Replacing a Vinyl deck covering

[sailajay45]

I am restoring a 1975 Skiffcraft. The last part of the project is the vinyl Nautolex on the decks. The existing vinyl has some cuts in it and is loose around some of the deck hardware, so I'd like to replace it all.
Has anyone had any experience taking off old vinyl and replacing it on a plywood deck? Do you know of any publications or URL's that can help?
Thanks

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Tear the stuff up and see whats up underneath it.If there is any rot, you have a new ball game, I don't like patching deck plywood. the key with that stuff is to make SURE that you have sealed the surface with the new. you can scrape or sand the plywood to clean it up, but make sure if there are any joiner strips or seams that you have bedded in the joiner or sealed it well. if you have ribbed or patterned nautolex, make sure of your fore and aft line. stapling is okay at the edges in stainless, but I don't like it much. Anyone have an opinion on painting the plywood before applying the decking?

[Bill Berrisford]

Sailajay45-
www.skiffcraft.com (http://www.skiffcraft.com)

[Bryan Mehus]

Sailajay45,
I'm in the middle of replacing the Nautolex on my decks now. Not the "planked" kind, the cabin topping. The forward deck was fir plywood, and was so badly checked it required replacement(easier than patching) the sides and transom decks were much better, as they are of solid stock, though the transom deck needed some surgery due to dry rot as a result of damage to the old Naulolex and the resulting water incursion. To get the old glue off can be a bear. I have had fair success using sawdust soaked in lacquer thinner, let a little pile sit on the glue for a few minutes, then gently scrape, the sawdust helps collect the glue. I have sealed all the surfaces with epoxy. They have to be very smooth, and clean before installing.
I had a failed start to install this weekend, the glue wasn't mixed well enough, and I had little bumps under the covering, requiring me to pull the piece and spend the rest of the weekend removing the glue ala the above method...again :(
Bryan