14 Foot Welded aluminum boat "decking"/flooring re-do.

Coednaked

Cadet
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
11
I just picked up a 14 foot Welded Aluminum Boat a few weeks back. It was made by a local well known reputable builder and it is a 1991 model (made by COPE boats on Vancouver Island, BC - apparently they no longer make boats though). It's got a pretty heavy duty bottom which I like, and the boat hull in general is rock solid. In a nutshell I bought the boat for it's solid hull and after taking it out a few times the configuration leaves me wanting to re do/redesign the interior.


Basically what happened was this boat was made with 3 bench seats like your typical older designed Lund v-aluminum boat (looks like one too). EAch of those bench seats I would imagine contained flotation poured inside to meet coast guard standards. Then a boat dealership local to me (no longer around from what I"ve heard) who was noted as doing some good custom work (and the work they did on my boat was good) cut the left third out of the middle bench seat (so you can walk around to the front) and installed a centre console on top of this middle bench seat. They then installed a chair in between the centre console and the bench seat closest to the motor. The centre console is great for managing the boat & vision with the steering and the higher chair you sit in and this boat right now is truly the little boat with all the big boat features ( It has dual batteries, a bilge pump, fish finder, horn, an electric 25 HP 2 stroke Johnson with power trim/tilt, and a speedometer), but being a no frills kind of guy and being someone who appreciates a bit more room, so I have considered a few options, and this option is one that I am leaning towards but I'd appreciate your opinion:


Strip the boat down & remove the bench seat at the stern and whats left of the bench seat underneath the centre console (centre bench seat). Remove the centre console as well. So what will be left is just the front bench factory bench seat and a bare, aluminum floor with the supports in it. I'd like to install split bench seating at the Stern similar to hat you would find (configuration wise) in a Prince Ungava or Lund WC. In fact the Lund WC14 DELUXE model is sort of the interior I would like with the vinyl floor. I've seen this boat in the show room and I appreciate the flat vinyl floor which appears heavy duty and the roominess of the configuration for the size of boat. Then get some marine grade plywood and insall a floor.

I understand I need to use marine grade plywood and I should get the proper epoxy and coat the plywood to water proof it (and not use treated as the chemicals react with aluminum). I also would then order some vinyl and the proper adhesive to cover the plywood to make a floor (after cutting the floor to fit exactly and coating it with the epoxy).

My biggest concerns are flotation. I think what I might do is find a local boat place that could build and install the appropriate split bench seating at the back of the boat that I described above and pour floam flotation in itto make up for the bench seats I would be removing. Then I could just build the floor around it and it would look good too.

I am trying to envision some way of installing foam flotation in the bottom of the boat under the floor but my concerns would be how to fasten it or install it so it doesn't end up rotting out or absorbing water as I anticpate not completely water proofing the floor as I want water to get underneath and get to the bilge pump.

Anyways, any thoughts are appreciated,

Thanks,

Scott
 
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