Lite & Strong Deck Construction

[oneoldude]

This is a new thread Re: the project at the following web site: 15' Flats Conversion Part 1 <br />

Originally posted by Winger Ed.:<br />That is one heck of a boat. At this stage of the game, if you're working towards making it the ultimate fishing machine, you might also consider ripping out all the interior.<br /><br />That would open up more options as far as making a center console driver's station and casting platforms both 'fore & aft.<br /><br />Going from there- you could make it lighter and stronger than it was the day it left the factory, and it'd be light enough to run on wet grass.

Hi all,<br /><br />Winger Ed zeroed right in on what I want to do. I have a Center Console from a trashed bass boat and several 'Rude control sets that should work. But I need information from you experienced builders out there on how to make strong, functional, lightweight casting decks fore and aft. <br /><br />The widest interior beam of the boat is 6' (and because it is only a 15' boat) the fore and aft casting platforms will probably be around 4' long to make room for the cockpit.<br /><br />So: <br /><br />Will 1/2" ply be ok for the platforms?<br /><br />Is it ok to use glass and resin on the top of the decks and simply saturate the bottoms and edges with resin for water protection? <br /><br />How much support will be needed to be able to walk on the casting decks given the 6' width?<br /><br />What is the smart way to make hatches for anchor, storage, etc. especially in regard to water intrusion?<br /><br />What is good for storage lockers? Coolers? Plastic tubs of some sort? Should they be foamed in? Drained?<br /><br />I know I ask a lot of questions and thank you for answering them all. Answers to the above questions will go a long way to help me figure out how to lay out and build the structure while making room for batteries, gas tanks, coolers, dry storage, livewells, etc. and still keep it all lite.<br /><br />Thanks guys.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

1/2 ply is fine.. but will havta have alittle framing ( lenghtwise an/or cross ways ).. in the 1x2 relm ..on egde of coarse.. <br /><br />resin an cloth top,, just resin bottom an egdes are fine .. just double/triple coat edges good.. <br /><br />to watertite an anchor well.. good luck here.. i have my own theory,, water's gonna get in no-matter.. so deal with that..so let it in,, an let it out effectively..

 

[Realgun]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Better yet rip a few 1/2" x 3" inch x Whatever length you need from your plywood and place that under the floor on edge. Is strong as heck.<br />This is what I did to strengthen the floor in my boat. I had a cross member near the hatch but seemed sort of flimsy. Ok I stepped on it and it flexed! So I epoxyied the 1/2" x 3" inch x 16" under the floor and used 3 screws to hold it together. It seems real strong now and no flex.

 

[prockvoan]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Ok,lets start with building your deck.We going to build a mold.I used some 4'x8' sheets of pannel(tileboard) that is use in and around bath tubs.Cost was around $12 per sheet.<br />We going to do this in 4 sections,front,sides and back.<br />1)take one sheet of this panneling,lay it up on the front of your boat,mark it out,the out line from the bow,back on port and starboard sides.Do it to the sizes you want.Now remove it,turn it over,add at least 2" all around and mark it out and cut it.What you will do now is,cut up some 1/2"x1" strips of scrap lumber,be it 2' or 16',you will be cutting it up down the line.That piece of pannel that is left over,cut strips of 1"x4'.Get some cheap screws,1" long(sheet rock screws are best)and some 3/8" tacks.<br />Start at the bow,line the first marking with pieces of the pannel(on side) that you cut had up,and back it up with pieces 1/2"x1x6" about every 12" apart,lay the 1" side down of the 1/2"x1",tack them together,the panneling strips should extend above the 1/2"x1".Now comes the trick,you must be able to lay this flat,over some 3/4" plywood,it can be used wood or what,but you will be screwing into it.<br />Line it up,backing it up 1/4" outward of the inside line,screw your blocks down.Do this all around.Add more blocks inbetween the blocks that are there,tack in place and screw down.<br />Get some cheap latex silicon,put a 1/4" bead around were the strips of pannel meet together and round them out with your finger.Let it set.<br />2)Fiberglassing Time:<br />use some 6oz cloth,lay it out in the mold,cut it out so it will fit inside and up the sides,plus 1/2".Wet it out.I used poly resin.Do it one more time.Let it set up.<br />3) Next,cut a piece of 1/2" plywood to fit inside the mold,but let it be 1/2" short from touching the sides all around.<br />Cut some more cloth to fit your plywood,lay it inside,wet it out,install your plywood on top before it sets,add weight on top of it and let it set.<br />After that,glass the plywood all around the sides and up the sides,(a piece of cloth about 8" wide.After thats set,glass in a piece of 1"x4" across,midway.You can do 2 if you think you need it.<br />After all that is set,unscrew the blocks,pop off the sides,flop it over and remove the panneling.<br />All you have to do is do this for each section and then glass them together.<br />Install it on the boat with s/s screws all around the sides,were your rub rail will go.<br /> Order some gelcoat(1 gal) color of your liking.Make sure it has wax added to it.Use a roller to apply it.It will take 2 coats,1 gal will do.Using a roller will give some non slip texture.<br />Email me ,I will give my phone number if you what to try to do it this way,and I will walk you thru if you need help,Paul<br />By the way,I will get some pics' tomorrow,and email them to you,don't know how to post them.

