Intex Mariner 4 modifications and Tips

[MarvinW]

How did you get the angles for the bow and stern? Somehow my stern angle seems to be off a bit making it a little to tight back there then it should be.

Use the slatted floor which came with the boat, put it on top of your wood and mark the edges.

 

[LettersNumbers]

Hello all, I have noticed a few threads about the Intex Mariner 4.
For those of us that are Poor or just starting out, I feel its a Good boat for the Money.
Now I have currently 2 seasons in with my Mariner and I have made a few modifications to it so that I could better enjoy my "pool toy".
I thought that I might share these on here so that other Mariner 4 owners could see what I did and why I did it.

So here is some of my wisdom from experience.
As far as material problems they have only been with the Inflatable keel.
It looks like the seam on my keel ,when factory pressed,, thinned the material, I have had 2 pin holes at the front and back of the keel in the exact same spot on both ends.
I believe this was a manufacturing issue on mine.
They were a easy patch though. I am however considering reinforcing the keel seam. That maybe one area you might want to watch. Other then that the Boat is pretty tough, I have even hit a couple of floating logs on the Ohio River with it and they did no damage, and I can say I'm actually pretty impressed with the strength of the material for this price range. It really is a tough little boat for the money.

(Mods)
One of the first things I did was modify my Mariner with a Hard wood custom floor and custom Motor mount.
The slat roll up floor that comes with the boat is Ok, But it's NO where near as good as a Hard floor.
The Best you can do with the original floor is stand up but you won't be walking around with ANY ease, especially if your a bigger guy.

For my custom Hard floor I just took plywood and treated it with a acetone and resin mix, and Made a 4 piece custom Hard floor. I then painted it with a good water proof paint.
The difference in the Boat was Like Night and Day !!! It's way more rigid and you can literally walk around in the boat with No problems at all. It also added to the overall stability and rigidness of the craft.
As far as walking around in the boat, I'd say its now pretty darn close to the stability of a small bass boat.
When I say that, I mean you can do jumping jacks in the boat and even stand on the tube and it wont flip.

The Custom Floor also allowed me to Make a Custom Motor Mount.
The Motor Mount is Bolted to the custom hard Floor of the boat and it also keep pressure off of the rear tube.
This way the motor is pushing on the floor and not the rear tube.

Now building a custom motor mount depends on how much of a engine you want to use.
The original factory motor mount works great with a trolling motor and even Ok with a 3 hp, however a 3 hp will push on the factory mount pretty good and you have to accelerate slowly or the torque pushes the motor somewhat down into the water.
I wanted to use my 6 hp Johnson on the Mariner so that's why I built the custom motor mount.

Doing a custom floor also lets you really install Bass seats too, and you can even put in pole holders if you want.

I use different setups depending on where and how long I'm out fishing.
If I'm just going out for the evening then I will just use the Factory motor mount and the trolling motor.
Half a day, I take a 3 hp outboard and the 3 gallon tank, and if I'm out for a whole day then I take the 6hp and the 6 gallon tank and trolling motor.
That's also one of the great things about the custom motor mount, I just put the custom floor in backwards and then I have 2 motor mounts on both ends of the boat, one for the 6 hp and one for the trolling motor.

Also I have a Fish finder/GPS on the boat too. You can mount the transducer on the Bottom rubber handle via zip ties.
It works Great,,,and Stays in position,,,it even folds up in the boat when your done so you you don't have to keep putting the transducer on each trip.
I mounted the Fish finder on the top of a tackle box so when I unroll the boat I just set my tackle box down and plug the transducer in.

If you like to night fish Like I do, I also Highly recommend a fish finder with GPS.
There have been Many a Night where I was in some Major fog, and I was able to drive back to the boat ramp with pretty much No visibility. I just followed the trail that I had plotted via GPS mapping and I'm safely back at shore.

I can also say this, I'm a Old Flathead catfish junkie ! and there is Nothing like being on a small inflatable while hooked into a 60+pd Freshwater Freight Train ! Its very much kind of like deep see fishing ! and I have had some Major battles that I will Never forget.


So , to wrap this up,
If you want to do something to make your mariner 4 better, By all means make a full custom floor.
You will Not believe the difference. Its like having a whole different Boat !
Second, keep a eye on the keel seams, and maybe reinforce them.
Third, if you want to go with a engine bigger then a 3 hp, you have to make a custom motor mount.
Yes there are videos on YouTube of people using bigger motors on the original factory mount but it will bend very quickly.

