SpyGuy23
Member
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2012
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 5
Just brought home our newest family member from Academy. We're going to name her "Mouthin' Off." Throw a couple oars inside her and she'd fish just fine, I'm sure....but let's drill some holes in her before we get her wet!
Yes, that is a roll of toilet paper used for a tire stop.
Big thanks to all you guys who post on this site. I hadn't worked with metal since 8th grade shop class, let alone, worked on a boat before, but with your insight and expertise, things have come along nicely thus far.
First order of business has been the front deck. I wanted a raised front deck but was wary of stability issues, given my affinity for awkward motor function. I settled on making the front deck flush with the front bench seat and decided to run the deck all the way up to what Alumacraft likely calls their casting deck - a tiny built-in deck at the bow. I had read forum after forum searching for ideas on a support system. Being a somewhat experienced woodworker, it would've been the easy choice for the supports. But with myself weighing 225 pounds, and having a few buddies pushing 3 bills, every pound of added weight was going to count. Here's what I came up with:
I used 1 1/4" X 1/8" aluminum L-angle and all of the connections were made using 3/16" pop rivets. All of the 90 degree cuts went quickly, but it got tricky when connecting the vertical supports to the ribs since the ribs lay at a slight angle. Not having the equipment nor the know-how for welding, I first positioned the boat on the trailer how it would likely lay (empty) on the water by raising the trailer jack to the appropriate height. I then angled the bottoms of the vertical supports using a miter saw and laid them flush with the ribs. It took some trial and error and a garage full of aluminum shavings to find the correct angle for the cuts, but the result was a surprisingly sturdy support for the deck. The first rib ended up being about 9.5 degrees, and the second (pictured below) was 1.9.
The angled cuts kept everything at 90 degrees.
I designated a hatch size based on the biggest item I'd likely place in there, the anchor. I attached support for the hatch, as well as more front and rear support for the deck (hopefully overkill at this point). The pedestal seat will fit nicely just behind the hatch and in front of the built-in bench seat, so I won't need to be drilling any more holes than necessary into the bench. ...Future live well???
On to the deck. I would have liked to install diamond plate, but that was one area of personal ignorance I wasn't willing to relieve myself of. So plywood it is. With a little research I've learned a few things to consider when choosing a ply: the wood's weight, rigidity, water resistance, cost, pressure treatment (may corrode metals), do bugs like it (I read that birch attracts bugs - just something to consider). I read other user forums, mulled it over with a few guys at the lumber yard, and chose to go with 3/4" marine grade plywood. The 3/4" vs. 1/2" adds substantial weight, and the marine grade adds significant cost, but for my needs, a lower maintenance, sturdy piece of ply that won't need to be swapped out once a season was a fit. I bought myself a $10 insurance policy on the ply by purchasing some 1/2" foam insulation sheathing to make a template. That way I wouldn't ruin a good piece of wood with poor measuring. I laid the insulation where the deck would lay and methodically cut into it until it was a good starting point to trace the cutout for the deck.
First cutting with a circular saw, then fine tuning with a jigsaw - a few trips from the boat to the workmate for touchups, then it was back in the boat with a snug fit.
I left about 1/8" on both sides for the carpet, and beveled the bottom of the ply about 1/4" to fit flush with the gunwales after the carpet is installed.
Up next will be the battery housing and extending the front deck towards the stern a few feet to cover the remainder of the front bench seat and provide a little more storage/room for electronics (circuit breaker, charger, possibly a switch panel) behind the bench seat. More to come...
Yes, that is a roll of toilet paper used for a tire stop.
Big thanks to all you guys who post on this site. I hadn't worked with metal since 8th grade shop class, let alone, worked on a boat before, but with your insight and expertise, things have come along nicely thus far.
First order of business has been the front deck. I wanted a raised front deck but was wary of stability issues, given my affinity for awkward motor function. I settled on making the front deck flush with the front bench seat and decided to run the deck all the way up to what Alumacraft likely calls their casting deck - a tiny built-in deck at the bow. I had read forum after forum searching for ideas on a support system. Being a somewhat experienced woodworker, it would've been the easy choice for the supports. But with myself weighing 225 pounds, and having a few buddies pushing 3 bills, every pound of added weight was going to count. Here's what I came up with:
I used 1 1/4" X 1/8" aluminum L-angle and all of the connections were made using 3/16" pop rivets. All of the 90 degree cuts went quickly, but it got tricky when connecting the vertical supports to the ribs since the ribs lay at a slight angle. Not having the equipment nor the know-how for welding, I first positioned the boat on the trailer how it would likely lay (empty) on the water by raising the trailer jack to the appropriate height. I then angled the bottoms of the vertical supports using a miter saw and laid them flush with the ribs. It took some trial and error and a garage full of aluminum shavings to find the correct angle for the cuts, but the result was a surprisingly sturdy support for the deck. The first rib ended up being about 9.5 degrees, and the second (pictured below) was 1.9.
The angled cuts kept everything at 90 degrees.
I designated a hatch size based on the biggest item I'd likely place in there, the anchor. I attached support for the hatch, as well as more front and rear support for the deck (hopefully overkill at this point). The pedestal seat will fit nicely just behind the hatch and in front of the built-in bench seat, so I won't need to be drilling any more holes than necessary into the bench. ...Future live well???
On to the deck. I would have liked to install diamond plate, but that was one area of personal ignorance I wasn't willing to relieve myself of. So plywood it is. With a little research I've learned a few things to consider when choosing a ply: the wood's weight, rigidity, water resistance, cost, pressure treatment (may corrode metals), do bugs like it (I read that birch attracts bugs - just something to consider). I read other user forums, mulled it over with a few guys at the lumber yard, and chose to go with 3/4" marine grade plywood. The 3/4" vs. 1/2" adds substantial weight, and the marine grade adds significant cost, but for my needs, a lower maintenance, sturdy piece of ply that won't need to be swapped out once a season was a fit. I bought myself a $10 insurance policy on the ply by purchasing some 1/2" foam insulation sheathing to make a template. That way I wouldn't ruin a good piece of wood with poor measuring. I laid the insulation where the deck would lay and methodically cut into it until it was a good starting point to trace the cutout for the deck.
First cutting with a circular saw, then fine tuning with a jigsaw - a few trips from the boat to the workmate for touchups, then it was back in the boat with a snug fit.
I left about 1/8" on both sides for the carpet, and beveled the bottom of the ply about 1/4" to fit flush with the gunwales after the carpet is installed.
Up next will be the battery housing and extending the front deck towards the stern a few feet to cover the remainder of the front bench seat and provide a little more storage/room for electronics (circuit breaker, charger, possibly a switch panel) behind the bench seat. More to come...
