Flooring Stumper

[jwheelfan03]

I want to put a floor in my boat but here is the problem: It doesn't have the grooves(strakes) that run down the boat floor to empty water into the transom area. It just has the stringers that run across each section. Water just sits in there and will not drain because of not having those grooves. See pics.

Any suggestions???

 

[BrazosDon]

Do you know the year, make, and/or model of the boat? What is the height of the strips going across? I would think I would drill a 1/2'' hole at least to let any water drain to the back of the boat. But I would have to see the boat a lot closer to make the determination.

 

[jwheelfan03]

1977 sea nymph. I have only found 1 other like it in the inter web. Here is a picture of the one I found...I was thinkin the same thing about just drilling a hole. Seems like a odd design.

 

[Talons]

It looks like your boat has a semi-v bottom. Is that correct?
Like the other gentlemen said, about 1/2 hole would do nicely, IF, you have the room and you don't think it will cause any adverse structural effects.

If it is a semi-v, I would take advantage of that V in the bottom to channel the water to the bilge area. I would make the deck kind of on the 'high' side so that I can allow for more 'underneath deck' room. And under there, I would mount a semi-permanent/permanent gas tank.

She looks kind of large, how big is the boat?

Talons

 

[jwheelfan03]

16' and about 6 foot wide. I'm trying to make a good catfish boat, so I found the widest/deepest I could find, that didnt cost and arm and a leg...

Thanks

 

[highgeardaddy]

Two observations:
1) It looks like the stringers "bridge-across" from the sides to the floor at the side/floor intersection. The original intent (dont shoot the messenger) may have been for these two side gaps to be the main flow channels for water to the back.
2) The floor looks pretty flat just beyond the V section. If thats the case, the volume of water that will pond between each stringer is limited (it will kick on over to the gap on the sides) but yes, still annoying.

If those points make sense, maybe you just drill one moderate sized or a couple of well spaced small holes through each stringer to let 'er drain on to the back. Its hard to say exactly but the manufacturers tended to not be so stingy with the aluminum back when your boat was built. This tendancy to "over build" could mean the loss of stringer structural cross-section from drilling the hole(s) would be okay. In modern mainstream boats like a my Tracker or a Lowe, they are pushing the limits on aluminum skimping where the boat would likely fold up if you drilled a big hole in a stringer. The bottom of my Tracker looks like a wash board where the hull has warped between stringers. Yes Tracker, I'm shooting at you, don't get me started.

Note if you elect to go that route - after the first hole, drilling on the boat gets easier on you....just stay clear of the hull with that bit. You might want to consider hiding some boat floatation foam somewhere on that rig so you and your motor can get to shore just in case the boat swamps for whatever the reason.
Cheers.