Also I would suggest throwing a small hydrofoil on your outboard. It made a Big difference in the tracking of the boat, and if you stick with the original factory motor mount, it will keep a 3hp from pushing down into the water and you'll even gain a little speed,, because,,, it will raise the rear end of the boat and keep the front down when accelerating.

The beauty of this little boat, is that you can get it without spending a lot of money, and in no time flat your on the water.
Then If you want to spend a little time, you can you also improve your mariner to the point where if feels like a different boat.

Plus I Love the fact that I can have a 11 foot boat, Trolling Motor and 6 Hp outboard in the back of my Chevy Metro and still get 40 MPG !
AND,, Yes,,,,,, I have Won quit a few beers on that Bet ! HAHAHA

Anyhow, I leave you all with a couple of pictures, Sincerely Desode
View attachment 125461View attachment 125480View attachment 125481View attachment 125482View attachment 125483

Hi,
Really cool what you've done. I just got a mariner 4 and am starting to do some modifications. Just put a bimini on, and now I'm going to do the floor. Quick question: Did you put the wood floor on top of the slated floor it came with? I see that a lot of people do, but I'm confused as to why you wouldn't just replace the slated floor with the plywood one, or does it need both for stability?

I see a lot of people put plywood floors in the excursion 5 as well and that one doesn't come with any floor, so I guess that it where my question of the necessity of the slated floor if you've built a wood floor. Thank you in advance for any wisdom you can share with me. I really appreciate it, and apologize if this is a redundant question, but I can't seem to find a good answer.

 

[LettersNumbers]

Just starting to mod my new(ish) Mariner 4. Bought it about a year ago but didn't have the tools with me to begin the project.

As you can see in the photo's I have cut and painted the new floorboards with rubberized sealant. I used 3/8" OSB because I had 3 full sheets and wanted to use them up.

I essentially cut one in half lengthwise (leaving me with two fairly equal 4' x 4' pieces). I temporarily bound them together with hand-held vices and then made my rip cuts with a jig saw using medium tooth blade to give me my approx width of 34". Using dimensions from other posters on this forum I then shaped the boards to be able to follow the pattern of the slatted flooring that came with the Mariner. Since they will be sitting on top of the Mariner's slatted flooring I cut them about 3/4" shorter on all sides than the slatted flooring to allow for the expected compression of the hull.

Since my plan has always been to use these atop the slatted flooring that came with the Mariner I decided to remove some of the OSB material to make them lighter to carry. And since my cuts would be perpendicular to the Mariner's slatted flooring it shouldn't, in theory, compromise the structural integrity.

I simply used an old bottle top that had a diameter of approx 2.5" and drew six circles. Then, using a 4' level I drew lines to meet up with the corresponding circles drawn. Drilled a hole in the center of the holes large enough to accept the jig saw blade and then cut out the long ovals that you see. The other hole perpendicular to these on each is for inflating the keel (marked with the number 5). Since I had the boards mirror each other with the hand vices I figured that an extra hole on the opposite sheet of OSB wouldn't be a big deal. I have to say that cutting out this excess material made a marked difference in the weight of wood floor.

I will check back in a couple of days from now after I have sealed the boards with 3 coats of rubberized sealant AND carpeted them with grey outdoor carpeting from Lowes.

Hi,
Really cool what you've done. I just got a mariner 4 and am starting to do some modifications. Put a bimini on, and now I'm going to do the floor. Quick question: Did you put the OSB floor on top of the slated floor it came with? I see that a lot of people do, but I'm confused as to why you wouldn't just replace the slated floor with the plywood one, or does it need both for stability?

I see a lot of people put plywood floors in the excursion 5 as well and that one doesn't come with any floor, so I guess that it where my question of the necessity of the slated floor if you've built a wood floor.

Lastlly, Do you remember what or where you found the dimensions? I'm having trouble finding them, and was just going to trace the slatted floor, but dimensions might be better. Is it a good idea to make the floor (I think you said an inch) inside the slated floor on all sides because of compression?

Thank you in advance for any wisdom you can share with me. I really appreciate it, and apologize if this is a redundant question, but I can't seem to find a good answer.

 

[LettersNumbers]

Hi there
1/2 plywood with spray adhesive and run of the mill indoor/outdoor carpet should be fine. I'm a heavy guy at 230lbs and it has been phonemnal upgrade to have, I can stand on it comfortably. I had been using the plywood ontop of the pvc floor but recently decided to hit the lake with just the 2 piece plywood floor and it was amazing (not to mention less weight!). I did however notice that the floor would not completely hold down the keel in the front so an h section insert might help with that.

