Advice and ideas on decking out our Tracker Guide v14

[Tcusta00]

My son and I just picked up our first boat - a 14ft aluminum Tracker guide v14 that we’re thinking about adding some decking to. The idea we have is to deck on top of the forward bench and to the front of the bow and same on the aft bench to the transom - but leaving foot space open in the middle back there.

Three questions we have (so far!)

1. Is this a good plan based on what you see here?
2. HOW do we do this? We’ve watched a ton of videos about this and basically what I see my options to be are…
   • Frame it with PT wood so it nestles into the hull at the level of the benches and lay plywood on top of that. Simple enough, but that’s heavy and doesn’t seem like it would be the sturdiest. I imagine I would use L brackets or something to attached to the front of the bench.
   • Frame on TOP of the benches, attaching the framing to the bench directly. I think the biggest issue I’m struggling with is how to frame/support weight into the V in the bow without drilling into the hull. The stern boxes would be a fit easier to friction fit in there and get them to sit well. I’m assuming it’s a bad idea to rivet any brackets directly to the hull since it’s thin aluminum and wouldn’t be great for weight support. Also…. holes in boats aren’t ideal, right? But again, this is our first rodeo so open to whatever you can offer.
3. Material suggestions for framing, decking and surface? Thinking PT lumber, CDX and marine carpet or EVA decking.

Thanks for any help.

 

[samuelh1987]

This was exactly what I did with my Tracker.

Thread 'Tracker Guide V14' Tracker Guide V14

Getting ready to start another boat, a 1967 Starcraft V.

 

[Tcusta00]

This was exactly what I did with my Tracker.

Thread 'Tracker Guide V14' Tracker Guide V14

Getting ready to start another boat, a 1967 Starcraft V.

Oh wow, that looks really nice. Well done.

How is the deck in the bow supported/framed out? Do you mind snapping a pic or two?

 

[samuelh1987]

Unfortunately I no longer have the boat. The frame / bracing was simple 2x2's. I also hinged the deck to where the void between the bow and middle seat could be used for storage. I'll dig through past photos and see what I can dig up.

 

[Tcusta00]

Whatever you can find would be appreciated, thank you.

Do you remember if the 2x2s were just resting in the hull or how they were attached?

 

[samuelh1987]

Whatever you can find would be appreciated, thank you.

Do you remember if the 2x2s were just resting in the hull or how they w

There were face boards attached to the benches. The 2x2 we're attached to the face boards with angle brackets. The front brace rested flush up against the bow if I remember correctly. There were legs that then went straight down and rested against on the floor also attached to the ribs with angle brackets.

 

[LDUBS]

Conventional wisdom is to avoid pressure treated lumber or ply as the chemicals may react poorly with aluminum.

 

[thill]

Mine is very similar to yours. Here is what I did:



I need to take more pictures, but in the front deck, I made it one piece, well secured, and later added a hatch to access the tons of storage underneath. If you look you will notice that the front center section of the rear deck lifts up For access to the large storage area below.

I'm very very happy with this design, and many have commented at how much they like it.

I had initially intended to cut down or remove the middle bunk, but it turns out to be pretty useful when three of us are fishing as a center casting platform. You get used to it pretty quickly. In fact, I really like it, because I can go from the back to the front in a few long steps without having to step down and back up again.

 

[alpha550]

Avoid pressure treated lumber, it will eventually react with the aluminum.

 

[Tcusta00]

So PT lumber is out - thanks. So exterior grade plywood is as well then?

 

[thill]

Use exterior plywood and buy a gallon of Thompson’s Wood Preserver/Waterproofer.

After you cut and fit all your pieces, use a paint roller or a garden sprayer to saturate the plywood. It soaks in like water. Focus especially on cut areas and edges, as they soak in water the most. Hit the wood a second time after an hour or so and it will really last. Really good stuff.

Make sure to let it dry thoroughly before paint or carpet, usually a day or two, just to be sure. Not many seem to use it anymore, but I’ve been using it for over 30 years with great success. It really does work as advertised.

