Carver Owners Forum

So I discovered an issue during a trip to the boat today- the plywood 'tray' supporting my fresh water tanks has collapsed causing my plumbing to crimp etc. I've pulled my HW Heater and tanks and am now pulling out all of the original wood (hell of a mess), but my question to all of you is:

What should I use to build the new replacement trays?


Thanks! Ben

When you say "collapsed" I assume it was rotting and gave way. Sorry to hear that. Something must have been leaking over the years to let that happen.
I personally would replace it with pressure treated plywood and make sure any leaks have been repaired. Some may be inclined to use starboard or something equivalent. Composite "lumber" is great in certain applications, but has near zero structural integrity and will not hold that kind of weight.

Good luck!

You can get marine ply.....but I believe for this just get reg ply same thickness as what was there or one size up and make copies.....then paint the heck out of them...outdoor cement or deck paint......or coat with epoxy then paint.
I have used this method on a few boats and has worked just fine.....in fact saw one of my old boats last year and the tank shelves are still there from 30 years ago.....good luck man.....

Any plywood will work fine as the key is sealing whatever wood you use. Personally I would go pick up a sheet of Russian Birch from a large surface hardware store (not sure who sells the stuff in the US) and a pint of bilge coat to seal the finished product prior to install. Any holes you drill or screws you install put a dab on sealant on those and you should be golden.

Perfect, thanks All for the advice!

Ben - In the interest of others who may have the same boat model as you, what year and model are you cruising? Carver is not in the habit of using regular plywood in any area of the bilge, so this may be something that is unusual that other owners should inspect before collapse. er

Side note - When Carver did use wood, it was normally 3/4" marine plywood coated with resin. More like soaked with resin. There must be some water source that has invaded that area. Couple years ago a friend tried to dig out the plywood core inside his stringers. He aborted after he discovered the plywood was similar to almost solid resin. That was on a 1988 Carver 28.

Many ways to skin a cat here. Marine ply is great, and while it is more stable than regular ply and will stand up to more weight, done right, regular ply is also a good option. Either one should be coated with epoxy or gelcoat, epoxy being the better of the two. The key to longevity is to properly seal anything and all fasteners that penetrate the coating and wood piece. If you do that, it won't be affected by any leaks in the future.

I have an 1984 Carver Mariner 3697.

Finished removing all of the wood today. What I found was 1/2" plywood, painted gray, just like whats under my main fuel tanks (no fiberglass or even resin). It was all rotten and by the time I had my HW heater drained it was wet, which meant it all fell apart in my hands as I tried to remove it. To top it all off there was an oil leak with the precious owner which meant the wood was also covered in oil on the bottom. WHAT A MESS.

Its all out now, the bilge scrubbed clean, and ready to be rebuilt tomorrow.


Ben

All of the supporting ply in my boat is also just painted. No epoxy etc.