Pontoon Dream?

[nathansr06]

I am looking for a little input on some ideas I have about redoing my pontoon. I recently purchased a 1989 18 foot Lowe pontoon with a 40 hp Johnson. After getting screwed on the deal and spending a bunch of money on the motor that supposedly "ran great" I will have to wait until winter to start this project.

The carpet is rough in some places so first I'm going to be stripping the entire deck off to replace the floor. What thickness of plywood should i go with?
I would like to use maybe 1/2 inch to save the weight because of my other ideas.
On the front 7 feet of the boat or so I am wanting to build a secondary floor approximately 8 inches higher than the main floor and have doors and plenty of storage and still able to use it to walk on with two pedestal seats up front. Similar to bass boats...if that makes any sense. i will try and post a drawing of what I'm talking about just in case.

Next is replacing the stock console and going with a fiberglass center console that has a livewell on the front of it that will also be a seat.

I also want to replace the fence with one that will go all the way to the back end of the toons because mine doesnt. That way I can hide the ugly gas tank and move the batteries inside. I want to have 2 more pedestal seats at the rear. The captains chair with be a small bench with a live well under it. I'm thinking of having rod storage along each side of the boat and having the rod tips go up into the front floor storage area.

I wish it was a little bigger so that I could keep the rear bench seat and just have a couple pedestal seats behind that but thats not looking possible.

 

[crb478]

If the plywood you have is in good shape I would not replace it, just pull up the carpet and sand it. I would not use less than 3/4 inch marine PT plywood to replace it. You could also look at aluminum sheets to save weight or starboard to be waterproof. You can add an extra level to the front, but I worry that it would make the boat bow heavy and make it handle like a pig. Again if you want to do this I think that aluminum sheets would be your best bet, properly supported with a lightweight aluminum frame. It would be great if you could weld it, but screws and rivets would hold it together. What size are your pontoons? Bigger pontoons will support more weight.

 

[BrianMc]

Maybe my build would give you a few ideas.

My advise is to pay attention to your "total" weight. All the storage,gear,batteries,and trolling motor add up quick. You might look at adding storage along the rails,and keeping your seating down the center. I don't miss the couches at all. In fact they were the 1st to go.

 

[nathansr06]

Brian I have watched your video and read your threads several times. It's what gave me the inspiration for this. I like the idea of all center seats. How has the diamond plate worked out for you? I am thinking of going with an aluminum floor but trying to do all this on a budget also. Crd, I was going to go ahead and replace the floor because I would hate to put in all this work and then a few years down the road get a soft spot in the floor. Any idea on how much weight I would save with an aluminum floor over wood? I know it would probably be worth it.

 

[nathansr06]

I am not sure how big my toons are at the moment. They're not round, they appear to be flat on the top.

 

[BrianMc]

If your working off a budget I'd strip the carpet off and see how bad your current deck is first. If the whole deck needs replaced then look at the difference in cost between the two. If you just have a few soft spots fix those and spend your money on what you think it needs to be your ideal fishtoon. I can advise you there on a shorter more open rail to start with. There's other "better" places to spend your bucks,like the extended decking your talking about. The list goes on and on....
The weight savings would only be around 200 pounds on an 18',and there's more to it than just laying down some diamond plate. You can always go there later. Yes, that's more work down the road,but look at it as time to decide just what you like on the layout and storage.
Having said that, I love mine. It is lighter,and will last forever. For a fishing surface it's sweet. I have a 60 psi washdown pump that blasts it clean before I head for the ramp. It's dry before I load it,then it goes into storage until the next weekend as clean as when I started.

 

[mr geets]

I really like vinyl for easy maintenance clean up. A lighter color is cool on the feet.

 

[nathansr06]

what type of vinyl would you suggest? i haven't found any online that would withstand the sun and not expand and contract like crazy.
Brian, what kind of material do you have on your fence rails? I want something like that.

 

[BrianMc]

I used 1/4" king starboard. There's a place online you can buy it reasonable by the sheet. I'll look it up for you.

 

[Bamaman1]

Stick to 3/4 inch marine plywood. Most companies that used aluminum flooring in the past have gone back to plywood as it's part of the structure and much stronger stuff. Skip the raised flooring.

As far as a center console: Stick with what you've got--even if you have to buy a new console. Go a center console, and you'll run into having to get new cables, new wiring and possibly a new control (binnacle) for your motor.

PontoonStuff.com is the best place to purchase your supplies, including the extra heavy vinyl flooring sheet that's so popular with new pontoon boat owners.

 

[BrianMc]

Companies gave up aluminum due to the cost. I guarantee my aluminum structure is stronger than your plywood. But like I mentioned there's more to it than just laying sheets down on a few stringers like they do with plywood. Also why I mentioned on a budget try to fix the decking you have. Nothing wrong with a center console. I love mine especially for fishing. You can use your cables and wiring harness if you set your console at the end of their reach. If not,cables aren't that expensive. I used my old side mount controls easy enough,just had to build a new mounting bracket for it.

I'll send you a message with a few links.

 

[nathansr06]

I'm definitely going with a center console design with a livewell/seat on the front of it. And I'm thinking I'll do what you did Brian and have center seating from front to back. I found that I definitely need to build something between me and the engine.. it's pretty loud and after going long distances it gets a little annoying and drowns out my music! Haha! Last week was my first real test week on vacation for 4 days. Had it out everyday and it finally ran like a champ. Definitely did not break any speed records with the 40 horse but it did what it was supposed to do. What kind of price was the starboard u used and is that what you used for your organizers on the sides?

 

[nathansr06]

I'm not too worried about the wiring and what not to move the console to the center. About the only wiring staying with it is for the controls and of course the cables. The wiring on it now is junk and has a busted old style glass fuse panel. All accessories will be ran with new wires and I think the only gauges I keep will be the fuel, tach and trim.

 

[BrianMc]

Yes, used the same stuff for the boxes. 1/4" where possible,and 1/2" on the ends or where ever I needed to screw for holding the 1/4" panels in place. It's a UV stabilized high density polyethelyne. You have to weld it or use stainless screws. No glue made will stick to it. A full 1/4" sheet is 54"x96" and will run about $130. You can order any size you want. One sheet done my rail panels,and maybe 2/3's of a sheet for the boxes. Believe I started with a half sheet of 1/2". Sent you the address to where I bought it.