14 ft. alumicraft NEW PICS!

[phxbuckeye]

well everyone, its been quite some time since i have been on here. seeing how fishing season is in sight i thinks its time to finish this bad boy! i was thinking about mounting a stern light up front and and wiring to a battery below the flooring up front and having the trolling motor mounted up front as well and hooked to the same battery. i have seen people do this and it looks great. i have seen some people use aluminum and some people use wood for the "support beams". the only reason i can come up with for this is simply because its lighter. is that all? i assume its a bit more expensive though. how do you mount this stuff to the boat? thats my biggest question. any help would be appreciated. thx

 

[phxbuckeye]

here are a few pics of what i have done to my boat so far. this was all done in may of last year. ive had her sittin since and with fishing season at the front door its time to stop screwing around and get this finished!

i cut the top of the one side with the intention of putting my spot light, flashlights, and a few other small things in there.

 

[phxbuckeye]

well here is what i got accomplished today, not much but its a start. i wanted to have two levels up front to provide me two different storage compartments, plus i plan on mounting a bow light on top and running the wiring directly to the battery which will be in the lower storage compartment. the lower storage compartment will have plenty of room for the battery and other odds n ends. i was thinking of putting the anchor in the top compartment. what do you guys think? as far as the battery goes, i plan on bracing it on the floor with some 1x1's. kinda like a battery box to keep it in place. there will be room for pfd's and other stuff. i want to mount the front seat on a pedastal that attaches to the second bench seat where the plywood stops at. what do you think? will it be sturdy enough or will i have to apply some sort of other bracing? i know im not mounting a lazyboy up there but i dont want to be scared to get comfy you know! and ideas, questions, concerns, nit picks, etc would be greatly appreciated. thx

 

[idahoguy]

Nice lookin boat! Wish mine was in that good of shape to start with. I like what you are doing up in the bow. I am still undecided if I am going to do the same thing or not. I am leaning more towards not, just to keep things simple for me. I can still add that after the fact.

Have you figured out what you are going to do with the floors yet? Are you planning on mounting the back seat just off of center?

Seth-

 

[phxbuckeye]

im still up in the air about the flooring. a friend of mine suggests just putting down indoor/outdoor carpeting directly onto the aluminum and heat treating it so it forms to all the ridges. i really like the idea but i also like the idea of laying down some plywood so its FLAT! haha. how to lay down the flooring if i do plywood i dont know, im trying to look at everyones on here and see how they do it. as far as the back seat goes, yes, it will be just off center to the right to compensate for how i have to steer the boat due to the arm of the motor. the front one will be directly in the center.

I really like your boat, ive been reading all your posts and what people have to say about it. is it an Alumicraft? we have the exact same setup. i kinda got the idea from you. im taking bits and pieces from everyone and forming them into something i like.

 

[idahoguy]

To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what brand my boat is...kinda wish I did. I got tired of tripping on the ribs in the bottom of the boat, that is why I am doing the flat floor. The problem is very rib is going to need a custom fit, kind of a pain. I should painting and carpeting in the next week or so on mine. Hopefully I will figure the floor out in that time.

Seth-

 

[phxbuckeye]

does anyone have any suggestions about how to attach 2x2's to the floor and/or sides of the boat to do flooring? i have seen pics but cant really tell how its done. any help would be appreciated.

Thats my fishing/hunting partner in the pic. he handsome just like daddy!

 

[russ010]

If you go to Lowe's or Home Depot, go back to the lumber section. Look or ask for where they keep the Simpson Strong Tie accessories. There are a few different things you can use there. You'll want to look for ties that are for 2x2 pieces of wood.

If you just want to connect the wood to the floor use the L shaped brackets. For attaching a 2x2 to another 2x2, like for your deck to lay on, use the RTB22. I can pull it up on the strongtie.com website, but I can't get just that bracket to show. Go to this link, then go to the second set of brackets. It's labeled RTB22, it's the last one on the second row. - https://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/RTC-FWH.asp

 

[phxbuckeye]

thanks a lot russ for the info. i will definatetly be making a trip to the depot. i think one challenge im going to run into is that i want my floor to all the way across. however i have a v-haul and that means the ribs are bowed so i cant just run a 2x2 the width of my floor cause it wont touch the the boat in the middle. get what im saying? how do i overcome that?

aslo, before i put the cart ahead of the horse here. how in the heck am i going to attach the plywood to the side of the boat on the platforms i am building? or dont i? i assume i coule just drill into the seat at the edges and that should suffice because im going to use 3/4 inch plywood. i just dont want it to be unstable at the edges. let me know. thx a bunch

 

[russ010]

For the floor, just run a 2x2 from one side to the other... then in the very center, but a brace between the floor and the 2x2. It will probably be 3-4", so just cut a piece of 2x2 to fit and that will make it solid, especially if you are using 3/4" plywood.

