corrugated plastic sheet instead of plywood - jon boat floor

[slizzy]

For some reason I got the idea I could use 10mm thick corrugated plastic instead of plywood for a removable floor in a 1236 jon boat.

I will be car topping the boat so I will be removing the floors often.

I plan on using foam insulation panels and marine carpet as well, but would like to have a light weight floor

I thought I read a build someone did with the 10mm thick stuff? but i cannot find it now.

Is this possible or a waste of money and time?

 

[bobberboy]

I have a feeling the material (trade name Coroplast) will crush from standing on it. I faced a similar situation to that you've described. I got a 1236 boat that I intended to carry on my pop-up camper. I made the floor out of a material called Sintra - a PVC sheet material. I used 12mm on top of foam and it made a solid floor. It was very lightweight but expensive. I think a 4'x8' sheet was around $100. In the end I got a trailer as it was much less a hassle to deal with the trailer than to take off the outboard and contents of the boat every time I used it. If interested you can see my thread (linked in my signature) to the Lowe 1236 build.

 

[Stumpalump]

Why do you need a floor on a rooftop anyway? I'd strip that boat to just the hull to keep it lite. Plastic is lite. Is the stuff your referring too like the bins the post office reuses?

 

[Johnny]

Slizzy - go around to a couple of your local sign shops.
there are new products on the market that are extremely light
with either an aluminum or plastic composite skin laminated
to each side making it very strong, durable and weatherproof.
you might find something that you can walk on that will suit your needs.

just a thought.

 

[Shaugh]

To make a flat useable floor you need something rigid enough to span the ribs. That thin material won't do much... why not just use 1" hard foam from Home Depot or similar ? That will at least have enough mass to hide the ribs....

 

[RavenBC]

There are a bunch of guys that have done the Rigid insulation and Chloroplast floors in my area, and I just bought my first Tinny yesterday. This method is one of the lightest flooring options that I have heard of and stands up quite well. Only thing is that the Chloroplast does not provide good adhesion for carpet or other rubber matting, but I have heard that if you sand it with sandpaper or scotch brite it will hold up.

I plan on installing this floor as I will be loading my boat on and off a utility trailer and want to keep the boat light as possible and to dampen sound, protect the floor, provide comfort for the feet and dog etc.......

 

[onthewater102]

It certainly is light - 10lbs lighter per 4x8 sheet than the FRP I used but also much more expensive everywhere I look because you have to order it in bundles. It is polypropylene, so not only will it be hard/impossible to paint as it has lousy adhesion properties but it also isn't UV stable, so over time it will degrade. Probably not a good long term option. If that doesn't turn you off to it I'd try and get a sample somehow to make sure it doesn't crush when you stand on it. If it'll hold with you standing on it then you should be fine so long as you back it with foam.

Car topping with the floor will be hard if you're going to use carpet as the carpet will add the most weight. The foam and sheeting should be manageable to lift.

 

[slizzy]

thanks for the replies

I will restate I do plan to use rigid foam under the Coroplast... the 10mm coroplast would ust a plywood substitute

I plan to be removing the floor when I roof top the boat on my truck rack.

I could have sworn I seen a thread on here , that got me thinking about using the coroplast

otherwise I wil just use marine Plywood and build a typical floor out of foam, plywood and carpet

 

[slizzy]

To make a flat useable floor you need something rigid enough to span the ribs. That thin material won't do much... why not just use 1" hard foam from Home Depot or similar ? That will at least have enough mass to hide the ribs....

that is the plan. using foam to span the ribs. but wanting to use the plastic instead of plywood in between the foam and carpet

 

[slizzy]

There are a bunch of guys that have done the Rigid insulation and Chloroplast floors in my area, and I just bought my first Tinny yesterday. This method is one of the lightest flooring options that I have heard of and stands up quite well. Only thing is that the Chloroplast does not provide good adhesion for carpet or other rubber matting, but I have heard that if you sand it with sandpaper or scotch brite it will hold up.

I plan on installing this floor as I will be loading my boat on and off a utility trailer and want to keep the boat light as possible and to dampen sound, protect the floor, provide comfort for the feet and dog etc.......

do you have any links or pics I could reference from? I've seen some threads somewhere but I cannot find them now

 

[slizzy]

maybe marine plywood would be a better choice than the plastic?

 

[onthewater102]

...I plan to be removing the floor when I roof top the boat on my truck rack...

It's going to be very [strike]difficult[/strike] cumbersome to remove because unlike FRP or plywood you won't be able to adhere the foam to the underside of the floor paneling with that type of plastic, so you're going to have to have storage in your vehicle for the foam blocks and the flooring section.

 

[slizzy]

...I plan to be removing the floor when I roof top the boat on my truck rack...

It's going to be very [strike]difficult[/strike] cumbersome to remove because unlike FRP or plywood you won't be able to adhere the foam to the underside of the floor paneling with that type of plastic, so you're going to have to have storage in your vehicle for the foam blocks and the flooring section.

thanks for the reply,


I see, so the plastic will not really hold well to the foam, or the marine grade carpet I have to use either Im assuming.

