new wood floor in jonboat

[fishon1213]

I have an old jonboat that I need to put a new floor into. The boat has been stripped, painted, and the wiring is almost complete. It is a 1448 ryhan craft. I removed the center seat and have built a custom console. Everything is going great so far. Problem is, between the front and rear casting deck is going to be about 8.5 ft, and widthwise, i would like the floor to be about 50 inches so there is no space for things to fall under the floor.

Long story short, I need a piece of wood for the floor that is 5' x 9' and can't find one. To accomplish this with a 4' x 8' piece i would need 3 and would have seams. Any ideas?

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: new wood floor in jonboat

Partical board comes in 5'x9' size that is used for ping pong tables. Maybe plywood is also available in that size for the same purpose. Try an on-line search.

 

[colbyt]

Re: new wood floor in jonboat

No disrespect intended but particle board is an absolute no no. I don't use that for anything. The first time it gets wet is swells.

Use marine grade plywood if you want it to last. I have been in a lot of boats where the last inch or two on the sides isn't covered.

There are some specialty sizes of plywood made for furniture makers. Try a local distributor and skip the BORG.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: new wood floor in jonboat

If your jon boat is typical, that central bench seat you removed was probably a fairly large portion of the flotation foam for your boat.

On the deck questions, you might get more traffic & answers if you post some pix of the boat as it is currently, and of your console. If you have not yet set the console, I'd suggest figuring out a way to hide any seams under it. Epoxy coated & joined, you could create a deck that is the size you need, but as I can't see how this is all going together, it makes it hard to say for sure how best to proceed. Marine grade plywood is available in 'odd' lengths & widths. But it'd probably be cost prohibitive to buy & ship depending on where you are located. If you're on a coast, a great lake, or a boat building, marine repair rich environment, you may find some locally.

Here is 1 place that carries larger pcs of plywood:

Product Information

5' x 10' x 12 mm | 2 Sides | Unprimed Koskisen MDO - Exterior Product Type: Overlaid Plywood Description: Unfinished, Paint Grade, Medium Density Overlaid (MDO )plywood Features and Benefits: Economical, smooth surface for high quality enamels Superior surface & life High strength, light weight Waterproof bond = water/humidity resistance High Face/Edge screwholding Very low formaldehyde; meets CARB Common uses include Exterior Signage Quantity On Hand: 212 SKU: 51012MMDO2S Sheet Size: 5' x 10' Length: 10' Width: 5' Thickness: 12 mm Type: MDO 2 Sides Brand: Koskisen Weight: 75 lbs Mix Match Group: Sheets Color: Craft

MDO is what most road signs are made out of. That example is roughly a 1/2" 5'X10' sheet. They carry exterior grade, marine grade & MDO that would all work for making your oversized deck in 1 pc, but they only carry the 1/2" & 3/4" MDO in the 5X10 sheets. But the 4X10 is available in the other plywoods. IF you could address the 1" gap on each side, if you centered the 48" in the 50" boat beam. A piece of 2X4 could be ripped into a 1.25" cant strip & that would bridge that 1" gap if need be.


But addressing the flotation foam would be pretty high on my list....

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: new wood floor in jonboat

No disrespect intended but particle board is an absolute no no. I don't use that for anything. The first time it gets wet is swells.

Use marine grade plywood if you want it to last. I have been in a lot of boats where the last inch or two on the sides isn't covered.

There are some specialty sizes of plywood made for furniture makers. Try a local distributor and skip the BORG.

Not in any way suggesting use of partical board. Just suggesting that if partical board is made in 5x9 sheets, maybe plywood is also made in that dimension. From the other posts it looks like it may be.