Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

[ToyBoat5X]

Hello,

As you may know, Im rebuilding my boat deck and came up with a brilliant idea(well i think so) d Im pretty sure someone has thought of this too but would it be a good idea to put deck plates on the floor?(towards the rear of the boat) The reasoning behind this idea is to have access to the floor so that if any water does get in, i can open the deck plates and wet vac water out. also leave them open to vent out any moisture..when not in use. Is this a good idea??? has anyone tried this? of course i will completely seal the deck plates with screws and epoxy so that no moisture can not get in when im using the boat.

I am planning to putting two deck plates side by side (b/c there is a beam in the center) so that i can have access to both sides of the lower floor.

let me know what you guys think, for I am a new boat owner.

Thanks guys,
Andy

 

[andy6374]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

Well remeber the deck plates themselves offer an opportunity for water to enter. No plastic type hatches are watertight, just "weather resistant". The only true water tight plates are the aluminum ones. Like

http://hamiltonmarine.com/0243.htm.

I'm putting one in the deck of my mako project.

 

[Terry Olson]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

Not to disagree with Andy, but I'm of the idea that water's going to get in there no matter what you do. I don't see the deck plates as creating a problem because it already exists. Then again, I'm also not so sure you'll have much use for them either. It can't hurt (IMHO anyway) so why not?

 

[ToyBoat5X]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

Thanks guys,

Im gonna head to the west marine store today and see if they have the aluminum ones. Also im gonna ask them what they think of my idea.

Thanks Andy for the aluminum plate idea. I was thinking to myself that the ABS plastic ones would not be sufficient enough.

Will epoxy hold that down if i use it with woven roving???

Thats exactly what i was saying to myself Terry, that it's unrealistic to expect the hull to be completely dry at all times. This way I can atleast have the reassurence that I can always keep my boat water and moisture free d

Thanks again

Andy

 

[andy6374]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

All bilges will get water in them...sure. But the idea is when you take a wave over the transom or bow you want the water to drain via the scuppers not your deckplates. The really do leak. Especially if a boat is docked at a slip and there are big rainstorms...you'll want the most water proof deckplates there are. I doubt west marine carries the aluminum ones, and on the same topic you'll getted ripped off buying beckson or another plastic type deckplate from West marine.

Will epoxy hold what down if you use woven roving? The woven roving??? Yes it will. You should use layer of 1.5oz mat inbetween layers of the roven. Using a Biaxel stitchmat fabric like 1708 eliminates the need because it has a non-woven glass with glass mat stitched into it.

You probably don't need epoxy either. Unless you are building a wooden boat. You can get a 5 gallon pail of good quality marine polyester resin for ~$100-120 or vinylester for ~$150-170. That's the route I'd go, but this choice is yours!

Good luck

 

[Mark42]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

I think it would be cool to have deck plates made from 3/8 or 1/2 plexy so you could see at a glance what was going on down there. Mount a bilge pump in clear view and you will always know the conditions under the floor!!!

 

[dmarkvid2]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

Put a bead of a good marine caulk around the underside flange of the deck plate, and I think you'll be good to go.

 

[ToyBoat5X]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

I think it would be cool to have deck plates made from 3/8 or 1/2 plexy so you could see at a glance what was going on down there. Mount a bilge pump in clear view and you will always know the conditions under the floor!!!

That's exaclly what im talking about, knowing the condition under the floor at all times. So when water does get in, I can quickly clean it out without worries about water being "trapped" under the floor.
I will post picks of the floor when I get a chance

Thanks,
Andy

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

i have a center console that I installed a round deck plate to make it easier to snake electronics to the center console. have had no problems.

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

I personally like the idea of plastic deck plates over the aluminum ones. Plastic ones would be much cooler on your feet when the sun hits them.

If you shop around, you may be able to find them a little cheaper than west marine.. try ebay too.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

These "say" that they are water tight...

Deck plates

and they are sold here!

-JMW

 

[andy6374]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

they may say watertight but they aren't. Especially with some head pressure.

The closet water tight you are going to get with plastic are deckplates made by armstrong

http://www.armstrongnautical.com/DckPlates.htm

I'm also not saying that water is going to pour in. But water will trickle in, especially with some head pressure. But armstrong plates are pretty damm good.

 

[crunch]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

Maybe I'm a little slow here... Why would you want a water proof deck? I thought the whole Idea of having a bilge pump was so water that entered the boat would collect in the lowest point and then be pumped out... am I, as a new boat owner missing something?


If you can't admit ignorance, you'll never learn anything.

 

[andy6374]

Re: Are deck plates in the floor of my boat a good idea?

Why wouldn't you want a waterproof deck??

The bilge pumps should really be there in the event of something going wrong.

But yes...the bilge pumps are placed where water should collect so it can be pumped out.