Boat Flooring Question
 

Anyone have any ideas/experience on boat flooring. I'm thinking about installing a floor on my 16' modified V flat bottom aluminum boat. I was thinking about pressure treated or marine grade ply but I was wondering about a composite or recycled wood/FG composite and where you can get those things. thanks

A newer product on the market to me at least. Plastic deck flooring. It is manufactured to replace the pressure treated stuff. It should have high uv resistance and rot proof for practical purposes. I would at least have a look at the product. Since it is not specifically targeted at boats the marine oriented premium may not be there.

The pressure treated decking for example is not a good deal in my opinion. When I construct a patio deck we form and pour reinforced concrete. Then screw together a surface pressure treated superficial decking. When it rots nobody gets hurt either. You would be suprised how many people fall through rotten wood decks.

All that is required then is to replace the rotten superficial pressure treated wood periodically then.The base structure will outlast the house. Works out cheaper and far better as well. Just an approach many do not seem to consider. You have to drop your deck concrete supports below the frost line in your area. Using concrete or steel of course as wood has too limited a lifespan. It is so permanent you cannot do anything after it is built easily.

Pressure treated lumber is heavy, you may consider the weight of the material for use in a boat. Teak is an option but expensive.

You can get treated marine grade plywood, a little more expensive than pressure treated but better suited to the marine environment as the glues are different and the marine grade will be void-free. If you're trailering and storing it out of water between uses that's much less of an issue. My father has an aluminum 18' Starcraft CC for an upriver boat, that sees ocassional saltwater use, and we replaced the floors 4 years ago with treated marine grade ply. Considering the original floor material was 15yo pressure treated from the factory (covered with textured vinyl) and he keeps it in the water for the season, it held up quite well. Being a 20+ yo aluminum boat that seen a lot of use, it does have some seepage around a couple of rivets so there is always some standing water that the bilge pump doesn't get. If yours is bone-dry that's a factor, too.

Does it have a floor in it now or are you adding one to it?

If you're going to keep it long-term I'd spend the extra on treated marine grade, if it's in the 5-10 yr range go with the pressure treated. Many of the composite/recycled materials can be quite heavy so consider that before going the "maintenance-free" route.

Check out Ipe ( a species of tropical hardwood) decking. It's heavy and hard, but will last forever. It's no more expensive than PT plywood and doesn't make splinters.

I agree with SwampYankee use the treated marine grade I replaced the floof in a 18 foot jet boat I had years ago and I used the treated marine grade ply. It lasted and perform quite well. go with as thick as you can so you do not have any sagging

boat deck
 

I re-decked my pontoon boat about 5 years ago. The key to long life decking using plywood is to finish it on all sides so that one does not absorb moisture more than the other. Also, instead of the carpeting that most people use, I simply painted mine with non-skid.

Holding up very well. I renon-skid every 2 years.

Just use plywood, you don't even have to spring for marine grade or pressure treated stuff if you keep it dry.

If you store the boat outside and let if fill up with water and snow the floor will rot. If you keep it dry or better yet inside it will last damn near forever.


My dad redid the floor on our last boat with regular plywood. He coated the top with epoxy and glass matt and left the underside exposed. That was 15 years ago and AFAIK its still hard for the currant owner. When we sold it 3 years ago it was solid.