Graham Nash Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 I replaced a bit of spongy deck last spring. While cutting it out i found it to be pretty damp under there and the foam was wet. I fully intended on doing the whole lot this winter/spring. I intend getting the boat out of the water in the next week or so and removing the existing deck, foam and stringers (if required). Ive spoken on a number of boat forums and there seems to be a big following of "nidaplast". I spoke with East Coast Fiberglass Supplies and the guy there says he has worked with Nidaplast and he loves it. I see Mike Hall (club member) recently had a Wilson Flyer for sale with a new nidaplast deck and transom. Ive done a deck before using marine ply and it was fine for the couple of years that I had it. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience of doing the same? Any advice would be gratefully received. Thanks Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 You just can't resist a project Graham can you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 42 minutes ago, Tiddler said: You just can't resist a project Graham can you? I love it 😂😂 Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 Nidaplast is strong and lighter than wood but you have to glass it in both sides to make it stiff that takes some time and needs to be worm to set up i would think charlie would have used it when he built his boat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2006holmwood Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 It`s advisable to glass both sides of whatever you choose,remember nidaplast is lighter than ply,from what I have read most people put a layer of matting on underside to stiffen nidaplast, iff it was me i`d go for nidaplast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 hour ago, 2006holmwood said: It`s advisable to glass both sides of whatever you choose,remember nidaplast is lighter than ply,from what I have read most people put a layer of matting on underside to stiffen nidaplast, iff it was me i`d go for nidaplast. speaking with East Coast Fibreglass they suggest two layers of 800g on each side and it is almost impregnable (and completely rot resistant). But theres nothing to screw into for deck fittings (like seats and consoles etc) so Id guess I would need a certain amount of wood underneath for fittings etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2006holmwood Posted January 3, 2022 Report Share Posted January 3, 2022 Can't you screw into nidaplast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 7 hours ago, 2006holmwood said: Can't you screw into nidaplast? That's my understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 8 hours ago, 2006holmwood said: Can't you screw into nidaplast? Taken from one of the boat maintenance forums ive been reading ...... "The problem is that Nidaplast is a honeycomb material, so I cannot use screws to fasten it to the stringers, as this wold crush the honeycomb material". I believe I can stick it down and use screws to hold it while the glue dries, but i assume I would need ply stringers (or ply attached to the side of the nidaplast stringers) to screw into. Im hoping someone on here will have done one so I can learn from their mistakes :-) Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 I'd never even heard of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Used it a lot on Alfresco. Decks, Bulkheads, hatches etc. Made a lot of difference to the total weight and does not absorb moisture and gain weight as the older Offshores built using plywood did. Basically it is a sheet of 19mm honeycomb plastic that comes on a roll. This is laid out on a flat surface then an ounce and a half or GRP is put on the top, when cured its flipped and the same goes on the other face. what you end up with is a large sheet that is stiff and very light to handle, cut and fit. To be honest I bought 6 sheets like that with the boat mouldings. I did not start from the roll. The downside is what you do next. Adding more layers of GRP to both sides gives it the strength required overall, but not where you want to add fixings, for hinges and handles etc I found that cutting out the top layer of GRP then the plastic using a short blade in a jigsaw, then scraping off everything back to the other face of GRP. I then cut a piece 18mm marine ply and glued it into the hole, before glassing back over the top. this gave solid fixings for larger fittings. Smaller ones for mounting things like extinguishers were just done by drilling and gluing in hardwood dowels. The other tough thing is getting a nice finish when gel coating over the finished nidaplas. Easy on the deck, as it has a rough finish over 10oz of GRP, but far from it on the bulkheads. It took ages to get it all done, and lots of planning to put the strong blocks in the right place but I am still happy with the results considering we launched her in Nov 2007. Charlie Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Stringers are different Shape them out of foam with radius corners to make the GRP work easier. Glue them into position and size them to allow for the thickness of GRP that goes over them, they need to have a flat top surface to fix the deck down onto. a beading of sealer or filler either side can again be radiused for better GRP work [ Zero air pockets] The foam does not need to give any strength its the multiple layers of GRP that gives that. these completely cover the stringer and extend several inches either side. The tops of mine are probably at least 8mm thick so can take a S/S screw to help hold the deck, which is bedded down on Sikaflex. Once that has gone off the hatches and surrounds were added before the whole deck was glassed over then non slip finish added. Oh what fun we had Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 18 minutes