PT Decking for Jon Boat Floor

One of the first projects I'd like to do on my jon boat is to put a floor down, it has ribs about every 14 inches and is almost flat. I have some new pressure treated 1 x 6 left over from a decking project, is this a good way to go, I would leave a little bit of a gap between the boards so air can circulate. What do you guys think, good idea or not?

I'm still new, but the common theme says you don't want to use pressure treated wood with aluminum. Copper in the wood is corrosive to the aluminum.

do you mean using the decking boards as the floor?

You really don't want to use PT wood, for the fact that it has copper in it which will corrode the aluminum. I really think you would be better off with plywood... less stress on the wood since the weight will be dispersed proportionally while standing on it. I think the 1x6 will give a little too much.. and if you leave spacing in between, that's just enough room to lose a lot of little hooks, things getting caught etc.

If you do decide to use them, be sure to paint/stain them well... this will slow down the corrosion, but it won't stop it.

Holy Cow I'm glad I asked, thanks very much for the information.

Sounds like you've gotten your answer, but I'll add to it...just in case. The 14' SmokerCraft Voyager I bought about a year and a half ago had decking boards in it. By 1 x 6, I'm assuming you're talking about the "5/4 boards" commonly used. I just pulled it all out because I'm putting in a plywood floor. There was a center support under the boards and honestly, it felt pretty sturdy and I haven't noticed any corrosion damage. However, I don't know how long they were in there. My biggest problem with them was they warp, splinter, crack, and junk falls between them...never to be seen again. As everyone else has said, I'd go with plywood (because I'm too cheap for aluminum).

Crappie-attitude, did it have pressure treated wood on the floor? Or just plywood?

baptistpreach said:

Crappie-attitude, did it have pressure treated wood on the floor? Or just plywood?

Click to expand...

It was pressure treated "5/4"x6 decking boards. They were pretty dried up and appear to have been in there a while, but the boat stayed on the "beach" by the lake year-'round with the sun beating on it, so it's hard to say.

The deal with PT'd wood only started a few years ago when they ban arsenic. To replace it they increased the copper content by 40+%. When i first heard this, I would have called you a nut, but I have pictures to prove the damage it can cause in about 6 months The pics are in my gallery. I had a old Monark that had the old PT'd wood in it for 15 years plus and never had trouble. In my opinion, I wouldn't use PT wood even if it meant replacing the decks every few years.

How about cedar or plastic decking? I like the idea of air circulating under the floor that's why I'm leaning towards planks with a small gap instead of a plywood sheet.

I think you should be fine on whatever you decide to use. If wood I would just use a water sealer. As far as the oxidation I have heard that it could and could not happen. If there was that much copper in the wood then I think it would be conductive with electricity and it is not. I used pressure treated on my boat and no problems. The reason I went with the wood is to weight it down because when I am flippin and pitchin in the wind it helps keep the boat more steady. You can always get a bigger trolling motor to make up for the loss of speed due to the weight but how often do you fish fast in a jonboat.

Hey Brine, I like your avatar. =D> That is the exact picture I used for a tattoo.