Hi,
I really like what you did, and am trying to do the same. I have been trying to figure out why people seem to always put the wood floor on top of the slated floor? Is it a stability thing? because like you, I would rather ditch the extra weight if I could. I also see a lot of people put wood floors in the excursion 5 which doesn't come with a floor, so I assume the wood floor is just on the boat.

Would you say you like it better (and it's stable enough) without being put on top of the slated one?

Lastly, I'm not quite sure I understood what you meant when you said the floor wouldn't completely hold down in the keel? did the adding an H section help?

Thank you in advance for any wisdom or advice you can share with me! It is greatly appreciated!!

 

[robpri]

Hi,
I really like what you did, and am trying to do the same. I have been trying to figure out why people seem to always put the wood floor on top of the slated floor? Is it a stability thing? because like you, I would rather ditch the extra weight if I could. I also see a lot of people put wood floors in the excursion 5 which doesn't come with a floor, so I assume the wood floor is just on the boat.

Would you say you like it better (and it's stable enough) without being put on top of the slated one?

Lastly, I'm not quite sure I understood what you meant when you said the floor wouldn't completely hold down in the keel? did the adding an H section help?

Thank you in advance for any wisdom or advice you can share with me! It is greatly appreciated!!

The inflatable keel will always "push up" against the floor. I would think a thicker ply would be better as it wouldnt flex so much. I am also going to try this upgrade and will report back

 

[MarvinW]

My previous boat was the Excursion 4, I have a folding wooden floor for that ( three sections so I could transport it ). As neither I nor my kids are heavy we did't need a thick floor to be able to stand on it.

But as others have pointed out, if you leave out the slated floor you can't inflate the keel unless you want your floor to bend along that center line.

I still think an airdeck will have sufficient rigidity and would be off course the most portable, but I'm yet to find one which fits the floor layout and which allows you to inflate the keel after the floor is in.

 

[LettersNumbers]

The inflatable keel will always "push up" against the floor. I would think a thicker ply would be better as it wouldnt flex so much. I am also going to try this upgrade and will report back

And when you talk about it flexing, you're talking about the "push up" from the keel?

what size ply are you going to use? I am going to do mine this weekend, so trying to sure up plans before going to home depot.

Also, I've seen some talk about making the floor slightly smaller due to compression of tubes. Is this a thing? I only came across it once. I was planing on just tracing the slated floor to get the shape on the wood. Is that method no good? Thanks again man, I appreciate your perspective.

 

[LettersNumbers]

No Title



Hi Everyone,

Just like to say I agree with Jiggy as regards my original dimensions for the floor being a little tight on the sides.

I've made a couple of floors since and have experimented to see what works and you can definitely get away with knocking an inch or two off the width.

I went narrower but also tried making it narrower at the top end where it tapers. However I found when I was turned back in the boat chair to deal with engine etc., the floor didn't feel as stable. You felt you were tipping towards the back.

So I tried another version which I find is the best yet. I don't have a photo but here?s a graphic which gives you an idea.

View attachment 244449

I basically kept the board as wide at the top as the boat would allow without pressuring the floor seams.

On another note, a friend recently joined us on our Mariner 4 adventure so he could fish our Scottish lochs. I helped him do all the usual mods but he?s not had much luck with the boat itself.

Boat 1 lasted 3 months before one of the carry handles tore away when it was being lifted from the water, resulting in a rapid loss of air from the front chamber. Keep in mind the boat had nothing in it, not even that horrendously heavy floor that comes with it.

Boat 2 was duff straight out of the box. The keel valve was defective and simply would not seal.

Boat 3 is working for now, we shall see.

I?ve done a few more modifications and will need to take some pics to share once the weather improves, and seeing this is Scotland that could be a while.

However I did post a video on Youtube recently showing the Mariner 4 fishing machine in action here in Scotland.

Hi Scottish,
I'm new to a mariner 4 and have just started modifications. I put a bimini on last weekend, and wanted to do a wood floor this weekend. Quick question that i've been having trouble finding a good answer on: do you put the new wood floor on top of the slated one it comes with, or do you replace the slated with the wood.

It seems like most put on top of the slated. Is this needed for stability? If possible I would like to save the weight of the slated, and just use a wood one, but not if it's not a good idea. I was planning on using 1/2" ply.

