the same thing you used for the ramp. It's apparently held up quite nicely over the years. You might need to cut the rim joist down a little and maybe shape the piece of make a sort of threshold but that would prevent you from having plywood edge grain exposed to the weather.  

If you do go with marine ply, seal the edge well with thinned epoxy or penetrating epoxy sealer so you don't get water ingress at the edge. The key things that make marine plywood marine plywood are waterproof glue and no voids in the core layers. The species used is typically more rot resistant that pine or fir or birch but if the edges aren't sealed, water can still get in.
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#13
If there had been say an aluminum threshold under that garage door, that most likely wouldn't have happened.
Standing water on the exposed plywood did a number on it.
Or maybe the ply should have been cutout there and placed a treated 1x under the door when it was put in.

Yes it needs cut out back to the next floor joist. You don't have to go back 2 feet unless that's where the next joist is. As above, put a treated deck board under the door portion.
Steve

Missouri






 
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








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#14
Thanks for the replies.  I hadn't thought about decking boards, which are an excellent idea.  Four or five boards back would be plenty. 
Big Grin


Will most likely pull the old deck boards, drop the ramp 1/2 inch to help prevent water entrapment, then replace the decking.  With new, if needed, or reinstall the old.  Don't mind new if I have to since this should be the last time. 
Smirk
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
Reply
#15
Made a trip to Lowes a couple days ago, hauling the trailer and picked up the materials for TWO jobs.  The repairs to the boathouse and the fence for the new pup.  The puppy fence will have to wait until we get Miss Utility out to mark the lines as required by state law, and order in the Secure Set for the post holes.  We will probably wait until the beginning of next month.  We are also going to rent a tow behind post hole digger.  We have about twelve to fifteen post holes to dig. 
Raised  I am not able to dig them... by hand.

I had to wait for a good weather day, to start on the boat house... and with the roller stool I was able to measure and then cut the lateral cut on the boathouse floor with the skill saw set at 5/8" depth.  The cut along the wall?  We finally gave up and Miss Tina went to the local hardware and picked up a Dewalt DWE315 Multi-tool.  (I have needed one for years and just never put out the money.  It was time.)  We wanted the corded tool.  It knocked out the flush cut portion of the job and some undercutting nicely. 
Laugh

NO job ever goes the way you want, and this one was doomed from the start. 
Rolleyes  When the vibrations of the first cuts of the Circular Saw hit the floor, termites or ants carrying eggs boiled up thru the rotted part of the floor. 
Upset
Upset
Upset  I knew that didn't bode well for the condition of the joists below.  Luckily I had planned ahead and bought the extra lumber needed in case this situation raised it's ugly head. 
Mad  When we pulled up the flooring, opening up the view  22.5" back, only the front ribbon board was affected.  The 4x4 base and the joists were solid.  We had chemical on hand to put an end to the reign of terror of the eight legged beasties, and I will be replacing the damaged wood before the decking boards go into the place of the ply.

The ramp was on the list to get attention, I had brought home 23 deck boards for that... but as we attempted to remove the screws, we realized the ramp frame was history.  We will make an additional trip to Lowes and get the 2x6s needed to build a new ramp frame.  The old one is already removed and pulled clear of the job.  I can't work at this task long, but will make sure it's done correctly so we can get another ten or twenty years out of this building. 
Big Grin

I am taking pics as we go, and will post some when I get a chance.   I tend to over engineer, better safe than sorry.  My builds for the horse barns and wood barn are twenty five years old, and still standing.. not a leak yet and they have held up to three and four feet of snow. 
Cool  More to follow.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#16
Some pics:

The trailer load of material... fence posts, decking boards, and 2x's of various widths to build the deck and the awning to prevent water buildup in the future.
   

Once we cut and pulled the ply, we found the water/termite damage, much worse than I had hoped.
   

Although the two guys that WERE promising to do the work had said the ramp was fine, I prepared in advance to replace it's deck if I had to.
What I didn't expect was to replace the frame underneath.  It's removed in prep for doing the repairs to the ribbon board, then a new ramp.
   

In removal of the ramp, we found that most of the screws wouldn't back out.. the framework underneath was that weakened.  About half the deck boards were in dire need of replacement.  If we do the job, we'll do it right. 
Crazy  We will have five 2x6s running up the ramp as joists with 2x4 spacers to hold them in place.  The ramp will be strong enough to hold the weight of the Ranger if I decide to push the kayak trailer with the Polaris, or drive the ranger into the Boathouse for storage.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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#17
Removing screws. Yes, always a problem getting deck or structural screws to back out. Never easy for sure.
Screws are sometimes easier and neater to use, but nails come out a whole lot easier I've found.
Steve

Missouri






 
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








Reply
#18
After removing the ramp and casting it aside, we removed the damaged ribbon board from the area where the ramp had been attached.  I put a lot of thought into how I would replace this section, and came up with two pieces of 2x4 joined together with screws every 12 inches.  One the exact length of the gap, another with 12" of overhang in the back to allow it to be screwed into the existing ribbon board. (Sistered in.)  Worked out great.  When the new ramp was attached, it would PULL the ribbon board tighter against the building.  Leg supports and pillers under the ramp would prevent downward force.

I also added extra braces under the floor and under the edges of the existing ply for strength.
   

Once all that was done, We used the decking to replace the damaged flooring that was cut out.  It was slightly higher but much stronger.  I used the router to cut  out under the tracks for the roll up door.  Perfect fit.
   

All that work occupied the second day of the project, then Miss T went to the local Building Supply and got the lumber needed to frame out the new ramp.

This morning we built the ramp frame, making it MUCH stronger than the last frame.
   

After attaching it to the building, it was given 4x4 legs at the building for additional support, and block pillars halfway down to prevent mid ramp sagging.  With 2x6 construction it should not have been an issue, but better safe than sorry.
   

The decking was screwed on with a screw width spacing for better draining.  The spacing won't affect the effectiveness of the ramp for trailer access, and should keep water from becoming trapped between the deck boards and rotting the deck boards faster.  We left a gap of 1/2 at the top to prevent water pooling on the flat outside the rollup door.  The ramp was basically done at this point, other than the last two bottom boards, but the temps climbed in the high 90s at this point and we were worn out.  Two old geezers... and NO rush.  We'll finish off tomorrow.
   

The gravel will be pushed back with the tractor and leveled around the ends of the ramp and everything dressed once the last boards are in place.  The last two boards will actually be an extension to the end to smooth ramp access. 
Big Grin
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
Reply
#19

Cool 

Maybe it's just the pic deceiving me, but that deck board under where the door comes down, looks to angle back towards the opening.
Steve

Missouri






 
The Revos apparently are designed to clamp railroad ties and pull together horrifically prepared joints
WaterlooMark 02/9/2020








Reply
#20
(06-23-2019, 08:46 PM)Stwood_ Wrote:
Cool 

Maybe it's just the pic deceiving me, but that deck board under where the door comes down, looks to angle back towards the opening.

In the pic, it was, but the jack was still under the front edge of the building.  Once the jack was pulled, there was a half bubble down angle toward the ramp. That, plus the gap between the lip and the beginning of the ramp, should help with drainage.  In addition, I plan to add three or four pvc lined 1/2" drain holes if water still stands on the lip outside the closed roll up door.
Jim in Okie
You can tell a lot about the character of a man -
By the way he treats those who can do nothing for him.
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