# Composite decking?



## SS06 (Apr 6, 2021)

Not sure if you have ever picked up/ lifted the composite decking....across several brands I found it noticeably heavier than a similar sized piece of wood


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## TXJM (Aug 14, 2020)

SS06 said:


> Not sure if you have ever picked up/ lifted the composite decking....across several brands I found it noticeably heavier than a similar sized piece of wood





JRigby said:


> I want to build a new front and rear deck for my Carolina Skiff J16. I'm just planning things out right now and will likely do the work in the middle of summer 2022. I was planning on just doing wood/resin/fiberglass, but I keep hearing that "composite" is better.
> 
> What exactly are we talking about regarding composite? What are the products? I've looked around (google) and really the only thing I've found is Coosa board which is expensive, hard to get, and still has to be glassed. Also 3M reinforced PU foam . What am I missing?
> 
> Has anybody tried a product like this stuff? MoistureShield Composite Decking: Inspired Outdoor Living I would love to take a screw-&-glue approach to the build, if possible. Thanks.


I used nidaplast. I bought it from Boat Builder Central. I had a curve to put in my deck so I bought the honeycomb without glass and added the 1708 myself. It has pluses amd minuses. It is lighter than ply. It can’t rot. If you use the correct thickness, you really pickup stiffness compared to appropriate plywood. But. It is more expensive. It is a real pain to add hardware or anchor anything to. It really needs backing plates where you attach anything. 
A good marine ply is really good stuff. You hear way too much negative about it. Seal it with epoxy, prime and paint, good to go. 
A good option that takes advantage of the properties of the materials is to use structural foam(glassed) for the deck supports and use marine ply for the deck. Personally, I would add a light glass over the plywood for impact resistance.
Chip


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

The product you listed has no place on a boat.

Composite is expensive and typically not as rigid as wood.

My recommendation is Okoume plywood. It will last you a very long time.

For the little bit you are going to do the weight savings between composite and wood will come from your wallet.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

Nothing wrong with wood so long as you seal it up to keep the water out.


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## JRigby (Dec 25, 2021)

Thanks for the replies. I'm just going to stick with wood, as suggested.

I'm still not clear what the viable composite options really are, but I'm ok with that now.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

DuckNut pretty much nailed it 😁 that composite decking has no place on a boat and needs support to be under it 😒 my neighbor tried to use it for bunk boards but it was so limber he had to run a pine 2x6 under it to carry a light 22 foot panga 😏 its also heavy as stated above ,when usen it for decking around house not boat you need the stringers close to give it support infact i wouldn't even go 2 foot id do 16 inch centers on stringers.....but it will last forever LOL


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## Jeff Stuckey (12 mo ago)

You do realize the cost of plywood is more than H80. You also have to seal and glass the plywood.


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## Jeff Stuckey (12 mo ago)

Jeff Stuckey said:


> You do realize the cost of plywood is more than H80. You also have to seal and glass the plywood.





Silent Drifter said:


> DuckNut pretty much nailed it 😁 that composite decking has no place on a boat and needs support to be under it 😒 my neighbor tried to use it for bunk boards but it was so limber he had to run a pine 2x6 under it to carry a light 22 foot panga 😏 its also heavy as stated above ,when usen it for decking around house not boat you need the stringers close to give it support infact i wouldn't even go 2 foot id do 16 inch centers on stringers.....but it will last forever LOL





Jeff Stuckey said:


> You do realize the cost of plywood is more than H80. You also have to seal and glass the plywood.


Actually I did not mean more but it is a significant percentage of the cost. Decking with plywood makes a lot of sense to give the boat a little more weight. Particularly up front if you a larger guy.


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## Silent Drifter (Apr 29, 2021)

Plywood or composite they both need glassing,wetting out the composite is basically the same step as sealing the wood ...

I used AC Fir plywood in my lil skiff for a front deck glassed it both sides i really didn't notice a lot of weight gain with a 4 foot deck....and that included a bulk head with hole cut in it to throw anchor under deck 👍

Note ....that composite decking is heavy and very flexible, meaning he would need several braces under it to take the flex out adding more weight! But as Ducknut said it has no place in a boat ....


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## WhiteDog70810 (May 6, 2008)

The anti-wood guys have too big a megaphone. Yes, we all know of rotten transoms and stringers in boats made with polyester or vinylester composite construction. However, those two materials are not compatible with wood. Marine ply/epoxy fiberglass composite is light enough, the wood doesn’t magically rot and is generally more impact resistant at a much more reasonable cost than no-wood ultralight composite construction. It is also simple to work within your garage with regular tools. Carbon/Kevlar/epoxy is awesome for a racing kayak that you want to carry in one hand, but those hulls sacrifice everything else to cut weight. If I hit a stump at 15-20 MPH while running to the duck blind in the dark, I’d rather do it in a ply/epoxy hull.

For a deck on a Carolina Skiff, marine ply/epoxy fiberglass is an easy choice. Those hulls are heavy enough that an ultralight deck isn’t any real benefit. I’d check those foam logs under the sole for water intrusion if I really wanted to cut weight on a Carolina Skiff. I’d avoid a good ol’ boy dimensional screw and glue lumber deck because the weight is so ridiculously heavy, but Lord knows it has been done and I have caught fish off of them

Nate


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