Lastly, I was just going to trace the slated floor to get the dimensions for the wood one. It sounds like maybe this isn't a good idea? and that I should take in the sides an inch...is this correct? Thank you in advance for any advice or wisdom you can share with me. It is greatly appreciated!!

 

[jbcurt00]

You're quoting and asking questions to members that no longer frequent Iboats. ScottishScript hasn't been here since 2020.

Not likely to get or reply to your questions, hence the 90day rule

 

[LettersNumbers]

Hi all, new user. Not new to inflatables (had an old Sevylor a while ago), but new to Mariner 4. Starting out with a MK 45lb motor. Back in the day (before the internet) I made a floor for my Sevylor using 3/4" plywood. Truth is, I made a half (rear) floor out of scrap I had laying around. I coated it with Thompsons Waterseal and mounted a cheap seat on a pedestal w/swivel. Worked fine, but it was heavy.

I want to make a floor and add some boxes and seats. I also want to make the floor sectional for better handling and storage. I see that most folks are opting for 3/4" or 5/8". I have always figured that with the support of the water underneath, 1/2" plywood would be more than sufficient to support someone standing. has anyone tried 1/2" I also want to make it sectional. How do sectional floor perform at the seams, where the sections meet?

Thanks!

Hi,
I'm about to do this to a mariner 4. Did you end up going with the 1/2" or 3/4"? and did you put the floor over the slated floor or replace it? I would like to save weight if I can and just use the wood floor, but not if the stability sucks.

Also, I can't find the source of it, but I see poeple talking about the keel pushing up the wood floor. Is this a concern? I don't notice it pushing up the slated floor at all. Thank you in advance for any advice or wisdom you can share with me. I really appreciate it!

 

[LettersNumbers]

You're quoting and asking questions to members that no longer frequent Iboats. ScottishScript hasn't been here since 2020.

Not likely to get or reply to your questions, hence the 90day rule

Well that's a bummer. I'm finding it really hard to get questions answered anywhere. you wouldn't be able to help with the questions at all would you? I apologize if there's a 90 day rule about posting (that I missed). I am trying to do this project this weekend.

 

[jbcurt00]

Don't own a Mariner so unable to help.

Just ask the questions, no need to quote. Just observe the dates of posts you're interested in quoting first..

It's summer in many places, boaters are out boating rather then being online during the day.

 

[MarvinW]

Hi,
I'm about to do this to a mariner 4. Did you end up going with the 1/2" or 3/4"? and did you put the floor over the slated floor or replace it? I would like to save weight if I can and just use the wood floor, but not if the stability sucks.

Also, I can't find the source of it, but I see poeple talking about the keel pushing up the wood floor. Is this a concern? I don't notice it pushing up the slated floor at all. Thank you in advance for any advice or wisdom you can share with me. I really appreciate it!

The slated floor has very good structural rigidity, try bending one of those plastic pieces. Which is why it's so heavy for the most part, it's not a hollow beam it has structural infill.

I think a wooden floor makes most sense if you build on it, eg you build your seats on the floor, add a proper motor mount support ect ect. So a fixed floor, meaning you will have to trailer but you will have the best experience on board and the best handing ( as it will be the stiffest you can get it ).

My 1.5cm folding wood floor from my Excursion 4 fits perfectly ( long known fact that the floor plan matches that of the Mariner 4 ). But that was enough for my Excursion to go trolling with my kids, not something you would stand on most of the time, I don't think it would be really comfortable. And I weigh nothing compared to the average Murican

What you could try perhaps if you're so inclined, is a thin enough wooden floor to not impede transportability / weight and using 'some' of the slates as riggers to add rigidity? Even just one or two would help a lot with the central pressure the keel puts on the floor. edit: well, 'even just 3 or 4' I suppose, to spread that load over the entire floor and not in those two sections.

 

[LettersNumbers]

The slated floor has very good structural rigidity, try bending one of those plastic pieces. Which is why it's so heavy for the most part, it's not a hollow beam it has structural infill.

I think a wooden floor makes most sense if you build on it, eg you build your seats on the floor, add a proper motor mount support ect ect. So a fixed floor, meaning you will have to trailer but you will have the best experience on board and the best handing ( as it will be the stiffest you can get it ).

My 1.5cm folding wood floor from my Excursion 4 fits perfectly ( long known fact that the floor plan matches that of the Mariner 4 ). But that was enough for my Excursion to go trolling with my kids, not something you would stand on most of the time, I don't think it would be really comfortable. And I weigh nothing compared to the average Murican

What you could try perhaps if you're so inclined, is a thin enough wooden floor to not impede transportability / weight and using 'some' of the slates as riggers to add rigidity? Even just one or two would help a lot with the central pressure the keel puts on the floor. edit: well, 'even just 3 or 4' I suppose, to spread that load over the entire floor and not in those two sections.

