But I bought a 16' Deep and Wide Jon boat.Good choice, nice and stable, especially for kids. Wish I had one for the smaller lakes and ponds around here. The boat I have is picked out to make the wife happy, but limits me to the larger lakes.
It has two bench seats one in the middle and one on the end. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.
The flooring on it is right now basically just plywood sitting on the floor and screwed down and carpeted. The ply wood is rotted tho.. I have taken it out a few times and It breaks underneath me at times. If it's gotten that soft, it has reached a point it's unsafe and you would probably be better off removing it and using the bare aluminum until you can afford to replace it.
I was going to put new plywood down I dont have the money for the marine grade stuff right now. I know I will have to replace it next year thats ok with me. Marine grade is basically outdoor plywood with a better grade of wood laminates aka less voids. If you get outdoor plywood from your local Home Depot/Lowe's, you are getting the same glues, but more voids. Since you're going to carpet or put some sort of paint/covering over it and this is a boat, that's a non-issue in my mind. You can save money buying thinner plywood, but be aware you'll need to build in additional support in the form of framing or foam.
Basically I was wondering if there was any cheap way to make regular plywood last longer? Water sealent etc.. The simple answer is yes. Of all the methods I've read of, I think the better solutions involve (Hopefully in correct order of better choice) 1. epoxy resin, 2. fiberglass resin, 3. Marine Spar Varnish/Urethane, 4. Polyurethane paints/coatings, 5. Thompson's or other brands of deck water seal. Based on longevity and durability, you're probably money and marbles ahead using one of the first three, preferably the epoxy resin. Prep your wood to install in your boat, including drilling holes, then coat with the protectant, including your holes. Some of the materials will make the wood thicker, but shouldn't be a problem.
Also do i need to put wood or foam down under it? Or can I just screw it to the supports? That's probably whatever you want to do, but adding additional support for thinner board material is going to help longevity and if you use foam, help sound deadening.
I dont want a raised deck I have 2 little girls that fish with me all the time and i feel safer with them sitting deeper in the boat. I mainly fish for catfish so I wouldn't need it for that either.
No reason to have a raised deck. Build your boat for your application. Just one thing to think about: If you build too cheaply, it'll break down on you and you'll have to do it again sooner than you want to, so you end up spending more money than you would have it you had done it better the first time around. Balance cost with quality when considering a build. Save a few more months and do a good job, then enjoy it for years with no additional costs because you did.
Right now we sit on the bench seats or we bring our fold up chairs and set them in the boat. I looked through alot of the builds and layouts and didn't see any where they kept the floor low and kept the bench seats.
You'd have to go through several pages, but they are there. I'm not sure I'd use the fold up chairs in a boat, even a wide one. If moved just right, it might tip over. Might want to consider either fastening it down or installing a boat seat that can't move. Remember, lots of used stuff out there. Especially if you look on craigslist and other for sale forums that are available. Don't have to buy brand new. Good used works just as well when you can find it.
