Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

[millertime52]

I'm helping my dad restore his fiberglass jon boat. Its a great father son experence! it has a small fiberglass deck on it that I would like to extend and put a storage compartment in it. my question is, what can I use to make brackets to support the plywood on the fiberglass? I dont want to screw the wood right to the fiberglass because im afraid it will not be strong enough to support my weight and my cracke it.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

I think we're going to need some pictures of what you're talking about.

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

i will take some pic today when i get home and upload them. Not sure if i explained it very well. there is an exsisting front deck that is made of fiberglass. I want to extend the deck out into the boat to make it bigger. When I'm attaching the wood level with the existing deck, i need to fasten it in somehow level to the deck thats already there and to the sides of the boat. I didn't know if there was some kind of L brackets that I could screw into the fiberglass that could support the plywood im using. for number one, I worried the fiberglass will crack if i drill brackets in it, and two, how strong will they hold up. This is the first time I've been on this site, from what I have read, this will be the right place for me in restoring this boat. Thank you for your help

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

First off, Welcome to iBoats!

Second, Yep EZ is correct, PICS will really help.

Third, since she is glass then I'm gunna recommend NOT using mechanical fasteners but rather Glassing in some side rails for support if you're doing what I think you're doing. Pics will tell the tale so get em posted and we'll go from there.

Again, welcome aboard!!!

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

When I get off work I will upload some pics. How hard is it to glass in some side rails?

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

Attached are the pics of my boat. I want to raise and extend the front deck, plus move the seat back a little. Any ideas?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

Yep, pretty much how I envisioned it. Let me work on it and I'll post a drawing for you of my ideas.

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

Sounds Great!! Thanks Woodonglass

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

(Click the pic to enlarge)



Based on the above pic, the red line represents a piece of 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 strip of Douglas fir that will be attached to the hull using fiberglass mat and cloth strips. Here's how you do it.

First you will need to Kerf the wood so it will be flexible enough to make the curves. A table saw or Radial Arm saw or even a Circular saw will make short work of this. Space the kerfs abot 1/4 - 1/2" apart. Then using a R/O sander or Grinder with a backup pad and 34 or 40 grit Sanding Discs sand down to fresh glass all allong the area where the railing will be attached. When it is all sanded clean the area with Acetone. You will need approximately 1-2 gallons of polyester resin with hardener, 1 yard of 1.5oz CSM (Chopped Strand Mat) and 1 Yard of Fiberglass Cloth. You should be able to get all of this at Home Depot. It's NOT the best stuff on the Planet but will work in this case. You will attach the rail temporarily to the boat with duct tape, with the kerfs facing the sides of the hull. Then using packing tape, you will SEAL the bottom of the railing with the tape. We are going to pour the fiberglass resin into all of the saw kerfs along the top of the railing and we don't want it to leak out of the bottom. so seal it up good. When, cut a dozen strips of the 1.5oz CSM approx. 3" wide x 10" long and mix up a quart of resin with the appropriate amount of hardener. Fill all of the kerfs with resin and then
wet out a stip of the CSM and a spot on the hull an rail and "TAB" the rail to the hull in various places.(See Drawing). The resin will harden in 15-20 minutes so work FAST!
When dry remove Duct tape and fill spots where tape was. Now cut strips of CSM approx. 9" wide and as long as the piece of CSM is. You will fully encapsulate the rail in resin and CSM using the same method as you did for the tabbing. Cut the Cloth 12" strips. when the CSM is tacky NOT Dry coat it with resin and lay the cloth and saturate it with resin. When it's Dry. You now have a Permanent mounting rail that will support ANYTHING. There are short cuts but this is how I would do it if you are planning on keeping the boat long term.
(Click the pic to enlarge)

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

how do u kerf cut and 1-1/2 peice of wood? Just make small cuts all dont the lenght of the wood?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

Yep, this will let it bend. Make the cuts 1" deep every 1/2"

(Click the pic to enlarge)

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

and the kerf cut side needs to be facing the inside of the boat right? Plus when you say packing tape, you mean the fiberglass cloth, right? This is some great stuff. Thank you so much for your help!!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

Nope. Kerf cut face the sides of the boat, Smooth side faces the inside of the boat.

(Click the pic to enlarge)

Packing tape is the CLEAR Tape you use when Sealing up cardboard boxes for shipping.

You want to use it to seal off all the kerfs on the bottom so when you pour the resin it won't leak out the botttom. when it drys you can pull off the tape.

The CSM is the Fiberglass stuff. Looks like this.

Fiber glass cloth looks like this...

 

[seamorewaterVIP]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

nope packing tape like you tape boxes shut with. kerfs should be facing away from the keel or away from the center line of the boat or towards the inside of the hull. You can do it the other way but it makes it harder to fill the kerfs with resin means more taping cuz you dont have the hull acting a a barier for the resin.

not sure which way you mean by facing the inside of the boat?

kerf cuts need to be cut through the width of the board not the length if the board is 11/2x11/12x10 make your kerf cuts on the 11/2 side ending up with about 240 kerf cuts.

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

ok, ok, i got it. last and hopefully the final question. when I have the peice of douglas fir up on the side with duct tape. My next step is to seal off the bottom with packing tape, then pour my resinw/hardner into the kerf cuts. do i let that dry first, then take the packing tape off, then apply my CSM strippes to tap the railing into place? Plus. you never mentioned were i used the fiberglass cloth.

I'm real sorry. like i said, i'm new at this.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

Yep let it dry then remove the tape then TAB the railing to the hull using the 3" x 10" pieces of CSM like this....



When that drys, Then cut the big strips of CSM and Cloth and have them ready. Mix up the resin coat the boat and the railing and apply the stips of CSM and smooth it out using CHEAP CHIP Brushes from lowes. When it gets tacky NOT dry then coat the railing again and lay the cloth strips over the railing AND the CSM. to finish it off like the drawing below illustrates.

(Click the pic to enlarge)

 

[seamorewaterVIP]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

ok, ok, i got it. last and hopefully the final question. when I have the peice of douglas fir up on the side with duct tape. My next step is to seal off the bottom with packing tape, then pour my resinw/hardner into the kerf cuts. do i let that dry first, then take the packing tape off, then apply my CSM strippes to tap the railing into place? Plus. you never mentioned were i used the fiberglass cloth.

I'm real sorry. like i said, i'm new at this.

nope you are not sorry, your pritty smart cuz you are asking questions before you cause your self alot of work!!!

bet you money that is not your last question but we are here to help. sorry to duplicat Woodonglass-sometimes a second perspective clears it up for me.

umm I would leave the duct tape out :facepalm:and use clamps to hold the piece in place. I am not real sure the duct tape will have the umph you need. Then use the packing tape to seal off the bottom of the kerf cuts.

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

got ya. thanks again. I think I have figured it out. the forum is amazing. you are great woodonglass!!! I'll post pics with my progress.

 

[millertime52]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

ok, thanks seamorewaterVIP, I'll try that. And I will take everyones perspective.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Building new deck onto my fiberglass jon boat.....NEED HELP!!

"umm I would leave the duct tape out :facepalm:and use clamps to hold the piece in place. I am not real sure the duct tape will have the umph you need. Then use the packing tape to seal off the bottom of the kerf cuts. "

Yep, if you got clamps that'll reach to where the rail is gunna be then by all means use em. What ever it takes. You get the general Idea now of what I am talking about so just "Git er Dun"!!!!!!