Floor boards very tight

[felizcortez]

My wooden floor boards on my Tartan 37 are way too tight to get access to the bilge. One comes out easily but the other two are difficult to remove. I can pull one stuck one up by hand and the other I need to use a small crow bar to get it out. Getting them back in is impossible without using a soft hammer to reseat them. Then it is the same dance again when you try to remove them. I used to be able to get them to reseat using my body weight, but it seems to be getting worse.

I'm debating on sanding the edges of the boards down a bit, but we are in a very humid place right now so I believe the wood has swollen making things even tighter.

There is usually a small amount of water in our bilge sump from the anchor locker draining into the bilge.

Any suggestions? If I sand the edges should I reseal them?

[jamhass]

Sand (using a backing block to avoid rounding too much) or plane to a comfortable relief angle (10 - 20 degrees) leaving the surface 1/4-inch untouched. The floor should almost go in easily. Then you can carefully trim that last 1/4 inch to fit. This approach helps avoid taking to much off.

PS: Yes, seal when done

[roverhi]

Sand or plane them down so they just fit. We built our boat in Semi Arid SoCal and daysailed only before leaving for SoPac. Found out about 2/3rd of the way to the Marquesas that our floor boards had swelled in place. No big thing except our water tanks were underneath and we had only 40 gallons of water in the tank we were using. Had to sail to the dry side of the Island before they shrunk enough to pull up.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by felizcortez

My wooden floor boards on my Tartan 37 are way too tight to get access to the bilge. One comes out easily but the other two are difficult to remove. I can pull one stuck one up by hand and the other I need to use a small crow bar to get it out. Getting them back in is impossible without using a soft hammer to reseat them. Then it is the same dance again when you try to remove them. I used to be able to get them to reseat using my body weight, but it seems to be getting worse.

I'm debating on sanding the edges of the boards down a bit, but we are in a very humid place right now so I believe the wood has swollen making things even tighter.

There is usually a small amount of water in our bilge sump from the anchor locker draining into the bilge.

Any suggestions? If I sand the edges should I reseal them?

Wait till you get somewhere dryer. If you make them fit now, while they are swollen, the subsequent gaps will allow all the normal dust and dirt to go into your bilge, where, if you don't keep that clean, it will wreck the bilge pump.
It will help if you can keep the bilge dryer, by bailing the bilge after the water has drained in. Or, create holes to drain the anchor locker out to the side of the boat, and don't let it drain into the bilge any more. Where does the stuffing box drain to? If it goes to the bilge, or the fridge does, it will never be dry.

One thing I found that helped with tight cabin sole boards was to wax the edges with paste wax. It may not help if yours are too tight, but I'd give it a try, anyhow.

If you do have to sand them down, yes, seal the edges with epoxy, and wax them, you really do want a snug fit, just not too snug.

Our timber always shrinks with low humidity and then expands when it is high. It is normal behavior for wood.

Ann

[rbk]

What Anne said. Go for a good long motor and let them dry first before taking them down. Also be careful planning them as quite a few are nailed and glued and you will ruin your planner blade. As said they should be tight but not fall out.

[Olly75]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

If you do have to sand them down, yes, seal the edges with epoxy, and wax them, you really do want a snug fit, just not too snug.



Ann

Ive just been through this process, and Im interested in why you suggest sealing the edges with epoxy. I was just going to varnish the edges when I revarnish the whole floor.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Olly75

Ive just been through this process, and Im interested in why you suggest sealing the edges with epoxy. I was just going to varnish the edges when I revarnish the whole floor.

I believe it's to protect them from moisture - more than just varnish would. Epoxy being more permanent.

[Telemark43]

Originally Posted by felizcortez

My wooden floor boards on my Tartan 37 are way too tight to get access to the bilge. One comes out easily but the other two are difficult to remove. I can pull one stuck one up by hand and the other I need to use a small crow bar to get it out. Getting them back in is impossible without using a soft hammer to reseat them. Then it is the same dance again when you try to remove them. I used to be able to get them to reseat using my body weight, but it seems to be getting worse.

I'm debating on sanding the edges of the boards down a bit, but we are in a very humid place right now so I believe the wood has swollen making things even tighter.

There is usually a small amount of water in our bilge sump from the anchor locker draining into the bilge.

Any suggestions? If I sand the edges should I reseal them?

My floor boards are difficult as yours when afloat.
On the hard they relieve easily.
I considered doing the same to make them easier to remove afloat.
The advice I receives was do not...in rough weather you do not
Want them releasing and flying around.

[Hardhead]

Originally Posted by Telemark43

My floor boards are difficult as yours when afloat.
On the hard they relieve easily.
I considered doing the same to make them easier to remove afloat.
The advice I receives was do not...in rough weather you do not
Want them releasing and flying around.

I have the opposite issue - loose floorboards. I've found that a dime sized tab of butyl tape, under the corners of the floorboards, really seems to fix the problem. More than a dime sized tab however - you might need a crowbar.

[johnn33]

Hi


Possibly the floors fitted when on the hard in a cradle or on blocks; now you have your true hullshape which might be why you have the tightness. Detailed work with a strong light...


John

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by Olly75

Ive just been through this process, and Im interested in why you suggest sealing the edges with epoxy. I was just going to varnish the edges when I revarnish the whole floor.

You will find a thin epoxy will penetrate and seal better. Varnish is very soft by comparison, unless you use 2 pack in which case it is vulnerable to chipping.

Strictly speaking, we should fasten all boards down before a passage, some can be semi-permenantly screwed but others need some sort of clamp. We used to use the Dzeus fasteners, 1/4 turn with a coin, but never found them in stainless. I did hear of nylon versions once, but never found them.
Roger

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Olly75

Ive just been through this process, and Im interested in why you suggest sealing the edges with epoxy. I was just going to varnish the edges when I revarnish the whole floor.

Hi, Olly,

Because most floor boards are a think teak and holly veneer on plywood. If you plane the sides, and they are tapered where they intersect the hull, you have a lot of wide open grain. Usually sand gets tracked in and sands off the varnish on the underside. If you use penetrating epoxy to seal the open grains of the plywood, it will keep out moisture so that the thin edges do not warp when water gets in.

Ann

[Olly75]

Thay makes sense, I'll whip up a bit of the good stuff

[johnn33]

Hi


Stainless and other material Dzus fasteners
https://www.southco.com/en-us/produc....html?hid=7345


John

[Q Xopa]

Originally Posted by Djarraluda

You will find a thin epoxy will penetrate and seal better. Varnish is very soft by comparison, unless you use 2 pack in which case it is vulnerable to chipping.

Strictly speaking, we should fasten all boards down before a passage, some can be semi-permenantly screwed but others need some sort of clamp. We used to use the Dzeus fasteners, 1/4 turn with a coin, but never found them in stainless. I did hear of nylon versions once, but never found them.
Roger

No affiliation but saw these the other day- https://www.pyiinc.com/floor-anchors.html