I'm a bit picky, and after I screw everything down, I use a little brush and touch the area around the screw heads. Have had one of my builds go at least 10 years out in the weather, no cover, without rot. I advised them to cover, but they didn’t. After that, I lost track of them, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it's still just fine now, 25 years later. Thompson’s is good stuff.

 

[thill]

And this is not to say that other products like Epoxy, poly resin and urethane don’t work, just sharing my personal experience.

 

[airshot]

Go light as you can, use aluminum angle rather than wood 2x2's. I weigh 200 lbs and 5/8" plywood holds me up fine!!
Many go way overboard on their builds and end up so heavy they limit there own capacity !! On my 14' alum V bottom I spanned plywood between the two seats for a flat floor, no issues with weak or flexing with no center supports !! Keep us posted on your build...

 

[Tcusta00]

Use exterior plywood and buy a gallon of Thompson’s Wood Preserver/Waterproofer.

After you cut and fit all your pieces, use a paint roller or a garden sprayer to saturate the plywood. It soaks in like water. Focus especially on cut areas and edges, as they soak in water the most. Hit the wood a second time after an hour or so and it will really last. Really good stuff.

Make sure to let it dry thoroughly before paint or carpet, usually a day or two, just to be sure. Not many seem to use it anymore, but I’ve been using it for over 30 years with great success. It really does work as advertised.

I'm a bit picky, and after I screw everything down, I use a little brush and touch the area around the screw heads. Have had one of my builds go at least 10 years out in the weather, no cover, without rot. I advised them to cover, but they didn’t. After that, I lost track of them, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it's still just fine now, 25 years later. Thompson’s is good stuff.

Thanks for the details, much appreciated!

I already have some Thompsons on the shelf here so that’s easy.

 

[Tcusta00]

Go light as you can, use aluminum angle rather than wood 2x2's. I weigh 200 lbs and 5/8" plywood holds me up fine!!
Many go way overboard on their builds and end up so heavy they limit their own capacity !! On my 14' alum V bottom I spanned plywood between the two seats for a flat floor, no issues with weak or flexing with no center supports !! Keep us posted on your build...

Agreed! The stated capacity on my boat is 470 for people, 795 for everything. So I was hoping to keep this to a sheet and a half of plywood, plus hardware and bracing where needed, which I’m hoping will all run well under 100 pounds total.

My only challenge is limiting the bracing I’d need on the bow piece. On the part between the rear seat and transom I can easily figure out how to attach aluminum brackets.

It’s the bow that would require something else to be built with some lumber, barring riveting into the hull, which isn’t happening.

 

[thill]

Agreed! The stated capacity on my boat is 470 for people, 795 for everything. So I was hoping to keep this to a sheet and a half of plywood, plus hardware and bracing where needed, which I’m hoping will all run well under 100 pounds total.

My only challenge is limiting the bracing I’d need on the bow piece. On the part between the rear seat and transom I can easily figure out how to attach aluminum brackets.

It’s the bow that would require something else to be built with some lumber, barring riveting into the hull, which isn’t happening.

If you look at my bow platform, there is NO support under it at all. The back of the platform is over the front bunk, the wood is cut to fit closely, within 1/4" or less, and there are two angle aluminum tabs on each side going through the hull on each side. But the trick is that I used PL Pro polyurethane construction adhesive around the perimeter, between the decking and the hull for a continuous bond. It is rock-solid. Often, 3 of us fish up there at the same time when the stripers are breaking, so it's been tested thoroughly for a number of years.

When I finally added the deck hatch this summer, I was a little concerned about integrity, so I added some aluminum stiffeners in front and behind the hatch. They worked perfectly. No loss of strength.

Your hull is built basically the same as mine. I think you will have good success.

 

[thill]

Thanks for the details, much appreciated!

I already have some Thompsons on the shelf here so that’s easy.

Aaahhhh... So you already know about it. Depending on what you are using to cover your floors, you may want to go with the clear, not the pigmented kind, although I don't know if that would hurt anything. I have only used the clear in boats.

 

[Tcusta00]

Thanks for all the helpful info, thill. I’ll keep you posted on our build.

 

[Skunked again]

 

[Skunked again]

Finished product, for now. The boat is a Lowe 1467uv. Framed with 2x2’s, lids are 1/2”.
It’s not pretty.