Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

[mmskiffowner17]

Hey everyone, I have a boat not many of you will be familiar with (at least I think that). I have a 1995 matlacha magic built in matlacha area (pine island florida). My boat is solid (with the few scratches and such over wear and tear). I have ZERO I repeat ZERO storage in this boat and a horrible front deck are. I have 4 feet of useless deck space (on the hull) that I am planning to build a casting deck onto and join with the existing one at the bow. I plan to use 1/2inch plywood (marine plywood) and fiberglass over it, and cut out hatches for storage and battery placement for my trolling motor. What should I use as the supports for the deck (these will be mounted and secured directly to the fiberglassed deck beneath. I am a newby on a limited budget but this boat is sitting and needs to be used but i can't store any of my gear on it making it useless for now.

 

[a1964rn]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

Welcome to iboats! If you'll post some pics, you'll get a lot of good advice. Exterior grade plywood will probably be your best bet, but hard to tell without pics.

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

Welcome to iboats! If you'll post some pics, you'll get a lot of good advice. Exterior grade plywood will probably be your best bet, but hard to tell without pics.

I plan to get pictures later tonight, being a college student my time is more spent in class

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

Hi mm. Welcome to iboats. I'm up the road a bit in Tallahassee. In addition to all the great folks here at iboats that can help with your up comming mods, checkout microskiff.com which is a site dedicated entirely to microskiffs like yours. Lots of FL boys and girls on their with experience working on obscure, regional, FL boats. Can't wait for the pics. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

ok guys picture of my boat. I removed the bimini, cant fish with it lol. I want to add a wooden deck to the front and run it to the middle of my center console. I will have a area cut out for the part of the console with the storage hatch. I want to build a deck so i can have storage hatches for tackle. any ideas?

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

so i did some looking and i think 2x2's as the supports would work but im not sure

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

Hi mm. 2 x 2 should work fine. I would seal them with a bit of Spar Urethane/Varnish for good measure. Also, be sure to use stainless steel hardware throughout the build process and some 3M 5200 marine caulk for any through-hull fasteners. Do an image search in Yahoo/Google for "poling skiffs", "flats skiff" for lots of ideas and inspiration. It helps to make templates out of cardboard before you commit to cutting any wood. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

i have the drwings done, my dad is a cad designer. i need 5200 anyways cause im building my own shallow water anchor ($65 bux) thats also going to be my push pole. that front deck is very difficult to drill through and also cut, i was going to use a skill saw to cut the front compartment's cover but im unsure on how to cut it now.

Im going to water seal my wood and fish out of it as soon as it is done (have a tournament in a week and a half and the boat will be done this weekend) then following the tournament i'll glass the new deck. Any concerns about that? Any tips, ideas, recommendations on storage placement?

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

so i did some looking and i think 2x2's as the supports would work but im not sure

Ordinary framing doesn't work well with fiberglass boats, anywhere you penetrate your deck or a bulkhead will be a probable point of entry for water intrusion. I'm not saying you can't frame up your new deck and fasten it it to the existing boat, I'm just saying you should know that it could lead to the deterioration of your boat.

Building with fiberglass is a different kind of animal, fasteners like screws are only used in a bare minimum and only when they will be covered with layer of fiberglass cloth and resin. Almost everything is held together with fiberglass cloth/mat and resin. Like this:

Notice how everything is held together with fiberglass, and how plywood is the main building material? this is one of the best ways to rebuild/modify a fiberglass boat.

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

im wanting this deck to be removable for when i have my dogs out on a pleasure trip

 

[jigngrub]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

im wanting this deck to be removable for when i have my dogs out on a pleasure trip

If that's the case, it should be free-standing too.

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

thats what im trying to figure out how to do lol

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

ok figured the free standing part out, I am going to be adding a bracket to the console and to the front existing raised deck (no hull penetration). When the new deck is in the boat it will attach via a system of screws that hold it to the boat's console and the front deck. This will allow me to remove it and install it in meres minutes. pictures of the build are incoming as soon as i get the wood. any ideas prior to my buying the materials?

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

o so have the basic designs ready, two flip up hatches on the sides (for bigger tackle bags), and 3 hatches in the middle for gear like life jackets, you the needed stuff. Quick and easy installation thanks to my bracket system and a couple of wing nuts.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

sounds good. can't wait to see how she turns out.

 

[mmskiffowner17]

Re: Matlacha magic skiff deck questions

so..... my sister's bf is really good with fiberglass so we will be glassing the new deck after a watertest happens. I am going to build the new deck, sit it in the boat and take her for a spin. I am building ym shallow water anchor and extending my trolling motor's shaft to accommodate the addition of my cooler being mounted to the front as a fly platform (I'm learning to fly fish). I will post pictures but does anyone have an idea for a custom trolling motor bracket? I broke the factory one on the transom mounted unit (prowler 33# from bass pro). I was thinking going to home depot, getting 2 u-bolts, and 2 latches (heavy duty) and making my own "gator mount". Im on a college budget right now and am trying to DIY alot (I love to diy). SO please don't rag on me about money and parts, it's why im here on the forums