Pliewood

[gizfawfish]

what type and what size of pliewood should i use to deck my jon boat?

 

[Brine]

Depends on a few things. For most applications, I think 3/4" exteterior is the way to go. Then make sure to seal it with a good wood sealer. Use the search function in the top right corner and you'll find lots of discussions on it.

FYI, it's spelled "plywood" tho.

Good luck!

 

[bandgeek1263]

FYI, tho is spelt though, lol

just bustin ya :LOL2: :wink:

 

[Brine]

FYI, tho is spelt though, lol

just bustin ya :LOL2: :wink:

Well, I only mentioned it cuz (because) if he tried using the term "pliewood" in his search, he probably wouldn't have much luck.

Thanks tho :mrgreen:

 

[Bush Hawg]

I used 5/8 on mine, I think its still a little to heavy, may redo it. Years ago I put a front and rear decks and floor in my 14' john boat 3/4 on the decks and 3/8 in the floor and it killed the boat for speed, lost well over 5mph. Went from a little squirrely turning to I could throw it all the way over to full turn with no problems at all.

 

[Bush Hawg]

definately seal it with a water sealer, i put almost atleast 2 qts of paint on mine and about 2 years later i begining to see some rot.

 

[bandgeek1263]

I've heard of people commonly using 1/2 inch, but I'm not sure? may have to reference that...

 

[Brine]

I can't imagine using 3/8" plywood in a boat to walk on unless the ribs were less than 16" off center or some additional framing was added prior to laying down the sheet. Then again, I weigh 260. That said, I know you could use 1/2" in some applications so long as you've got good support from below. However, the 3/4" will hold a bigger/better screw and deflect less.

I'm not sure how it may affect your boat's top speed like it did for Bush Hawg, but the difference between a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" ply and 3/4" ply is about 20-25lbs (The same weight as my tackle bag). Then again, 95% of the time, I use my boat as an all-electric rig, and 5mph is about top speed for me. I suspect if your outboard motor was unable to get your boat on plane after decking it, it would have a significant impact on performance, but in the case of a front deck making the bow nose-heavy (roughly 4x4) the difference would only be about 10-12lbs between 1/2" and 3/4".

 

[Ram]

I used 3/4" regular plywood, I didn't want to skimp and get something that's to thin and flexible, so that's why I went with the 3/4". I sealed it with epoxy resin from US Composites. That stuff is awesome and will protect the wood for what seems like a million years. Here's a link to my boat project - hopefully some of the info on there will help you in your project.

https://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectThumbs,p,469,00.html

 

[Bush Hawg]

I can't imagine using 3/8" plywood in a boat to walk on unless the ribs were less than 16" off center or some additional framing was added prior to laying down the sheet. Then again, I weigh 260. That said, I know you could use 1/2" in some applications so long as you've got good support from below. However, the 3/4" will hold a bigger/better screw and deflect less.

I'm not sure how it may affect your boat's top speed like it did for Bush Hawg, but the difference between a 4x8 sheet of 1/2" ply and 3/4" ply is about 20-25lbs (The same weight as my tackle bag). Then again, 95% of the time, I use my boat as an all-electric rig, and 5mph is about top speed for me. I suspect if your outboard motor was unable to get your boat on plane after decking it, it would have a significant impact on performance, but in the case of a front deck making the bow nose-heavy (roughly 4x4) the difference would only be about 10-12lbs between 1/2" and 3/4".

Can't remember what the ribs were spaced on that boat but i did cut strips of styrofoam and placed inbetween the ribs for extra support

 

[jarhead]

I had the same questions about plywood thickness. Ran up on this on the internet at this site https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NSX/is_4_48/ai_100736197/

I hope this helps you out. It was a big help to me.
I also found this info, which helped me on total load and distribution - "The easiest way to determine an honest weight of a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood? 20-25 pounds per 1/4" of thickness. 3 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness according to APA Plywood Design Specification". (Source https://wiki.answers.com/Q/Weight_of_Plywood )

The design I am working on is mostly 5/8" plywood coated with 2 part epoxy.
Good Luck