Thank you for the response, I really appreciate it! I do plan on reinforcing the transom and putting a small outboard on it (instead of the troller), but I don't think that will happen until next year.

I don't plan on putting swivel chairs in, but I do have some comfortable camping chairs I'm going to put in there.

I don't really plan on standing a lot on it. I don't do a lot of fishing. it's more for just relaxing. So I wanted to wood floor to be able to put chairs in much easier.

Do you think the 1/2" ply would be good enough (without the slated floor) for someone who doesn't plan on doing a ton of standing. I've read some say that without the slated, the keel will push the floor up, but that an H joint could help. Have you run into this issue? The keel doesn't push up the slated floor, but maybe that's because its in one piece (the wood floor i'm going to make is going to be 3 pieces for portability. I'm guessing the "pushing up" they were talking about was the seams of the wood pieces, and the H joint helps hold them together. Wasn't certain though.

Last Q (and I apologize for throwing a lot at you. It's been really hard to find answers to these Q's and I'm trying to do this this weekend, so I really appreciate your advice, and wisdom!!

I've read some say that the wood floor should be a little smaller on the long sides by an inch or two. Something to do with pressure on the seams. I know the floor tapers like a half inch down to 34.5 at the back and 34.75 more towards the middle (from my measurements at least). One post said to make the width 36" which was strange to me as that's bigger than the slated floor. But then a lot of the responses were to take it in an inch or two. I was just going to have home depot do that first cut for me. Should I tell them 34.25" for the width, or 34" for safety. Thanks again man, I really appreciate you!!

P.s. that's a really good idea about taking out some of the slates if putting the wood floor on top. maybe take out every other one or something....would take away almost half of the weight!

 

[LettersNumbers]

11 years into this thread...I just found it! I too am in the process of reading all 107 pages, shaking my head all the way. I had no idea it had such a following. I actually bought a Mariner 3 after a trip to the Ozarks in my new (to me) RV. I wanted to be out on the water so bad, but I didn't want to buy, maintain or tow a boat behind the RV. I was looking for something portable, that I could carry around in the camper...Eureka, a Intex Mariner! It works great for camping trips, and of course, ever since the day I got it, I've been making improvements...all the same things everybody else has been doing for years! Ha! I thought I engineered all this stuff myself...obviously not! I made a 2 piece plywood floor, mounted swivel seats, beefed up the intex motor mount with some wood, added a table, a canopy, nav lights, fishin' poles, a 52lb Newport Vessels TM, 100AH battery, and then got a 4hp 4stroke weed eater motor from amazon! Like everybody else, I hate the slat floor, but have been using it as an underlay for the 2 piece plywood floor. I'm going to try ditching the slat floor and just using the plywood. Also made a few pvc dollies for various situations. Love this little boat! The only thing I would caution against is using flex paint for a rubberized coating on the plywood. I used some on some planks over the toobes used as tables or seats. The black rubber crud comes off on the boat when it gets hot and is a pain to get off!

Looks great man! I'm just beginning to do the same mods. I put a bimini on last weekend, and am going to build a 3 piece floor this weekend (need to be able to transport it, hence the 3 pieces instead of two).

couple questions about the floor if you don't mind. Have you tried the wood floor without the slated. I would rather that as well to ditch the extra weight. Is it stable enough with just the wood? (I don't do a ton of fishing so I'm not going to be standing a lot. really want a wood floor to be able to put some camp chairs in there, and potentially a small outboard next year. Is the reason people seem to tend to put the wood floor on top of the slate floor for extra stability? I read someone say that without the slated the keel pushes up the wood floor. Have you run into this issue? I assume they mean at the seems of the wood floor where they meet. Because it doesn't push up the slated floor. A lot of people seem to put wood floors in the challenger and excursion which don't have the slated floor, so it was a bit surprising to me to see that most with the mariner use both.

Last Q I promise. I've measured the width of the slated floor at 34.75" at the middle and 34.5" closer to the back. I am going to have home depot do the rip cut, and I've read different opinions on what the width of the wood floor should be. One said 36" but then a bunch of the responses were to shed an inch or two as to not put too much pressure on the seams of the boat. I was thinking of asking them to cut at 34.25" or 34". What are your thoughts on this? Thank you in advance for any advice or wisdom you can share with me. I really appreciate it!!

