Wood platform under batteries is rotten

[Lowen Ranger]

Good Morning All!

I am the new owner of a 2008 R25 Classic with 110 hp Yanmar engine. The wooden platform under the batteries (port side below cockpit sole) is rotten in one corner where there should be a fastener.

My plan is to remove the batteries, remove the board, and replace it with 1/2" starboard, but it looks like the platform was secured before the sole went down.

If the board doesn't come out in one piece, I can put a sawzall to it and remove it in pieces, then put in two pieces of starboard, and fasten them together once they're under the sole.

Can anyone tell me whether or not this project is do-able? And how? Thanks in advance. Cheers!

 

[scross]

As I learned the hard way, be very careful with a sawzall or jig saw or such when cutting something when you can’t see if there’s any wiring or structure behind it. If I had to do my hard lesson over, I would have used a plunging router that was set just a hair less than the plywood thickness to cut out section of the center of the plywood piece. Then gently pried out that section to see everything behind it before going any further. Ranger Tugs put wires in the strangest and most unexpected places during construction of our older R25 Classics!
Replacing the plywood with starboard or any UHMW PE would be what I would/will do when the time comes for our boat.

 

[Navigator's Son]

If you are a member of The TugNuts on Facebook, a member just posted pics of their plywood replacement project using trex - looks really sharp!