How to support floor platform in bow of boat?

[lugoismad]

So I decided to build a storage area for my boat, to hide the battery and gas tank.

I cut the floor out.

Reused the mounts where the previous owner removed the front bench (yes, my 2x6 is a bit weathered! Seems solid enough though).

And here is my rough in, so far.

The plywood deck is 2 sheets of 1/2" plywood with liquid nail between and lots of screws. I plan on cutting a hatch, and I have a hinge and everything for that. I don't plan on it being a casting deck, and I weigh 290, so there is no way its going to support me, no matter how I overbuild it.

All of the wood is currently getting soaked in urethane to seal it. Tomorrow I'll be wrapping it with outdoor carpet.

What I'm struggling with is how to support it in the bow. Should I just attach it to the bench seat mount in the back and let pressure hold it in the bow? I don't really want to drill through the hull.

Any ideas?

 

[surfman]

you are going to need to put in some kind of angle braces, someone will step on it and it will move. there are already hundreds of holes in your boat all filled with rivets, a few more won't hurt anything as long as you do it right.

 

[lugoismad]

you are going to need to put in some kind of angle braces, someone will step on it and it will move. there are already hundreds of holes in your boat all filled with rivets, a few more won't hurt anything as long as you do it right.

Yeah. I'm realizing that if I go with angle braces, I'm going to lose a ton of space, and possibly not even be able to fit in the gas tank. This may end up just being tackle box / life jacket storage and I'll move the gas tank back to under the floor to the left of the drivers seat. Which would distribute the weight a lot better too. I know I can't have the battery and gas tank in the same storage space, and the battery weighs more.

 

[surfman]

I was talking about just adding a couple of pieces of angle iron (in aluminum of course) to the edge of the platform. that would not take up any room at all. Bolt or rivet them to each side of the bow under the deck.

 

[Ictalurus]

I'd probably run some angle across the ribs and add a vertical support piece or two. Layout your gas tank, battery, etc. and then decide on where to mount the angle based on your storage needs. There are many ways you can do this, surfman's idea would also work great. One inch ply is going to be pretty stout.

 

[DaleH]

I was talking about just adding a couple of pieces of angle iron (in aluminum of course) to the edge of the platform. that would not take up any room at all. Bolt or rivet them to each side of the bow under the deck.

That's what I'd do ... and have done, with zero issues. I also used high-strength (heavy sheer load) 1/4" rivets from McMaster-Carr to hold the aluminum angle pieces.

 

[lugoismad]

Finished it this evening.

I cut a 2x4 at a 45* angle to support the front. I stood on it and it it seems plenty secure. Ran 20' of fuel hose under the floor boards to the back and hooked that up, so now my fuel tank is out of the way.

 

[Ictalurus]

=D> =D> =D>

Very nice. Although adding another piece of lumber under both the storage lid and deck by the hinges might be something to consider. Just making sure the storage lid isn't just supported by the hinges. I'm guessing the front by the handle rests on the bench.

 

[lugoismad]

=D> =D> =D>

Very nice. Although adding another piece of lumber under both the storage lid and deck by the hinges might be something to consider. Just making sure the storage lid isn't just supported by the hinges. I'm guessing the front by the handle rests on the bench.

Yeah, I plan to do that this evening.

 

[pymybob]

Nice idea. Thanks for sharing!