Decking a 14ft alumacraft?

[Pony]

Ok, so one of the things I would like to do this spring is make a plywood deck across the front 3rd and 4th seats on the alumacraft (the benches), and then put the front swivel seat on a pedastal. This would move the front seat up about 3-4" from where it is now, nad also give the person in front more leg room as there righ leg isnt cramped up in such a small area.

I think I have enough hull between the top of the bench and the hull cap to keep the center of gravity low enough. I also am hoping that the bow itself is wide enough in that area to suppor that sort of deck, given that you dont really see that untl you get to 16ft or so.

Here are some pics to get an idea.

This is the area I want to put that deck. If I do this I think I may store the battery up in that area. Which will probably cause me to have to rewire the boat.....but that is why we have em.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Decking a 14ft alumacraft?

I did the same thing with my 18 ft Crestliner utility.(No pedastel seat)
Obviously a much bigger more stable boat.I used 3/4
PT plywood fastened to the seats.No bracing. Much bigger area than yours it does flex a little but has worked well I cut in a hatch with beveled edges just lifts out for access to storage.On your smaller boat you may want to test it by moving around in the bow as you would if there was a deck to see how the boat handles it.You may want to reconsider moving the battery as the cables will need to be sized for the load to start the motor from that distance.
Another thought might be to simply raise the front swivel seat 4 inches or so and add a little deck on those
little braces at the front.
I have to wonder how a 150 pounder on a pedastel
might affect the boat.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Decking a 14ft alumacraft?

i agrre with spike, cut a piece of scrap ply, to fit on top of the existing frame work in the bow foot area. sitck some 4x4 blocks under the front seat mount, since the are easily adjusted. try it out. i done what your thinking, it gets real squirreley on that pedistal seat, one wrong move by the person in the stearn, and you a$$ is wet.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Decking a 14ft alumacraft?

Round my neck of the woods, there are two or three Jonboat tourney trails. People are always decking similar boats out. If need be, I can PM you the name of a forum where a lot of these people lurk. Also, check out the hydrillagorilla website. There are some nice pictures even if you don't order the book. And lastly, check out this link. It is a 3 part project where they turn a 14 foot vee into a tourney ready boat.
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_boat.html

 

[Pony]

Re: Decking a 14ft alumacraft?

I've looked at those hydrillagorillas before, they are very neat.....thanks bassboy.

What I would like to do is just add a small pedastal......like 18" or so to the seat...... I think I will leave the seats position where it is now and just deck that area with 3/4" ply. I think maybe just cutting a hole out for the pedastal part, and reusing the bracket that is currently mounting the seat to the bench.

I think if I move it any further foreward I will be too unstable. I have stood up there before to check for balance and it isnt bad, though I will probably have people sit on the bench facing the stern when in motion.

I still want to move that battery. I dont start the motor with it, all it does is run the lights and bilge pump. I may not even move it that far up there anyways. Might just mount it in the middle somewhere.

I am wondering though if I brace it enough, can I get away with 1/2" ply?