Need ideas for 14' Lund

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sgtsarge

Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2013
Messages
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Location
Montana
Hello all..

During last fall I purchased a 1992 Lund WC-14 boat for myself and two youngsters who like to fish. I have been reading on this site for a couple months trying to get ideas on everything. The boat came with a 25hp Johnson outboard and an old Hummingbird LCR-4id fish finder.

I have been looking for ideas for trolling motors, storage ideas, you get the picture. I realize this is a small boat but I am trying to maximize the amount of room to organize my gear. The boat has the typical three bench seats and a useless spot in front of the front bench. I have been thinking about extending the front bench to the bow and using that area for storage. Yes I could use it now for storage but I like my stuff hidden and organized.

It is the idea of a casting deck but not to stand on. I will leave my swivel seat there and I hope that would discourage anyone to get up there. My idea is to store lifejackets, anchor, fenders for when it would be docked (rare), and maybe a trolling battery. It would have one hatch to lift up and give access to the area. So I began to research and most of what I found are the casting decks. Again, I don't plan on fishing from that but just utilizing it for storage. The area is small, 42 inches maximum width but only 30 inches from the front of the bench to the middle of the v, or the back side of the keel.

I have looked on the type of materials to use and since I live in Montana and we are short on marine supplies, I purchased a sheet of CDX plywood and began my project. I have thought of carpet, but that just soaks up water and may be difficult to clean. I have started looking about the pros and cons of vinyl. Here is my idea, and since the information is scarce, it may not be a good one. But, you are professional and a lot of people are very knowledgeable with modifications to our tin boats.

I was thinking about sealing the wood then putting a thin layer 1/2 to 1 inch thick foam and cover the area with a marine grade vinyl. Fabricate a hatch and do the same thing. The seat would be mounted on the first bench still, and that would give the front passenger just enough room to stretch their legs out and relax. I typed this whole message and realized I don't know how to post pictures yet, se bear with me and I will attached some pics soon.
 
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Here is a pic of the three benches.

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Here is a picture of the plywood in place.

Like I said earlier, put a hatch there and cover it with foam and vinyl. What do you think?
 
Hey there, looks like a great boat. Welcome! Curious about a couple things, first why is there a police car in the picture? haha how thick is the plywood you have down on the bow now? looks like 1'' which is very thick in my opinion. I used 1/2'' on my boat and I'm 250 lbs. very sturdy and no flex. I don't have any experience with vinyl but a lot of people have great luck with it and love it. Are you planning to attach the foam to the wood? What is the purpose of the foam, floatation?
 
Hey, nice rig there! As far as vinal goes; i have never used it but one solution I've seen and used is rubber horse stall matting. I used 3/8 inch thick material. It was heavy enough that it did not have to glue it down to the plywood and it did not blow away while trailering down the highway. it is very durable, easy to clean, slip proof when wet, reduces hull noise and it is avalible at most farm and ranch supply stores. Just my two cents. But no matter what you use seal the plywood or else it will rot in a year or two.
 
Nice boat ! ,From north of you in Alberta Canada congrats ! , we have a 2010 WC14 Lund and we Love it. Our boat is pretty much stock but we decided to "equip" with accessories without modifying the structural integrity. Enjoy your purchase !
 
The first pic is from the gentleman I purchased the boat from last year. I am not totally convinced on the vinyl, but I thought if I put the vinyl over a little foam it would be nice and soft. AND maybe the foam would disguise the not-so-straight edges too :) The plywood is 3/4 CDX that I plan on coating with several coats of urethane when the weather warms up.

3/4 inch ply is probably overkill but I don't know that I will brace it much either. I stood on it yesterday and it didn't even flex at all. I know that will change once the hatch is cut out and if it does, then I would run some aluminum down the sides to support it..

Thanks for the input so far...
 
I think foam under the vinyl is a bad idea. When it gets wet(and it will) it will make the ply rot. Not sure what you could use that would be soft. Vinyl is good because its easy to clean and durable but it won't be as comfy as carpet.
 
So I finished the aluminum frame and cut out the hatch opening for the deck. I have decided to go with carpet instead of vinyl. One question about using the West Epoxy. Do you just mix it with the hardener and roll it on the plywood? I was'n' planning on using the fiberglass but it really necessary?
 
[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=341761#p341761 said:
sgtsarge » 13 Feb 2014, 18:59[/url]"]So I finished the aluminum frame and cut out the hatch opening for the deck. I have decided to go with carpet instead of vinyl. One question about using the West Epoxy. Do you just mix it with the hardener and roll it on the plywood? I was'n' planning on using the fiberglass but it really necessary?

I think you made the right choice with the carpet and not trying to pad the vinyl. The epoxy is just to seal the wood so there is no need for the fiberglass IMO. Don't forget to post pictures.
 

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