Materials

Hello All,

This site is energizing the heck out of me with what you can do to modify a boat personally. I just have 2 questions regarding basic materials to get started. 1. does the framing need to be attached to the inside of boat? and 2. what kind of materials are best? (2 x 4's, 2 x 2's, thickness of plywood 1/2, 3/4, 1/4) and does all wood framing parts need to be water sealed as well as planning on using stainless steel hinges and latches all around? Thanks for all of the great photos, commentary, and brotherhood. I love it.

Jim W

Welcome aboard Jim,

I moved your question from the Jon and V boat Conversions and Modifications over to the Boat House per the board rules which can be found here : https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=465.

To respond to your questions..... Framing doesn't NEED to attach to the inside, but I would say it's usually best to do so unless you have a need not to.

As a general rule of thumb, lighter is better. Therefore, 2x2 construction would be better in my opinion than 2x4, and depending on how well you support your decking, I would go with the thinest board that has the least deflection. I would look at boards between 1/2 - 3/4 thick.

Yes, you will want to buy non-pressure treated wood, and seal it yourself with a quality sealer. Spar Urethane seems to fit the bill quite nicely. In my opinion, I would dry fit the framing first, take it all apart, seal it, and put it all back together. This way all parts of the wood get sealed as do the screw/bolt holes, and I would use stainless hardware on everything.

If you haven't stumbled across the mod links yet, check out all of the other member's builds for inspiration here: https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=3156

Glad you found us, and I look forward to seeing your progress.

If you can afford it, or have a scrapyard close by, look into aluminum for your decking. Lighter, stronger and will last forever. Scrapyards can have some great stuff if you just look around a little bit.

Stranger than strange things have happened. Wife told me it would be nice if the boys could go fishing more often with me cause i dont think its safe for them in this little 14 foot bench thing. She tells me to sell the boat and upgrade to something "more comfortable" for the boys. WOW!! nice wife. I have sold the boat and am looking at side console steering cresliner deeper V's that will accomodate 3 -4. THanks for all the advice though and am still going to watch this site!!!