 

[MarvinW]

The bowing happens because the keel pushes from the centerline underneath and the floor is held in place there by the tubes above it so from the sides and not the middle.

A to thin floor will bend in the middle right where the keel is pushing up.

On the thickness you need, that's entirely up to your use case ( and your weight / your passengers ). As to the width of the wood floor, people say this I guess in response to their fear off rubbing damage. I had pipe insulation around my floor when in the excursion, so that shouldn't have been an issue. If you're worries about the seems, well if you DO use both slatted and wood, you NEED to keep it thin ( and don't need much thickness to make it sturdy enough since you have the slatted floor ) because the seems are designed to only hold the slatted floor. But people who only use a wooden floor don't need to make their less wide, unless their wooden floor is ( significantly? ) thicker as the slated floor is at it's max ( so at the slates themselves ). From memory, those slates are pretty thick and a wooden floor of the same or even higher thickness would surely weigh more as the slated floor itself and thus make no sense unless build up ( seats / console / storage / electrics / what ever you can think off ).

 

[LettersNumbers]

Don't own a Mariner so unable to help.

Just ask the questions, no need to quote. Just observe the dates of posts you're interested in quoting first..

It's summer in many places, boaters are out boating rather then being online during the day.

Will do. wish I could be out boating....unfortunately work

 

[LettersNumbers]

Waaay back in this thread like before page 20, someone tried 3/8 plywood and felt some pretty good flex so I don't think 1/4 would work in this case. I'm about to undertake the floor myself and will likely go with the 1/2" (7/16) stuff and then carpet.

I am about to do the same. Did you end up going with the 1/2"? how do you like it? do you put the wood floor on top of the slated floor it came with. It seems like most do, but if I can get away with not...it would be nice to shed the weight of the slated one. I don't do a lot of fishing so standing a lot is not a concern for me, but I want to be able to put camp chairs in it, and maybe a small outboard next year (instead of the troller).

 

[LettersNumbers]

The bowing happens because the keel pushes from the centerline underneath and the floor is held in place there by the tubes above it so from the sides and not the middle.

A to thin floor will bend in the middle right where the keel is pushing up.

On the thickness you need, that's entirely up to your use case ( and your weight / your passengers ). As to the width of the wood floor, people say this I guess in response to their fear off rubbing damage. I had pipe insulation around my floor when in the excursion, so that shouldn't have been an issue. If you're worries about the seems, well if you DO use both slatted and wood, you NEED to keep it thin ( and don't need much thickness to make it sturdy enough since you have the slatted floor ) because the seems are designed to only hold the slatted floor. But people who only use a wooden floor don't need to make their less wide, unless their wooden floor is ( significantly? ) thicker as the slated floor is at it's max ( so at the slates themselves ). From memory, those slates are pretty thick and a wooden floor of the same or even higher thickness would surely weigh more as the slated floor itself and thus make no sense unless build up ( seats / console / storage / electrics / what ever you can think off ).

I hear what your saying about keeping it thin if using both floors. Thank you A LOT for the response. Your perspective is greatly appreciated.

I also hear you about the weight of thick plywood being potentially more than the slated floor etc.

I think I'd prefer to just use a 1/2" wood floor without the slated (as long as the bowing isn't crazy. Does it bow to the point where you couldn't put a camp chair on it.). Would a potential work around be either: not filling the keel all the way. Or potentially taking out every other slate to cut about 1/2 the weight and then using both floors?

Thanks for the tip about the width as well. I'm thinking I'lll have them cut 34.25" and use some sort of pipe insulation as well.

 

[LettersNumbers]

Thanks to everyone throughout the years who have shared with us their great tips & ideas on how to modify our M4's. I'd like to share a few pictures of my 3 piece 5/8'' plywood non-slip painted floors. I've been using these for a few years now and they work well for me. I weigh 240lbs and they are very sturdy. After a day of fly fishing on the Bow river, the boards are easily rinsed off and they dry quickly.
May you all have a safe boating season.
Enjoy.

Hi,
I'm about the build a floor as well. I was hoping to just use the wood floor and ditch the extra weight of the slated floor. Do you put your wood floor on top or did you replace the slatted with the wooden. I don't do a lot of fishing so standing a lot isn't a concern of mine. I do want to put a couple camp chairs in there though and potentially a small outboard next year, so the flat rigid floor still has benefits for me. Any advice or wisdom you can share would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!