ago, great white said: Stringers are different Shape them out of foam with radius corners to make the GRP work easier. Glue them into position and size them to allow for the thickness of GRP that goes over them, they need to have a flat top surface to fix the deck down onto. a beading of sealer or filler either side can again be radiused for better GRP work [ Zero air pockets] The foam does not need to give any strength its the multiple layers of GRP that gives that. these completely cover the stringer and extend several inches either side. The tops of mine are probably at least 8mm thick so can take a S/S screw to help hold the deck, which is bedded down on Sikaflex. Once that has gone off the hatches and surrounds were added before the whole deck was glassed over then non slip finish added. Oh what fun we had oh what fun indeed!! Thanks for that Charlie (I think). I have no bulkheads to do, just a relatively small deck and potentially the stringers. The nidalplast I have been quoted for is either 1.2 X 1.2 square or 2.4 X 1.2 but they seem to want to sell the larger sheets in quantities of 5 (which Im not sure I'll use). Probably if I was dong the stringers from Nidaplast I could use that quantity, but I was expecting to need to do the stringers from marine ply to enable me to screw the deck into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Quote Charlie: "It took ages to get it all done, and lots of planning to put the strong blocks in the right place but I am still happy with the results considering we launched her in Nov 2007. Charlie" Superb boat Charlie. I can remember saying that it was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Hear hear Jim... great white and Jim 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 28 minutes ago, Tiddler said: Quote Charlie: "It took ages to get it all done, and lots of planning to put the strong blocks in the right place but I am still happy with the results considering we launched her in Nov 2007. Charlie" Superb boat Charlie. I can remember saying that it was obvious that a lot of thought had gone into it. Thanks Jim There were some evening just sat in the garden on the boat "Thinking" most vivid memory, an afternoon off work that was spent making a tube for in the wheelhouse for the cables to pass up through for lights radar etc etc I was fairly pleased with it by the time the boys got home from school. "whats that rubbish Dad" was not the response I wanted. and I think I told them so. Later on I viewed it from where they had, agreed 100% and ripped the whole lot out, to start that job again. Lol Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 1 hour ago, Graham Nash said: oh what fun indeed!! Thanks for that Charlie (I think). I have no bulkheads to do, just a relatively small deck and potentially the stringers. The nidalplast I have been quoted for is either 1.2 X 1.2 square or 2.4 X 1.2 but they seem to want to sell the larger sheets in quantities of 5 (which Im not sure I'll use). Probably if I was dong the stringers from Nidaplast I could use that quantity, but I was expecting to need to do the stringers from marine ply to enable me to screw the deck into it. Hi Graham I would use cardboard or hardboard to make some templates to see how much you need for the deck mate and just buy that. Nidaplas would not really suit making the longitudinal stringers, but I did use it for the below deck bulkheads if that is what you meant. Not sure where my photo's are but I will try to find them if it would help, if not give me a call Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 2 hours ago, great white said: Hi Graham I would use cardboard or hardboard to make some templates to see how much you need for the deck mate and just buy that. Nidaplas would not really suit making the longitudinal stringers, but I did use it for the below deck bulkheads if that is what you meant. Not sure where my photo's are but I will try to find them if it would help, if not give me a call Thanks Charlie, Im sure a few of us would love to see some of your build pictures. I am not sure what I need to do below the deck yet, but Im expecting to need to do the stringers in both planes. Good idea about making a cardboard template, I throw loads of very large sheets of cardboard away from my work. Jim 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 4, 2022 Report Share Posted January 4, 2022 Quote: Good idea about making a cardboard template, I throw loads of very large sheets of cardboard away from my work. I may be on the scrounge in a couple of months Graham. May need to protect flooring whilst decorating etc. Don't save for me . . . . I'll just ask if I need some. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 7, 2022 Report Share Posted January 7, 2022 It's called CAD, very handy!R rogerandout 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 12 hours ago, Rob said: It's called CAD, very handy! R what is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted January 8, 2022 Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 what is?Cardboard Aided Design Jim, Graham Nash and 2006holmwood 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 8, 2022 Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Oh Dear! Made I Laugh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Nash Posted January 8, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 2 hours ago, Rob said: 3 hours ago, Graham Nash said: what is? Cardboard Aided Design very good 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
great white Posted January 8, 2022 Report Share Posted January 8, 2022 Hi Jim/ Admin I have found an old folder with a selection of pictures from the fitting out of Alfresco But its 56MB so how do I get it on here? Graham Nash 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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