Not sure if this is the right spot for this thread but I'll give it a shot....
I've got a 1989 Regal Sebring 195 bow rider. She's in great shape and I want to build a custom swim deck for the rear. Looking through the forum i couldn't find much in this genera. Anyways, just seeing if anyone has ideas or has done a project like this before? My base for the platform will be marine plywood unless someone knows better..... I'll probably fiber glass the deck as well for water proofing.
Yup, that's my thread & swim platform. I do know better than to use plywood or wood in general for such a thing. I used a medium density foam as well as fiberglass.
I have seen several threads (here and elsewhere) where the person used a fiberglass over wood approach. It is generally easier to do since wood is so familiar to most and relatively easy to build with and relatively economical. However, there are some disadvantages to consider.
Weight - it will be heavy.
Longevity - It most likely will absorb water over time and may expand, cracking the fiberglass core, and it all goes downhill from there.
What you don't see in the threads on building a platform from wood/glass is how the platform holds up over time, but maybe there are some follow-up posts on those threads . . . I just have not really searched for them.
I have also seen many threads of someone wanting to build their own platform, but it never went anywhere . . .
In terms of building a platform, you can do similar things with a medium (or even a higher) density foam (closed cell) and then glass over it to come up with a similar result that will not tend to absorb water and will be much (much) lighter.
I used a "plug - mold - part" approach to designing and building the platform. So, it was a lot of work. I did so because I wanted to get a certain look in the end result, like a 'molded in' non-skid pattern. Depending on the end result that you are looking for, you could consider making a mold, or using a one-off approach of building a frame/core and glassing it over.
My other piece of advise, is to start with a design that is inherently strong. I say so, because a 'strong' design will be lighter. Poorly designed platforms only become strong by adding weight in terms of fiberglass thickness, extra materials, bracing, etc.
I have threads both here on iBoats and on 'boatdesign.net' regarding the platform that I made.
