Keith,
I used 3/8" marine plywood with lonseal teak&holly with good success. I don't know as yet how well it will hold up over the long term but i've had it in place about 3 years it doesn't show any real wear as yet. I coated the underside of the plywood with epoxy and the great thing about the product is that you don't have to worry about getting it wet! which is not hard to do on a boat! if you have your old panels as templates it should be a pretty simple operation. just make sure you use the glue provided and it should look great. I will say that i could have purchase some teak and holly plywood for less though.
fair winds

Keith
I was thinking of doing that this year. Let me pick you bain on two items.

How did you cut the Lion seal, I would asume that you matched your sole pattern lines .
A friend of mine just a catalina 42 and had all new soles made and this winter he is having the Lion Seal instaledl by a flooring company.
I like winter projects so I will be doing this myself so how did you cut it amde make edges, and how did you glue it down Vac seal???

Thanks

Jeff, as you plan your project for this winter, please consider documenting every step along the way. We would love to have an article from you on this project. If you take lots of photos, especially of those steps that you're wondering about now, then you and I together can construct a very nice article for JibSheet.

howdy,
laying out the loinseal to match is fairly easy if you can layout your plywood panels so they match the way they are going to be when they are installed. as far as cutting the panels is cut the material with a razor and made it so it was a bit oversized, glued the panel in place then used a router with a round over bearing bit to finish the job. I used the glue that the mfg. recommended although i believe you can use epoxy as well. certainly if you have access to a vacuum it would insure a better glue up. Good Luck!

Just curious why the LionSeal is glued down rather than screwed down like the plywood panels. Seems like that would make it permanent or at least extremly hard to remove if needed in the future.

the lonseal is glue down to the plywood panel NOT the fiberglass pan.

I saw this material at a recent boat show. I would also consider this:

[url]http://www.nuteak.com/Frames_Pages/NuTeakInterior.htm[/url]

Does the Lonseal come in a teak and Holly striped pattern?

[QUOTE=Keith;6459]I plan to replace the cabin sole with 6mm teak holly plywood. I have attached the web page were I will purchase the plywood. I will coat the underside of the plywood with and epoxy to seal against moisture. To cut the plywood I will use the old cabin sole as a template and cut the new material with a router. I plan to hire a carpenter with experience in the operation of the router so I get a nice even cut.
[url]http://www.worldpanel.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Thply[/url][/QUOTE]

Keith, speaking as a carpenter (retired), I can tell you that with the right bit using a router is not that difficult. Why don't you get yourself a decent one, do a couple of practice runs on some 1/4" or 3/8" plywood, and then go for it? With the right bit, the worst you can do is stray away from the pattern, meaning that you won't mess up the piece you're working on, assuming you've clamped your pattern down properly. Just be sure to push your router into the direction it turns, not with it, so it doesn't get away from you. Get your router and bit at a decent hardware store, and you'll probably find a knowledgeable salesperson to help you.

You'll end up saving a bit of money AND have yourself a new toy to play with.

[COLOR="Red"]I did not use Loin Seal or a Laminite because I could not figure out how I was going to SECURE the sole to the pan.[/COLOR] I really did not want to drill hole into the laminate, and on the other hand I did not want to fasten it with any type of glue or epoxy , or silcone to the pan. I figured it would be a bear to get out.

So I went with Teak and Holly, Here is my story

I have Pictures of cutting the teak and holly sole.

I used my old sole for patterns. I placed the old ones on top on new teak and holly (to me)lined up the holly and left 3/16" extra when I cut it.

I next got a pattern following router bit. If you do this do your self a favor and spend the money on a good bit with a large bushing. I bought one from Lowes for $19.00, believe me it cut like a $19.00 bit.

I THEN WENT TO A pOWER TOOL STORE THAT SELLS CABINETERY TOOLS AND SPENT $58.00 on a good bit, it made all the difference, besides even though the teak is only 1/8" thick and 1/4"lywood the teak will eat up the bit, meaning dull it out bby the time the job is done.

I then got a bull nose bit to round out the backside so it fits into the pan.

I next expoxied all the edges and backside, I was going to use West System but, I tried the MAS EXPOXY Meduim Vicosity, it is really easier to use, not so critical on the mixture it is a 2 tp 1 ratio. The best part unlike West System you don't have to sand between coat it does not release the wax like WEST does, so two coats of that.

For the finish I used 1 gallon and a 1 quart of 2015 Pettit Flagship Varnish and a quart of 120 Pettit brushing thinner.

Word to the wise (well helpful hint that I got from a cabinet guy) my first coat was 50-50 they say to do this because it will soak into the wood and bonds better and then 10% thinner to the amount of varnish you pour out every time to work with, all in all I have eight coats on the sole.

I sanded everything with 120 grit and then 220, and finally 400 grit

I did this using vinyl over 1/4" marine plywood. When you lay the vinyl next to the pieces over the bilge pieces, which I did not replace, you can't tell the difference. I can tell you that it is very difficult (at least for me) to line up the holly lines on the pieces running from the V berth aft.

I thought I had marks to align everything, but I came out one half a holy line off at the entrance way steps and the piece that goes into the V berth is another story. I had it all lined up on my deck (at home) thinking I had them all aligned but the "V" berth section hooks to port and my holly lines go straight ahead.

Thankfully throw rugs cover the section between the panels so unless I tell people they wont know, but it was frustrating considering the project cost, in total, about $700. However, the overall look is good and I wont have to worry about delamination, which hapened to me twice even though I sealed the bottoms and all the edges of the prior pieces (and the piece I replaced previously at a cost of $300).

One thing I forgot to mention.... I didn't like the screws that hold the panels in place so I put velcro tabs under each corner and this seems to work in holding everything in place, plus it allows for easy cleaning.