Need Help With A Floor Question?

[Dry Diver]

Hey everyone, first off I hope everyone has a merry Christmas.

Now here is what I've got going on.

I have an achillies 16' with a five piece wooden floor. I am getting a lot of flex on the back two pieces. There have been a few instances that they have come apart while in 2-3' seas. I need to replace pretty much the whole floor, it is getting pretty old and could use replacing anyways. Not doing it because of the flexing issue. What I was thinking of doing is as follows,

When I replace the floor I was thinking about making the back two maybe three pieces out of one piece of plywood instead of individual ones. The boat never gets broken down for storage. I keep it inflated all the time (I do take some air out during the times I am not using it). It has a 40HP merc on it so breaking it down is a real P.I.A. What is the general consensus of doing this? Am I asking for trouble or will it be ok?

Thanks in advance for all the help,

Dan

 

[mudslinging79]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

i went with a 0ne piece floor myself, after riding in a zodiac with a one piece also. i kept the side rails, and used 3/4 plywood, after hogging the groove in the rails to fit the plywood. i noticed it has no flex, and is a little harder ride in rough water, but i lost the anoying flexing.

 

[Dry Diver]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

Just so I understand....

As long as I put the alum rails back on the plywood edges then I will not have a problem with excessive flexing. What about the width of the plywood. Right now there are alum rails that go left to right on the floor. If I make the floor into one piece then I Will loose that re-enforcment. Will this be ok. I will still need to have more than one piece. My boat is too long to make it one piece, I will probably end up with two possibly a third.

 

[mudslinging79]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

i measured the width of the floor insert outside of the boat, then cut to size. my boat is inly a 12 footer, maybe 4 foot wide of a pices was used, length was longer, i have noticed no flex on mine, and i tried. use a good piece of 3/4 plywood, i went with cabinet grade, for the many layers over the cheaper crap, and seal it well, all sides. dont forget, plywood comes 4 foot by 8 foot, i would go from the bac k end where it flexes the most, and work forward... solid pieces at the back whgere your weight is.

 

[Dry Diver]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

cool thanks. I dont' think that I will have a problem making the floor. I am a cabinet and custom millwork maker/installer. I think that I will be able to manage the floor.

I was just curious if it had been done before with positive results.

 

[mudslinging79]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

i did it myself after i rode in one that had a full length one piece plywood floor. floor before that was strips screwed to a couple cross pieces inserted into the side rails, looked good, like hardwood flooring, but too heavy in the end. went with one piece, no problems, stable, no flexing, and it is a lil more awkward to take out if need be, but easier to put back in.

 

[dlindeblad]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

I think for a 16' you will need two pieces. I know on my 15' Bombard C4, which has 6 total pieces, the first 4 pieces from the transom up are flat. The last two pieces are also flat, but in between where the fourth and fifth pices join, after inflation there is about a 30 degree incline to the bow. I hope you follow.

 

[Dry Diver]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

Yes I do understand what you are saying. I will have to inflate it to determine where the break is from flat to incline for the front of the bow. Thanks for the heads up.

Does anyone else have any words of wisdom or experiences that they would like to add.

 

[saaber1]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

I have a similar problem with a 11' achilles inflatable. The floor flexes a lot at the joints in the middle-back. Mine has a 5 piece floor but came without the side stringers. I bought plastic side stringers, but in addition I went to "metal supermarkets" and bought some aluminum strips.

You can add them as "ribs" onto the top of the floor for rigidity. If you don't take out the floor a lot, you can fasten them down securely. For mine I have to take out the aluminum strips every time so I'm going to try industrial strength velcro first (full length and sides where they about against the little boards on the floor) and if that doesn't hold, counersunk bolts from the bottom (sealed with silicone so they don't rub) with wing nuts on top.

You can get any shape aluminum you want. 2 64" strips costs about $20-$35 total depending on type of strip. I bought about 1 3/4"? wide that has maybe 3/8 inch? tall sides. Those things are about impossible to bend. They are extremely light weight. You could put as many ribs as you want to add rigidity. The rectangular aluminum strips are very rigid too but a little heavier. Really the only thing that requires some thought is how to fasten them to the floor.

 

[mudslinging79]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

on my boat. the origonal floor pieces had a lip, alternating top and bottom, so once the floor was in, the joints were sandwiched between 2 trim pieces straddling the joint. if memory serves, there was a lip in the front bottom piece for the stern, next piece lip was top rear and front bottom, then final front poece had the lip top back. essentaslly the pieces locked iun place once it ewass installed with no flex between the floor pieces.

 

[dabull22]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

What do you guys coat your plywood with? Sorry to hijack but I thought this was relevant. I need to replace a piece of my floor but Im not sure what coating it needs.

 

[Dry Diver]

Re: Need Help With A Floor Question?

An epoxy resign paint.

 

[jimmyboy82]

Aluminum factory floor

Aluminum factory floor

Hello guys since we are on the subject of floors I am looking at buying a new boat and I am deciding between wood floor or aluminum I dont know much about the aluminum but it seems it would be alot lighter which would be nice I just dont know if its going to be rigid like the wood floor anybody have expeirience with aluminum floor?