 

[oneoldude]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

prockvoan,<br /><br />Very interesting. <br /><br />You can email me at: oneoldude@THORNcomcast.net<br /><br />Simply remove the THORN.

 

[BillP]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Maybe I'm reading it wrong but I don't understand the reason to make a mold...to each his own. <br /><br />Someone recently gave me a 17' hull so I'm looking at doing a flats boat project like this too. The hull sides will be cut down LOW. First thoughts are to use poly and pt wood but that may change.<br /><br />Without going in to great detail...I will first install and glass in the footwell bulkheads to the hull. The bulkheads will demark where the casting deck is placed and give structure to the hull. Then add internal framing and glass to hull and screw (assuming poly is used for economy)to bulkheads. After that, I will cut and fit ply decking...sealing the bottom and internal framing before installation. Next will be setting the deck down on the framing and secure with screws. Then glass the deck edges to the hull (biaxial or combo of 3oz mat and 18oz woven roven). Final glass would be one layer of 3/4oz surfacing mat or 1.5oz mat. Mat gives excellent ding protection with a non skid surface but can be fill coated smooth if desired. Lightweight (6-10oz)cloth doesn't give enough protection for my use and multiple layers aren't practical when heavier material is available. Next comes rolled on gel coat and splatter/webbing trim. Last step will be installing screw in inspection plates/molded hatches.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

True, plywood is easy, but next time I do a floor or casting deck, I'm using straight fiberglass.. No, or very little wood..<br /><br />I made a floor pannel (34"x60") out of fiberglass to cover my gas tank in my 21 footer.. It's a simple flat pannel about 3/8" thick with four 1"x2" fir strips glassed underneath to brace it up a little.. It's strong as all get out and very light compared to what a piece of glassed plywood would weigh..<br /><br />here's how i made the pannel.<br /><br />Took a piece of thick particle board and spray glued wax paper to it to keep the part from sticking... Particle board is very dimentionaly stable, ie. not prone to warping like plywood.. <br /><br />Layed the board out on the driveway(nice and flat) in the shade and layed up my glass on it.. Used polyester resin with barely enuff catalyst as to keep the heat from the chemical reaction down to a minimum (thats key to keeping the pannel from distorting or becoming wavy).. If i remember correctly, I layed up 3 layers of 1708 biax, and a little ounce and a half mat mostly to attach the bracing on the bottom.. As an added benefit, the top of the pannel comes out almost perfectly smooth from being molded against a flat surface..<br /><br />Couple hours later it was ready to be trimmed to shape and gelcoated...<br /><br />Even though a casting deck or floor might be larger in overall size, with some minor bracing from underneath which could even be done with sheet foam and more glass, I don't see any reason why one could not make economical 100% rot-proof all fiberglass decks or floors for a flats boat this way...<br />

 

[BillP]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Is that what the mold post was about? Nothing wrong with solid fiberglass but if you compare properties it is really heavier and more expensive than glassed ply to achieve the same results. That's why 99% of all modern boats have cores and why older boats are built way thicker. But hey, to each his own. I do it faster and cheaper with pt ply and glass.<br /><br />peace bro

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Cool.. Hey, "to each his own" is darn right.. Thats what makes these kinds of projects so great..

 

[prockvoan]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

BillP,building a mold,you in up with a smooth finish.You don't have to sand for that smooth finish and not wasting resin.

 

[flashback]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Hi oneolddude, I noticed in your post you mentioned the word "lite". A tried and true way of creating a strong and lite structure is by using end grain balsa and creating a "sandwich". It is very strong and lite... the only drawback is that all fasteners that penetrate must be sealed very well or the balsa will rot out.. but using it for a deck structure is probably the best thing it can be used for....

 

[BillP]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Originally posted by prockvoan:<br /> BillP,building a mold,you in up with a smooth finish.You don't have to sand for that smooth finish and not wasting resin.

prockvoan,<br />Different strokes for different folks. I've made plugs and molds for boat hulls and decks from scratch...and kinda sorta understand the process and results. On a project like this it seems to be a lot of extra work just to get a smooth deck. Flats boat decks need heavy non-skid and glass over ply makes a pretty good non-skid on home brew projects. Roll paint or gelcoat on with sand to fill the weave and it's finished. Like I said, different strokes...

 

[prockvoan]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

No problem Bill,To get a non skid texture,what I do is I don't spray the gelcoat in the mold,I roll it on after I pop the mold off.Using a 1/4" nap,gives a very good non skid texture to the deck.The only problem with that is you are unable to wax out the gel coat after some what for a supper shine.

 

[conchman]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

NO solicitation at all conchman.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

Hmmm conchman - your profile says business owner and your homepage it www.seadek.com. Can we assume that you are alittle bias about which non-skip marine deck application we should choose? (considering the only posts I have read from you say:<br /> "After completion of your deck, you may want to check out a new non skid on the market.....Seadek. It has a self adhesive backing and works really good! Soft on the feet too. Check out the website....www.seadek.com."<br /><br />-JustMrWill

 

[Realgun]

Re: Lite & Strong Deck Construction

I did a search and did not find anything in the mall resembling this material however, I believe he should have it added. It looks good, not to expensive, serves a good purpopose.