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Hi, I am part owner of a 1978 Lowes 24' pontoon boat. We decided that the deck is getting too weak to be safe. So we are re-decking the boat. The plywood that is currently on the boat is 21/32" actual thickness. I am having problems finding plywood with an actual thickness of 21/32". I have found numerous re-decking kits on line, but they are all 3/4" or 5/8". Any ideas where I can find the proper thickness plywood?

I'm almost positive I've seen that at Lowe's. I know most of the plywood they sell is in 32nd's of an inch sizes. You might want to check it out if you haven't already.

Pat

thanks for the reply Pat. I looked in Lowes and they had 23/32" plywood as it's actuall thickness but nothing that was 21/32". Tried Home Depot too...

Hey Randy, are you going to strip the whole deck or try to leave some of it on like under the console and under the railing??

Already stripped the entire deck down to the aluminum struts.

Is there a problem with going the eighth inch bigger? If not , I would go with the 23/32. For a few more bucks I would also paint the plywood with 2 or 3 coats of an oil based paint paying particular attention to the edges before installing. After you get all the fastners in I would paint or caulk the heads also and apply another coat of paint on the outside edges just for good measure.

The problem with going thicker is that the plywood has to fit into a channel on both sides. If I go thicker, then there will be a gap (the width of the channel) between boards. I would have to fill the gap before I put the carpet over the top or it will wear out very quickly.

Thanks for the ideas on the screws, bolts and painting. I have an exterior enamel paint that has polyethelene in it too.

Thanks everyone for the advice on re-decking the pontoon boat. It is now completely rebuild and ready for action. If you want to see the pictures that were taken along the way, then check out my photo album at Pontoon Rebuild

Dang, my Father In Law had a Lowe pontoon boat that was 26 ft. but looked just like that one. He loved his, until it got a hole in one of the 'toons and sank in the slip. if you start to see any pitting in the 'toons, get it fixed quick. He looked into this stuff called "gluvit" and was told it would seal up to an eighth inch hole. It didn't help his boat, he had some bigg holes in it once we pressure washed it. Anyway, not trying to tell you how to run your boat just a heads up if it helps. oh and nice job on the rebuild.

Thanks for the advice! I can always use pointers on how to keep my boats running better! Can't go boating if the boat doesn't run!