Plywood decking

[WhatTheFish]

Hi I am new to restoring boats I am currently working on transforming a 1960s StarCraft 14ft boat into a mini bass boat. I am planning on building a deck over the current wood seats. My question is do I need to build a brace out of 2by4s or something between the boat seats and the deck or can I just skip that part since I’m not building from the floor up?

 

[LDUBS]

From what I visualize, I think I would run some bracing longitudinally between the benches. Those might need support in the middle. Weight should be a big priority. Maybe aluminum angle to keep weight down. Then if the spans are not great, 1/2 or 5/8 ply to also keep the weight down.

This is where my kids would say I'm a buzz kill. Have you thought about how raising the center of gravity will impact balance on a 14' boat? You might want to lay some pieces of ply across the benches and try it out while out on the water. It is all about utility. On fishing days, are you really better off with a 12" - 14" higher raised deck compared to a typical floor? Just something to think about.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Here is our '67 14' Starcraft.

Phase I
Phase II

The front deck is ontop of the original wood seat, but is also supported in the bow and at the rear of the deck, which is alum L channel supported by console and 2x6 at the port side.