Also as I think about it, since I will be removing the 2 floor sections out every time I load the boat, or store it, I will want something that is strong and can withstand some abuse.

perhaps the plastic top sheet isn't a good idea...

would 3/8" marine plywood be thick enough or is 1/2" a better choice? stuff sure is pricey

 

[slizzy]

or could I get regular plywood and treat it with a sealant?

 

[RavenBC]

There are a bunch of guys that have done the Rigid insulation and Chloroplast floors in my area, and I just bought my first Tinny yesterday. This method is one of the lightest flooring options that I have heard of and stands up quite well. Only thing is that the Chloroplast does not provide good adhesion for carpet or other rubber matting, but I have heard that if you sand it with sandpaper or scotch brite it will hold up.

I plan on installing this floor as I will be loading my boat on and off a utility trailer and want to keep the boat light as possible and to dampen sound, protect the floor, provide comfort for the feet and dog etc.......

do you have any links or pics I could reference from? I've seen some threads somewhere but I cannot find them now

Here is one of the recent floor builds, alot of guys fro this group have done and like this floor system. https://forum.flybc.ca/index.php?showtopic=55156&hl=my%20build%20thread&st=0

 

[Johnny]

even marine grade plywood must be properly sealed and waterproofed.

for the amount that we use in our boats, the exterior grade A/B plywood
will serve you just as well (and cheaper) when it is "properly" preserved
and waterproofed. Marine Grade plywood was designed for wood boat construction
with the wood elements continually subjected to wet conditions or below the waterline.

we only use it for floors, decks, seats, etc. so the regular exterior grade plywood is our choice.

there are literally hundreds of threads in this forum on how to select, brace, preserve, waterproof,
paint and cover the plywood components in a Tin Boat.
using the "search" feature at the top right corner can get you started in addressing your concerns.

 

[richg99]

I have a bit of experience with Coroplast (think real estate/political signs).

If you want to paint it or glue it, you "flash" it first with a propane torch. The blue flame that results seems to remove the final finish that makes it not adhere well anything.

It can be glued with Super Glue, but that wouldn't be a good choice due to expense and lack of flexibility. I suspect construction adhesive would work, but have never tried it.

There are lightweight folding kayaks being professionally built and sold using Coroplast. One seller was on Shark Tank not too long ago.

But, for a floor or deck, two things have to be considered.

The first, as mentioned above, is that Coroplast is made up of hollow tubes. They would probably crush after a bit of time with someone stepping on them.

Second, unless you could figure out a way to permanently seal those tubes, sooner or later they would become water laden. Your light sheet would weigh a ton.

My limited experience with Coroplast was with 6 mil and 2 mil material. I built and flew a couple of 36 inch sized model fuel-powered airplanes with discarded Political signs.

I once thought of cross-hatching two or three sheets of the 6 mil to make sides of a home-built boat. I could never get past the hollow walls potentially trapping water.

Love to experiment, but not with my life.

regards, richg99

 

[Stumpalump]

The look, feel, sound and lite weight of aluminum is a treat. Personally I like to see minimal builds without the decks, flooring and lockers. Throw a sheet of 1/4 inch ply down and cover it with Home Depot outdoor carpet and call it good. That is all I did it for years. If cut to fit right I don't even screw the floor down. It sags or flexes to contour the bottom like it has been steam bent. It made cleaning and drying a breeze. Lite is fast plus it lets you haul more fish or fatter chicks.

 

[slizzy]

even marine grade plywood must be properly sealed and waterproofed.

for the amount that we use in our boats, the exterior grade A/B plywood
will serve you just as well (and cheaper) when it is "properly" preserved
and waterproofed. Marine Grade plywood was designed for wood boat construction
with the wood elements continually subjected to wet conditions or below the waterline.

we only use it for floors, decks, seats, etc. so the regular exterior grade plywood is our choice.

there are literally hundreds of threads in this forum on how to select, brace, preserve, waterproof,
paint and cover the plywood components in a Tin Boat.
using the "search" feature at the top right corner can get you started in addressing your concerns.

cheers, thanks for the help! much appreciated

 

[slizzy]

I have a bit of experience with Coroplast (think real estate/political signs).

If you want to paint it or glue it, you "flash" it first with a propane torch. The blue flame that results seems to remove the final finish that makes it not adhere well anything.

It can be glued with Super Glue, but that wouldn't be a good choice due to expense and lack of flexibility. I suspect construction adhesive would work, but have never tried it.

There are lightweight folding kayaks being professionally built and sold using Coroplast. One seller was on Shark Tank not too long ago.

But, for a floor or deck, two things have to be considered.

The first, as mentioned above, is that Coroplast is made up of hollow tubes. They would probably crush after a bit of time with someone stepping on them.

Second, unless you could figure out a way to permanently seal those tubes, sooner or later they would become water laden. Your light sheet would weigh a ton.

My limited experience with Coroplast was with 6 mil and 2 mil material. I built and flew a couple of 36 inch sized model fuel-powered airplanes with discarded Political signs.

I once thought of cross-hatching two or three sheets of the 6 mil to make sides of a home-built boat. I could never get past the hollow walls potentially trapping water.

Love to experiment, but not with my life.

regards, richg99

cheers,

I think I will be going with exterior plywood and treat it myself. 1/2" or 3/8" not sure...