I am thinking of doing some modifications to a 16x48 jon boat.  Are there any must do's or must don'ts I should know about before I get started?  I just basically want to make a deck in the front with some compartments underneath, and a deck to cover the back battery area.  Any info on what materials work best would be greatly appreciated as well!

I am now working on my third build. From the first two I have learned a alot.

You can use 3/8 or 1/2 plywood with no problem at all.

I also used 2x2 treated pine for my subfloor and it works great.

The added weight of the wood subfloor didn't slow the boat down any.

Here's a few pictures.

In the first two pics you will see a 1/4" aluminum bracket bent over the bench. If you are going to install a pedistal this is a must because the aluminum from the bench is nowhere near strong enough to hold you up.

That looks like the same carpet we put in the bottom of my boat last year....and is that a Kobalt utility knife I see laying there?  Shopping at Lowe's were we?

Wayne

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That looks like the same carpet we put in the bottom of my boat last year....and is that a Kobalt utility knife I see laying there? Shopping at Lowe's were we?

Wayne

lol

Yep. They are about to open a new Lowes less than 2 miles from my house. I'm in big trouble with this next build.

PS. That's Lowes Carpet too.

I have put many decks in my boats. Improving on them each time.

Fist off make it strong enough, but don't make it so heavy it weighs your boat down.

I use wood for  floors and sides,( 1/2 inch plywood for floors and the thinnest stuf I can find for the sides) but I use aluminum angle (that I buy at Home Depot, Its only a 1/4 mile from my house. I am in real trouble) I use the angles for the frames, they are stong, very lite, and are easy to work with

One thing I will tell you about, that is overlooked by many, is carpet.

you can buy cheap stuff or spend lots of $$ on it. Just do one thing when you look at carpet, take a lure with you, a heavy one with trebels hooks( Rat-L-Trap works good). Pick your carpet and drop the lure on it. If it sticks and is very hard to get off the carpet. don't get it. just think if you carpet your boat and everytime up drop a lure it gets stuck in the carpet and you have to rip it out. It will drive you crazy, The carpet will not last long., and you will bend a lot of hooks. I made this mistake the first time I made a deck in a boat.

Thanks for the info. How do you connect the wooden frame to the aluminum of the boat? Also, on a boat like that, how do you mount the front trolling motor?

HPBB:  For the aluminum angle frame....how do you attach to the boat, weld it?

Thanks Again

I have read that the chemicals in treated lumber react with the aluminum and cause structure problems...

Any one else heard this????

John

MarVaBc

Ho do I attach the Alunium fram to the boat? I use  stainless bolts or screws

some I don't attach to the boat. They just sit in their place.

I have also heard this about treated wood

I was told that marine grade treated wood, which is very $$$ will not react with Aluminum, but pressure treated or "wolmanized" ( don't know how to spell that) wood will react.

The wood I use is regular untreated wood. i then coat it with "Tompson Water seal" It will not react to the metal and it wooks great on the wood.

Is that the old arsnic treated lumber or the new new copper stuff?

I am not sure, am trying to find the site I read this on,, will keep you posted.

Either type of PT plywood could cause a reaction when fastened against the metal. This has to do with the "salts" in the preservative. Also  PT  plywood is usually not as a good a grade = less plys, more knot holes, = less strength per pound. Trust me on this, use a good five or seven ply plywood and coat both sides and the edges with some clear polyurethane or other sealer.         T. M.   licensed contractor and building inspector

Gene,

Here is the link I was reading  

http://www.finishing.com/281/30.shtml

The specifications for pressure-treated lumber have changed. The new ACQ lumber has a high copper content and corrodes fasteners and aluminum that were protected formerly. We are starting to use ceramic coated fasteners. What kind of barrier can be used to protect the aluminum extrusions and aluminum coil from interaction with the ACQ lumber? Will wrapping the lumber with tyvek or some other building wrap be sufficient?

That's some good information TM. I will use poly from now on. That will lower my cost to. The good new about my past builds is I used brackets that seperate the treated lumber from the aluminum hull.

That looks like the same carpet we put in the bottom of my boat last year....and is that a Kobalt utility knife I see laying there? Shopping at Lowe's were we?

Wayne

lol

Yep. They are about to open a new Lowes less than 2 miles from my house. I'm in big trouble with this next build.

PS. That's Lowes Carpet too.

I thought it looked familiar. I have a P/T job at Lowe's in the evenings. Gotta have extra income to pay for all the toys.

Wayne

I got a question for you guys:

How do you cut the plywood to match the contours and angles of the boat?

Use a big sheet of cardboar and make a template then trace it onto the plywood.... best way I have found.

Hello!

Happy New Year!

I got a question for you guys:

How do you cut the plywood to match the contours and angles of the boat?

It's kinda hard to explain but to qualify it. I was raised by an engineer who taught me to build things but forgot to teach me how to explain how I built them.

I find the center line of the boat and run a tight string down it. Then I measure from the string to the edge of the boat every 10 inches and transfer that measurment onto my wood that also has a centerline drawn. Then I connect the marks and start cutting.

The best thing I did on my boat, and I will do it on every build, is to buy a peice of an anti-fatigue runner from Lowes and glue it down under the carpet in the places that I will be standing the most. This has made those long days of fishing very comfortable.

The best thing I did on my boat, and I will do it on every build, is to buy a peice of an anti-fatigue runner from Lowes and glue it down under the carpet in the places that I will be standing the most. This has made those long days of fishing very comfortable.

There it is the #1 do

Nice.....thanks for the good advice.

TM is right in MY opnion pt plywood is way overrated, first its the bad cuts of wood and injected with chemicals to NEVER make it rot. I have a Nitro now but I build my first jon and just used nice ab plywood and it is still going strong (my buddy bought it from me). I would suggest trying to find a plywood with as many layers of ply you can find. My local homedepot has 4 ply 1/2" ply that is twice as strong as the typical 3 ply and its around $2 a sheet more. I do belive you can also get a 5 or maybe a 6 ply 1/2 plywood (could be mistaken, but I had a very reliable sorce tell me you could), but you would have to probally have to have them order it for you. Then I would take the addvice and either coat it with a good waterproofer or paint it with a good oilbased paint. I would also suggest using aluminum angle instead of wood if you can swing it. Wood works just fine dont get me wrong but aluminum is very light and lasts forever.  Also I love the idea of an antifatige mat below the carpet. Also you will want to use ss screws or rivits with anything in contact with the aluminum.

Also another thing I did with my first boat is coat the entire inside of the boat with heculiner (paint-on bedliner). I did add just alitte weight but really helped seal up the boat and seemed to help dead'in a lot of sound. Plus and maybe its all in my head, but it did seam to stiffen the boat up alittle beacause I did remove the rivited in seats.

Also the old preasure treated lumber (ACQ) did not eat steel or aluminum near as fast as the new pt lumber (ACQ). Acq (the new and only pt now avaliable) lumber is any metal's nightmare. Only thing that will withstand its abuse is either double dipped hot galvinized or stainless steel.

Dave

Don't get stuck in the Home Depot/Lowes rut when shopping for plywood. See if there is a good local lumber company or cabinet makers supply near you. Sometimes you can find a little better grade of plywood in such a place and sometimes it's cheaper than the big box stores. Always look for exterior grade with an odd number of plys, ie 5,7,9 .

The best thing I did on my boat, and I will do it on every build, is to buy a peice of an anti-fatigue runner from Lowes and glue it down under the carpet in the places that I will be standing the most. This has made those long days of fishing very comfortable.

where is this located in lowes? and how much does it run?

i need a few of these

thanks