New Boat, New Questions.

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T Man

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Bought a 1652 Lowe on Thurs to replace my 14' semi V. The boat definitely needs some tlc, but it is a good start. It has a 25hp Mercury on it, but a spun hub kept me at 1/4 throttle on my shake down run. Even with that I was still doing 10-12mph. After it is running the way I want, plans include cutting out the middle bench, building a gun/dry box along the port side and maybe a small dry storage/cooler/livewell on the starboard side in front of the console. The goal is a dual purpose fishing/hunting boat. So far the wiring has been gutted (shoddy work to begin with) the rear post seat has been removed, (will be put in for the drivers seat once bench is pulled) the small section of floor has been ripped out, the trolling motor and lights have been removed from the bow. Along with the boat, I got 8 or 9 sheets of Fast Grass for future blind building. This year the plan is to get the interior layout how I want, and get the lighting and wiring all done. As far as wiring goes, I am going to run a 6 gauge hot/ground to the front using 1/2" pvc as conduit. From there I will build 2 junction blocks to run lighting, trolling motor, and any future electrical additions. All lighting will be setup on relays so I can fish thin wiring from the switch panel I am going to build on the console up to the front. Fuses will be on 2 small 6 slot panel, one located on the front and one in the rear for future upgrades with a 40 amp breaker on the 6 gauge wire 18" from the battery. Trolling motor will be on a semi permanent mount on the front so it can be easily removed during duck season and replaced during the summer, and will be run on a series of plugs.

Now that is the back story, the question starts with this:

I have decided to put a floor in this boat after the benches come out. I want to keep weight to a minimum, but cannot afford aluminum so I have decided to go with exterior plywood. I was thinking of using 1/2" ply for the floor, but didnt know if it would be strong enough to mount removable seat bases to. I am kicking around the idea of making a 3 man layout boat out of this so I need clear floors. Will the 1/2" be sturdy enough or should I reinforce with some 3/4 under the bases? To seal the wood, I was thinking about a coat of deck paint over on all 6 sides. Anyone see any problems with this setup?

The boat when I first got it:

(link to pictures because they are too big)

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/14313_686221485285_152236641_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/308720_686221520215_1040363122_n.jpg
 
Congrats on the new rig, just make sure whatever wood you use it isn't pressure treated. I would reinforce it as much as physically possible where you plan on putting seats. You will have to consider that seat bases protrude two or three inches below the floor line so you will have to have runners or braces to raise up the floor. A wood floor on a 1652 with a 25hp might be difficult to plane with a passenger or more. Also removing more than one bench might hurt the rigidity of the hull so if you over load or over power it could come back to haunt you.
 

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