I'm not sure if I'm following what you are asking on the second question... I'll have to go back and look at the beginning of your post.

If you are talking about the platform at the front of the boat, I would cut the board pretty tight to the edges. Then when you put your carpet on, you'll have to wedge it down pretty good - then connect the deck to the 3/4" ply you have running from the floor up to the deck. You can run a piece of aluminum angle or another 2x2 just behind where that vertical piece of ply will run. You can screw that to the floor, then screw the vertical piece into that. that will keep it in place.

Take a look at dyeguy's build... if you look at how he built his platform, I think that might be what you wan to try and do. He's got a flat bottom boat, but it's the same concept.

 

[russ010]

ok.. i just looked at your pics again. Just put 2 vertical cut pieces of 2x2 (cut at an angle) so that it lays almost flush with the sides of the boat. You can drill the bottom of those into the bench, or just leave them sitting there. The top of the deck you can screw into the top of the 2x2 as long as you line it up right. Just pre-drill the hole before you screw. The pre-drilled hole doesn't have to be that big, you are just stopping the 2x2 from splitting when you put the screw in it.

Doing side bracing like that will keep that deck pretty solid.

 

[phxbuckeye]

thx a ton russ. i will be putting up pics as i work on it the next couple of days. i hope i dont screw up what you said! haha

quick question, Aluminum or wood 2x2's for bracing, which is better?

 

[russ010]

well... aluminum is better - lightweight and rot resistant, but more expensive... but I've used both. You need to water seal the 2x2s as well

 

[phxbuckeye]

im having some trouble figuring out how to mount the top platform to the boat. i know i will have 2x2 braces running up and down on each side to help with support and to form the storage compartment but what about in the front at the bow? do i drill the plywood into a bracket then drill the bracket directly into the boat? ive been looking on here for someone who has a set up like mine but cant really find one. its tough because i have a v haul and the darn boat is curved!

 

[phxbuckeye]

sorry for the delay. i know how everyone is losing sleep just thinking about my boat project! haha. anyways, i finally got the time today to get some stuff accomplished and took some pics. i know how important pics are on here becuase we cant see these boats in person.

i got the plywood cut for both the lower and upper decks. let me tell you, that was kind of a pain for a first timer! i used 3/4 inch ply on both. i want to make sure its sturdy. plus i got the framing done for the storage compartment im going to have on the lower deck. it doubles as support for the deck. i still need to get the flooring done for under the storage area. i got a start on the template but im still trying to figure out how to secure it to the floor of the boat. its tough because i have a v haul. any suggestions would GREAT!

i still have yet to cut out the section for the lid of the storage on the upper and lower decks, that will probably be tomorrow. if anyone has any suggestions for me on how to do anything or just suggestions on additions please let me know. i am open to all. thx a bunch everyone.

I also plan on having another battery on board for the purpose of lighting. i am going to mount 2 recessed lights on the sides where i am going to build storage. how do i wiring the lights to the battery and set it up with a toggle switch?

 

[russ010]

whew -- thank God I can sleep again knowing you are still moving forward!!

Just kidding - you are doing it right man, keep up the good work!

Make sure you seal that particle board well... that stuff will go south in a hurry if it stays wet. I know it's used on roofs, but remember that roof gets a tar sheet of weather protector.

 

[phxbuckeye]

thanks a lot, any suggestions on a sealer for the plywood?

 

[wolfmjc]

Couple coats of thompsons waterseal? or three?

 

[Mojo]

Well if you never ever want water to get to it thompsons isn't going to cut it. Coat it up with some marine epoxy. You can get a gallon can for $40 bucks or so. But if you go that route you need to mix it in small batches. A quart will coat that whole sheet of wood once. It will need 3 or so coats to make sure its totally sealed up. But after your done you'll never have to worry about water getting into it. If your going to drill thru it or into it afterwards make sure you put some 5200 on your screws before you put them thru to keep the thing water tight.

 

[270Handiman]

Just a word of caution here, that "plywood" you used is actually what is known as oriented strand board (OSB). Of the many types of wood panels, it is one of the least resistant to water. You are really gonna have to seal it well to make it last very long, and even then it will be a gamble. You might be better served to go get a sheet of exterior grade plywood and use the one you made from OSB as a template for cutting a new one out of the higher grade plywood. The you could just seal that with Thompsons and move on. You could do it now before you get any further along, and you really wouldn't be out much except for the cost of the OSB you originally bought.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw this out there for your consideration. Good luck on the rest of the project.