thompsondockside.com

Ok here I go again. I removed all the mahogany 1/4" shiplap decking as to replace the rotted deck ribs. I made my steam box and bent my new white oak ribs and fastened them with brass screws and marine epoxy, I thought everthing was going good and it was, when I started refastening the old shiplap deck, but as I got to the end boards starboard & portside I knew something was seriously wrong. The shiplap had ran amuck and is not realigning right. I notice this is in part due to a gap forming between some of the boards. I'm going to pull the deck back off, all 150 screws, should I clamp the boards togather as I reattach them?? Is there a trick here I am missing ?? Andreas, help me out her, please.......... 1930s TVT

wow! real bummer... I'll be waiting to hear what the experts have to say, but just a guess on my part. If the curvature of the new ribs is even slightly different than original, I suspect that the old planks will not align as they were.
Joe B

tcvc,

My thoughts are the same as JoeB's. It sound like you have to much curvature in the new deck supports you made.

If you take all the old deck planks and place then together and messure the width you should be only slightly less then when they are curved as the deck would have been originally.

Sounds like you need to refigure your deck supports and start over.

On my cedar strip built Super Deluxe Runabout the decks are supported by members which are saw in an arc not bent. If I had to replace one of these I would have used the old piece as a template and cut a replacement to match.

Good Luck,

Phill

I too would guess that something did not exactly match the original shape. That's probably why the reinstalled planks do not fit.

Andreas