Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

[kazeej]

I'm still working on restoring my 'toon and I have come up with what I think is a cool idea. I have bench seats that bolt directly to the floor. I took them out when I replaced the carpet. Now, I'm about to put them back in, and that's when I got this idea. I want to put some kind of material down that will space the seats up 1/2" or 3/4" off the floor, then put a string of while led's under the front edges. I think this will look really cool, and just shine light across the floor. Is there an alternative to Star Board? Would marine grade plywood be just as good? I don't want to re-do the work later, so if it costs a little more to do the job, I can deal with that.

As always, thanks for any advice!

Jack

 

[BWT]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

I do think that would be a cool little touch although I am generally a wood guy I think I would have to recommend a material that won't rot (starboard, polycarbonate, etc). Which ever route you take, make sure to use a bedding compound where the screws go into the floor. FYI, if you use a plastic product you'll want to use a silicone based compound (as much as I hate silicone and advise against it every chance I get, unfortunately it's the only compound that bonds with plastic ) If I have to use silicone the only stuff I use is made by Dow-Corning; it's their 791, but for something like this the general purpose stuff at the big box stores would be fine. Make sure to put up some pics when it's done!

Hope this helps

~BWT

 

[jims plan b]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

how about some alum. channel turned on it's side ?

 

[kazeej]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

...make sure to use a bedding compound where the screws go into the floor.

Can you explain what a bedding compound is? I was just going to bolt the seats through the floor. I wasn't sure how to attach the seats since they weren't bolted down when I bought this boat, and I'm new to pontoons.

Make sure to put up some pics when it's done!

I have a TON of pictures to put up, but they will have to wait 'til I'm done with this project. I still have the biminis to install, console to replace, navigation lights, trailer lights, seats to reupholster... Seems like when you're doing a project like this, there isn't much time for anything else. But I'm really enjoying it!

Jack

 

[kazeej]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

how about some alum. channel turned on it's side ?

That's another idea to check out. Thanks!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

Is there an alternative to Star Board?

How big of a piece are you looking for? I bought a poly cutting board at Sams Club for some misc boat stuff and it's worked well. It doesn't have the UV inhibitors that Starboard does though....

 

[BWT]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

A bedding compound is essentially some type of caulking. Their purpose is to seal moisture out from places where it shouldn't get into. For example any piece of hardware (cleats, windshield mounts, railings, motor mounts, etc should all have bedding compound under the mounting surfaces (bolts, screws, etc) to prevent water from getting into the core of the boat; which eventually leads to soft spongy areas and rot.

There are generally 2 types that I use and I think most boaters use as well. The one that I use 98% of the time is a 3M product; either 4000 or 4200. I use this for all hardware and thru-hull applications. The other is silicone. Like I said this is generally a dirty word in my dictionary, but it is the only product to use when working with plastics (deck hatches and portlights). As a general rule, unless it's plastic (delrin, polycarbonate, lexan, etc) I use the 3M products.

Hope this helps!

~BWT

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

How about those PVC trim boards from Lowes? I used one for the dash board of my old boat and it worked awesome.

 

[kazeej]

Re: Material to raise pontoon seat off floor

How about those PVC trim boards from Lowes? I used one for the dash board of my old boat and it worked awesome.

That's what I wound up doing. I found PVC 1x6's 8 feet long. I ripped them down to about 1 3/4" and screwed them longways down the deck, then screwed the seats to them. It worked great. Now I just have to save up so I can spend $4.00/ft for the lighting...

Jack