I own a 14′ deep V Lund fishing boat – 3 bench seats riveted on currently. I would like to add a floor to the inside of the boat (and a casting dock up front) and am wondering if anyone has experience doing this. I’m assuming a marine grade plywood/marine carpet is the way to go? Also is riveting the way to fasten it? Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Go with the lightest stuff you can get away with. Putting a heavy floor in there will be like hauling around another person. If you cut it right one screw can hold it just fine. I saw someone that used aluminum sheet metal and it was lighter than the plywood by a long ways.
Be carefull. Getting that floor up too high will change the center of gravity of the boat. They can get real tippy and dangerous.
I know member Milemark_714 has done a number of boats over the years. You may want to shoot him a PM with ?? or if you want, he may be available to help you.
I replaced the floor in my 16 foot Blu Fin two years ago.
Even 1/2 marine plywood is heavy weight wise.
Got it for $49 at Menards on sale.
Give each side of ply two coats of marine spar varnish.
Since this was a replace, I was able to use the old floor as a template, then when installing, put an awl or screwdriver in all the holes to ensure alignment before setting fasteners.
When fastening, I used alum rivets from Fastenall. Make sure you use rivets that are compatible with the aluminum hull / seats they touch to prevent galvanation.
Length is critical for holding power.
I’ll sell ya my Fisherman 145 tiller and you’re golden.
JP 
Use cardboard to out line your floor plan. My 14 ft lund has a floor like this. I think its 1/2 plywood. I re-did the front casting deck and made it out of 1/2 with 2×4 for support. The differecne I saw was that the fron benches were removed and the bench that was left was the rear bench and used when drivving the boat. It doubles as a spot to cast off of. But I would look to add styrofoam for flotation and support. ( thats what is under my main deck floor) If your willing to wait a while to do this I can get pics when the boat comes out of storage and show you the lay out. Also under the front deck there is alumnium that gives me support under the front.. As I said I can get pics of how it looks now when it comes out of storage.
I used the plans from this web site: http://www.myjonboat.com/, to convert my 14′ double deep double wide jon boat to more of a fishing boat. The plans were easy to follow and there were a lot of good tips as you built. I’m not much of an original thinker when it comes to stuff like this but it was easy to do with a blueprint to follow. 
Depending on your long-term plans with the boat, I wouldn’t obsess about spending the extra cash on marine-grade plywood.
I’ve done a few of these (one of my own and one for a buddy). It’s a fun project, requiring a fair amount of “knack” and this is the perfect time of year to get after it.
You do want to be thinking about floatation…as your existing benches are filled with it. I was able to get my hands on pour-foam. After securing the main flooring, we bored countless holes in it with a 1″ spade bit and then pour multiple small batches of pour-foam into them until the stuff oozed out the holes. You must drill several, several holes or the pressure of the expanding foam will pop the decking right off the hull. Once it cures it is very solid, and it is easily shaved off flush with a saw. Once covered with carpet you can’t tell where the holes are.
Doing this not only gives you floatation, it really firms up the decking. I was able to get my hands on the stuff through a relative who worked at a boat manufacturing plant – but I see that you can buy the stuff through taxidermy supply companies. It’s used to customize animal molds.
As for the added weight of the entire flooring – and it’s impact on boat performance – I did a before and after check on mine. It was rigged with a 20 HP 2-stroke and would top out at about 22 MPH before the flooring (with just me in it). After the project, I could still muster 20 MPH. The added comfort was well worth the loss of speed.
One other tip…concerning the decking…install a couple of 1/2 inch cpvc tubing along the beam, connecting the compartment under the future casting platform and the stern. This allows for drainage (especially if you are going to fill that void with pour-foam) and also gives you a handy conduit for future wiring.
Good luck with your project.
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My buddy Chad (C$) redid his 14ft Lund. I’ve looked and sat in the boat, he did a great job.
See this thread.
Wow now this looks like the way to go Chad did a great job and I am sure he would be happy to answer any questions you might have. In case you missed it he made two different posts on his project.
One other thing concerning materials…aluminum brackets/angle iron, etc can be mighty spendy when purchased retail. I was able to purchase almost all of my aluminum at the local scrap yard for cheap. And it’s amazing at what you will find. Angles, hinges, you-name it. All aluminum and I think I paid $2/pound for it.
check out tinboats.net, there are a ton of reference implementations you can go off of and a lot of people that know what they’re doing on there. also, I would go with an aluminum floor but that is just my preference, its lighter, a bit more expensive, but should last longer and throw a coat of tuff paint on there for traction you’re good to go..
.m
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