I am in the beginning process of repairing my 14' hull. It came with a mid-level casting deck. By that I mean it sits in the middle of the hull. It works great when fishing, as the center of gravity is low and it is more stable. I have noticed two problems. One, the wood wasn't sealed and is rotting slowly. The same is true for the transom. Second, there is a lack of storage on the boat. The mid-level deck only allows for the storage of a bow mount battery and anchor. The boat works fine for now. It would be nice to have the upgrades, but it can wait. I do need to weld the cracked top part of the transom, which is not currently an issue, but may become one later on. I want to seal the boat to prevent leaks.  I used jb weld to stop most of it. I want a definite fix. I understand that it will be hard to remove truck bed liner. It will also add weight. The liner will be mostly underneath a casting deck, so it won't attract heat so much. i would still like to use white liner, to prevent excess heat. I plan on lining up to the lip of the boat. Any other tips?

I wouldn't seal over a rotted deck... putting bed liner over rotten wood might prolong it a [very] little bit but only gives you false hope.  Just pull it out and replace it.  Sure you could miss a day or two fishing but if you did it during the week in the evenings you might not miss any water time.  You can do a few upgrades or add some storage at the same time. 

 

As for sealing the boat (not sure what you are sealing) But i have used fiberglass resin and painted the rivet lines of a couple old boats- talk about cheap and easy.  But you have to mix up small batches and paint quick!  (you get about 8 minutes working time depending on your ratio)  Lasted for years without a drop of leakage.

 

A couple of pics would help- lots of wisdom on this board and if they saw what you had to work with they could offer some great suggestions and or help you work through a plan.

On 3/28/2017 at 5:37 PM, flechero said:

I wouldn't seal over a rotted deck... putting bed liner over rotten wood might prolong it a [very] little bit but only gives you false hope.  Just pull it out and replace it.  Sure you could miss a day or two fishing but if you did it during the week in the evenings you might not miss any water time.  You can do a few upgrades or add some storage at the same time. 

 

As for sealing the boat (not sure what you are sealing) But i have used fiberglass resin and painted the rivet lines of a couple old boats- talk about cheap and easy.  But you have to mix up small batches and paint quick!  (you get about 8 minutes working time depending on your ratio)  Lasted for years without a drop of leakage.

 

A couple of pics would help- lots of wisdom on this board and if they saw what you had to work with they could offer some great suggestions and or help you work through a plan.

 

Sorry for the confusion, i am keeping the old deck as long as possible. I want to seal the inner part of the hull (aluminum part) with bed liner.

 

 

Gotcha.  That boat looks like it's in better shape than mine were when I sealed them.... roll it over and paint the rivet line and seams with fiberglass resin (no mat) just mix it and dot the rivets or pain along the lines of rivets.  Not a durable as bedliner but cheap, easy, dries fast and you can redo anytime quick & easy.  You have to seal the bottom though, because you can't get into and under the ribs. As I mentioned, my sealer jobs lasted a couple years each. 

 

edited to add that to prep for resin, all you need is some fine sandpaper or a wire wheel on a drill... clean and scuffed.