Having eliminated the middle seat of my 14′ I want to add a floor at the bottom. The bottom is curved/typical bottom of aluminum boat. There are ribs but only on the bottom that stand off about 1/2″.
Is there an ideal way? I was thinking of running aluminum stringers lengthwise, securing them to the rubs with screws, and putting the floor atop it. But of course the floor then sits on the edges of the aluminum.
Ideas welcome!
Be careful if you remove the middle seat. Many times those benches are structural, keeping the sides from flexing. I’ve heard of those types of boats folding in half if they hit a wave hard enough.
Be careful if you remove the middle seat. Many times those benches are structural, keeping the sides from flexing. I’ve heard of those types of boats folding in half if they hit a wave hard enough.
Did it with my last 2. They were very solid. Especially after adding my floor
I added a floor to a 12′ Starcraft a long time ago. I used 2×3’s laid in cross ways. I cut the stringers with a band saw to match the curve of the bottom of the boat and notches lining up with the drainage holes in the ribs, then put 3 coats of sealer on them and used construction adhesive to glue them close to the ribs. Then I screwed the plywood to the stringers. I don’t know if the glue held but once the plywood was attached it wasn’t going anywhere. There was a flange or something on the inside of the boat that a brace for the removed seat had been attached too. A friend that was a metal fabricator made a pair of L brackets with a twist in them that connected the floor to the side wall of the boat.
Be careful if you remove the middle seat. Many times those benches are structural, keeping the sides from flexing. I’ve heard of those types of boats folding in half if they hit a wave hard enough.
Oh yeah. It’s braced with wedged from the floor ribs up the side.
Check out tinboats.net forum. Ton of pictures of builds and advice and guys who have been through it before to answer questions.
Pics with the floor out would help. I did this with an 16’ Crestliner way back when. Floor had aluminum stringers ran across to attach to. Pretty easy job.
I cut the middle of the bench out and fabricated two compartments on each side so it was kind of a walk through. Wish I had pics.
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