Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

[Bushy99]

I have researched extensively and I'm having trouble finding decking support information. I have attached a picture of the deck I am trying to make. My first question is how is it possible to attach supports for underneath the deck with as little drilling as possible. Do most people just attach supports to the ribs? If so, how? I know this is rather elementary but I want to make sure I do it right

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

What picture?

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

This one. Forgot to attach.

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Here is a better one.

 

[Sader762]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

You may want to try tinboats.net - lots and lots of mods over there on nothing but tin bats.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

That's what I like a newbie sending people away from the best restoration site on the internet!!! Oh but what do I know

You need some bracing and a box of good aluminum pop rivets ....... since xpress boats are all welded you really can not cut that seat...... I would not advise it. You will have to drill for the rivets but it is minimal..... be careful you do not want to drill all the way through the hull.

Take a look in our completed project section.

Carefully inspect the welds if you have a used boat.

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

So basically just drill through the rib but not the hull and rivrt the support? Do most people rivet to the bench seats as well?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

If your design makes it that way...... yes you can rivet to the seats too It basically is based on your design.


Now you do need to do some "dry" runs to make sure you are not creating an unstable platform...... height vs beam (width) of the boat.

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Ok. Thanks for the information.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Or you can make the deck removable using runners and cross planking, makes it easier to clean out the boat when you want or need to. Just make sure it doesn't get tippy if you put in raised deck.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Do you have aluminum C channel or some other suitable aluminum to use for the deck? There are a few materials people use, but I would go with aluminum if you can afford it. Easy to work with, light, no issues with electrolysis, and goes together with rivets or screws.

I have seen decks in aluminum boats made from cedar strips that were sealed with epoxy, and it looks really sharp.

There are a few plastic (house) deck products that people use too, but some are heavy and you want to avoid weight at all cost.

Pressure treated has the corrosion issue with aluminum, so it must be isolated with rubber strips or sealed with glass/resin to eliminate that issue. Doesn't seem to deter some folks.

Keep us posted on your plans and progress!

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Or you can make the deck removable using runners and cross planking, makes it easier to clean out the boat when you want or need to. Just make sure it doesn't get tippy if you put in raised deck.

Basically run supports vertically over ribs and then attach supports to the vertical runs?

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

I used trimmed down 2X4's sealed with epoxy resin, running the length of the boat like the structural ribs, then put tongue-n-groove planking crossways across the 2X4's...made a lightweight deck that I could pull out whenever necessary. My tinny was a V-bottom, so it helped stabilize the boat at anchor when we want to scoot around the boat while fishing. Raised decks are nice, but if you go too high with the seats, you raise the center of gravity and make it tippy/unstable. We used to use fold-out camp chairs on the deck between the built-in seats as fishing thrones at anchor...that was a sweet little boat, shoulda kept it.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Sounds like my boat. It's my Step-fathers jon boat so I didn't want to drill a bunch of holes into it when I added the deck. I wound up using 2x2s to make a frame for which to screw the plywood to and the frame was clamped to underside of the seats using L brackets and long bolts. I used treated but it only touches the 2x2s, not the aluminum.

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The braces of the top deck are screwed into the lower deck. There are 4 screws holding the lower deck down but that's only because I have that pink foam under it for flotation and to keep the treated wood off of the aluminum.

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Hope this helps.

spots

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

How did you clamp to the seats? Do the 2x2's support you well when you walk on them? Any flex? Looks really nice.

 

[Blarney413]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

That looks great. I should do that too.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Thanks. If you look really close at the 1st photo you can see some bolts right up next to the front bow seat. Those are 8" carriage bolts running through the 2x2s. To those I attached "L" brackets which clamp to the lower lip of the bow seat and that holds the 2x2 frame to the boat. The deck is then screwed to the 2x2 frame. There's no clamps on the middle seat, only the bow seat. I was going to add middle clamps but after lifting up that 3/4" thick slab of treated plywood I decided that it just was not necessary. There is zero flex but I did have to go back and re-tighten alot of stuff after her shakedown cruise. I would have loved to have done it all out of aluminum but that stuff's pricey and kinda hard to find around here. Wood's what I had so it's what I used. Not visable in the pics is the trolling motor mount I made from a piece of 2x8 that I carpeted and screwed to the deck and the extra 2x2s that I used under the seat mount for reinforcement.

I'll see if I can find a photo of the L bracket setup on my Mac at work tomorrow.

 

[Bushy99]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

I appreciate it. The main thing is the design is not too permanent. I really like the idea of being locked in and not able to move the stuff. That's great that it is sturdy. I will probably copy you design. So how much weight do you think you added there? Did you close off the middle bench end?

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

The treated ply alone was probably 60-80lbs. I doubt the 2x2 frame weighs more than 30. The most weight came from the two Trojan batteries in the stern, they're about 80lbs each. I needed them there to balance out the boat when I'm standing up in the front. It is surprisingly stable for a 14/36.

The front section between the bow and middle seat is accessible through a hatch just in front of the pedestal mount. I sealed up the middle section after I took it out a few times to keep all of my junk from sliding around. I made it out of 1/2" GatorBoard that's held closed w/velcro.

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Couldn't find a photo of the brackets but here's a drawing...

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[Huron Angler]

Re: Help with deck on aluminum boat please...

Or you can make the deck removable using runners and cross planking, makes it easier to clean out the boat when you want or need to. Just make sure it doesn't get tippy if you put in raised deck.

I agree, that's the strategy I used on my 12' boat and it's working out pretty well. As mentioned, easy to clean and no drilling into the hull.