what wood to use for a casting deck

[wayne h]

i am looking to make a 4ft X 3ft casting deck on the front of my 12 foot aluminum v-hull.i am going to go from the first front bench seat to the second bench seat with the deck what kinda wood can i use i was thinkging 1/2 inch OSB.i dont want to spend alot on wood i am going to cover it with carpet but i need to make it remove able because my trolling battery will be under it

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

I would personally stay away from OSB. It's weak across board (hit it with a hammer), heavy and seems to soak up water like a sponge. I also find it's impossible to do precise work with since the saw tends to blow chunks. The only thing I like about it is it's price. <br />1/2" ply will do a fine job. You could use 3/8" if you were careful with the structure underneath. If you do use it instead of 1/2" ply, be mindful of the major axis. It's called Oriented Strand Board for a reason.

 

[frankdel]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

A 12 fter is a little small for a casting deck. Stand on the bench seat while the boat is in water. Its going to feel real tippy.

 

[wayne h]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

well its going to be some where for the girlfriend to lay while we are on the river also.i stand on the bench to cast but thats not much of a deck to stand on for casting.i dont want to dance on it i just need a little more room

 

[wayne h]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

you think i can use 1/2 ply painted with an oil base paint and carpeted would work?

 

[frankdel]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

If its a place for your girl friend to lay on then you better get started right away. <br /> I'd go 1/2" green treated plywood with I/O carpet stretched and stapled underneath. <br /> How bout a door for stowage. Cut out the door/carpet the floor/ screw green 1x4 around the bottom of the opening leaving 1" reveal/ Cut the door down to account for carpet/drill hole for flush door pull/carpet the door/install door pull/ put on blind hinges between the door and 1" reveal.

 

[wayne h]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

frankdel thanks for the great idea for storage good place to keep the life vests and tools there is already going to be a trolling motor battery under it. i love this board thanks for the help and ideas

 

[frankdel]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

Your welcome Wayne. Im new to this forum. Sure is a wealth of knowledge here, friendly too.<br /> I've got 8 boats of one kind or another. No project boats in the works but theres always tweaking to do.

 

[imand344]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

go with 1/2 or 3/4 marine grade - in the long run it will be worth it- if you plan on keeping the boat for another couple of years chances are if you replace it with osb you will be doing it again next year

 

[JasonJ]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

1/2 inch might be too flexy if there isn't anything underneath to support it, but as long as you have some sort of support underneath, 1/2 inch would be optimal. You want to watch the weight issue, too thick and you are just lugging around extra weight, which wastes gas and makes the boat slower. I have had succes with ACX, just paint it with a couple coats of 1 part polyurethane paint, $20-ish bucks at the hardware store, its used for decks and garage floors and anything that sees exterior exposure. Then you used some decent marine carpet, glue it on so you don't have the chance of staples wicking moisture into the wood, and it will last as long as you want it to. <br /><br />Now that the better half and I have been using Skanky Beast, she has requested that I come up with a sort of insert that fits into the bow seating area that would make the entire front flat for laying purposes, which is fine with me because that also would create a casting deck, so that will happen when the boat comes back out of the water....

 

[bassin large]

Re: what wood to use for a casting deck

I built a casting deck on my 12' fiberglass Sears Gamefisher. Check it out: http://hometown.aol.com/brideg19/BassBoatConversion.html