482 drivers floor soft

[Spider1993]

Hi guys I'm not sure if it's normally hopefully some other nitro 482 owners can answer my question. Recently I bought myself a second hand 482 I have noticed from the middle of the floor to under the drivers feet it flexes when weight is put on it is this normal ??

[Princeton_Man]

Hi guys I'm not sure if it's normally hopefully some other nitro 482 owners can answer my question. Recently I bought myself a second hand 482 I have noticed from the middle of the floor to under the drivers feet it flexes when weight is put on it is this normal ??

While I don't have any Nitro experience, I'd say the wood floor has softened (started to rot) from water damage. I've seen great restoration jobs where the top cap has been separated from the hull, all the old material has been removed, and new material (sometimes composite) is put back with new carpet.  I've also seen quick fix jobs where the old carpet is removed, a sheet of plywood is pieced in along with new carpet. Needless to say the latter adds weight and the decay continues unseen.

[Mike Cork]

Unfortunately, we don't need to be a nitro owner to know the problem here. Princeton_man is all over this one. The type of repair is up to your wallet.

[Oldfart9999]

What shape is the rest of the hull in  and how much are you willing to put into it? It's a decent hull and fixed up and taken care of can give you years of good service.
Rodney

[Spider1993]

Well the rest of the hull is in ok condition. I have now fixed the floor but before fitting the new floor I also re fibreglassed the stringers down were the water drainage Chanel in the middle of the boat  where they had started to crack In the radius by running full length glass.  I used high density structural foam core to make the floor with double bias glass either side. Was a itchy time consuming job but it is now better than ever.

[Princeton_Man]

  You don't mess around!
Did you cut out and piece in or separate the hull?

[Spider1993]

Mate I cut the floor out and left a 6inch edge to lap joint the new glass on too. I scrapped out the old balsa in the remaining 6 inches and used foam core material to fill the empty void between top and bottom. I then sat the new floor I made into position and glassed all the edges before running full width sheets.  Looks very good now. I don't know how to post pictures for you but i never have to worry about wood rotting there again. Or it breaking.

[Princeton_Man]

Most members find it's easy to post pics using the TapaTalk app on a smart phone or tablet. TapaTalk automatically resizes the image for the forum.

Good job on the Nitro! Not it's time to put some fish in her!