need help please with mod. help a fellow boater out

[fishguts]

Hi Names don and iv bin reading almost all the jon boat mods for about 3 weeks. so i decided to join because i think its amazing what you guys do. I bought a 12ft v bottom boat when i was in school. i used it a couple times but now that im 20 and i have a truck to tow it i want to make a deck on it. iv read just about every thread and still not sure how im going to make a deck for it. please i need your help. since its 12 ft iv got to make it light as possible. i thought about aluminum but thats not an option because i dont have a welder and i dont want to drills holes in the boat. so can anybody show me a picture or explain to me how i can make a frame out of 2x2s or something so its light but still effective and how i can anchor them to the boat with out screws. maybe some sort of glue or something.. thanks for reading..

Don

btw this is my first post

 

[200racing]

a pic of what you have would really help.

 

[fishguts]

I will try to get one for you after work. Its got three bench seats. And I was planing on just making the deck from the first bench to the bow. I just continue how to do the framing work so it's lite waight but stil sturdy to hold me

 

[Brine]

When you get a chance, complete your profile and put your location. You might have a member nearby.

Pics will help, and giving some idea of the dimensions of the deck you'd like will help too.

 

[Jdholmes]

Pics will help, but you will limit yourself if you aren't willing to drill holes at all.

 

[fishguts]

If I would use screws into the boat how would I make it so it doesn't leak?

 

[JasonLester]

I think most people anchor to the ribs and to the existing seats or brackets. Not drilling through the hull unless the for sure need a particular spot anchored.

 

[fishguts]

I was gonna use the seat. Never thought of the ribs. Im not sure if I have any. It's the side of tw boat. I don't have any brackets on the side so Iv got to figure out how to anchor the fram of the deck to the sides of the boat with out drilling. I'll get pictures of it up tomarrow to let you guys take a look. Thanks for the help so far!

 

[hsiftac]

As Jason already said, more than likely you will be able to add a deck without drilling any holes through the hull of your boat. I would check out some of the other builds on here. A lot of them include front decks with no holes through their hulls.

 

[KevinWI]

I think most people anchor to the ribs and to the existing seats or brackets. Not drilling through the hull unless the for sure need a particular spot anchored.

X 2

 

[Jdholmes]

It is something that depends on the style of boat for sure...some boats it can be done without puncturing the hull, others it can't...at least not as simply. For example on the front piece for my valco 14' the front seat doesn't go far enough forward to use the seat alone...

As far as making it water tight that really is no big deal, it's just a matter of sealing it with a little 5200...your boat already likely has lots of holes drilled in it from the factory. Nothing to be afraid of.

 

[fishguts]

alright here are a couple pictures of the boat. its not the prettyest yet but it will be when im done. i have nothing to anchor the wood to the sides or the bottom inless i use a really strong glue. but i dont really trust that.. im also not sure how i can make the deck frame light. thats one of my biggers concerns.. any help from you guys would be amazing. need me to do anything ill do it as quick as i can.

 

[bcbouy]

i did my mods by attaching to ribs and seats.the only hole was for my thruhull for the bilge

 

[JasonLester]

Looking at it I think you could probably build it in a way you only need to anchor up there in frount above the water line. Or possibly use the bow peice to hang a support from.

As far as framing... I would think 1x1 or aluminum would do just fine weight wise. Either should be strong enough if done right...Just no pressure treat.

 

[fishguts]

If I don't pressure treat it doesn't that mean the wood will rott out?

 

[JasonLester]

Just coat it really well...pressure treat will or can attack the metal and cause corosion. I think coating the stuff in spar urathane is what most do. Do the decking for sure as its what gets the most water...depending on how you do it the framing may stay pretty dry.

 

[Jdholmes]

Do NOT skip on coating the framing...it's not worth the risk on a boat. Put 3-5 coats of spar urethane on all wood.

 

[Jdholmes]

Also I think most would think 1x1 is a little weak....most folks I see on here using 2x2 for framing. You should only need to drill around 4-6 holes above the water line up front to mount a couple L brackets to support the framing near the sides there.

 

[fishguts]

Should I use bolts or screws or what should I use and how do I seal it off so water doesnt get into it? Thanks

 

[Jdholmes]

If you are talking about something that is going to go through the hull you should be using stainless steel bolts, washers and locknuts.