# how to install wood floor between seats in a Starcraft 14'?



## rancocasrich (Apr 29, 2012)

I just bought a 1990 Starcraft 14' open boat with bench seats. I would like to install wood floors between the bench seats to make it quieter when moving around and less hazardous for walking in it. I am thinking the flooring would be plywood and also portable, so I can remove them when I want to or have to. I don't want to screw the flooring to the boat ribs. How do I make the flooring stable, yet portable? I can't quite picture how the plywood gets supported from below (between the bottom and the plywood). All help is appreciated. Thanks.


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## Johny25 (Apr 30, 2012)

Get a picture of your boat floor on here so we got something to work with : ) 

I put my whole floor in without putting one screw in the hull of my boat and it is solid as a rock. I cut stringers out of 1X4 and matched the contour of the bottom of the boat with them. My boat has reinforcing ribs that run from starboard to port (sideways) and I put one of these stringers on each one. Getting the floor level is the other trick, but a stringline from the front one to the back one made it pretty easy to get the middle ones set to height. It was a little time consuming to get a nice fit but well worth it. I fastened my floor to my upright braces to the bench seats.


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## rancocasrich (Apr 30, 2012)

Johny, that sounds exactly like what I want to do. I want to put flooring between the third seat and second and between the second seat and the first seat. Did you treat the wood or carpet it? 

These photos aren't the best but at least show some of my setup.

Thanks, Rich


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## acabtp (Apr 30, 2012)

here's a couple pics of the quick and dirty floor that i made up when i first got my starcraft. i cut and glued together a couple 2x3s to make a support which rested on the stringers above the keel. the sides of the floor rested in the splash rail at the waterline. could be made to last a while longer with better plywood and something to seal it up. this one went between the 1st and 3rd bench area, but a smaller one could be made in the same design.


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## Johny25 (Apr 30, 2012)

That is a sweet boat ya got there Rich =D> Ok it looks like you have the same sort of floor setup with the sideways reinforcing ribs and vertical support to the seats that comes up from the floor. I wish I had taken pics of mine before I laid the plywood and carpet but I didn't think anyone would ever want or care to see it....lol. That was before I found this forum. DO NOT USE ANY TREATED WOOD AT ALL IN YOUR ALUMINUM BOAT [-X. It will corrode your boat very fast. You can paint the wood or use a marine spar varnish to seal the wood. But make sure whatever you use does not react with aluminum. 

My 2001 1467t Lowe had the same basic hull design, although I went a little further than you are talking and put a casting deck, removed half the middle bench, put 5 dry hatches in and the floor runs full length. And I never put a hole in the hull.



My stringers run down the sides of all my dry hatches and the floor is bolted to the center seat upright support like yours has. I framed all my hatches in so that even if I get water in my boat the stuff in my hatches stays dry. 



Now the 1x4's I put in only touch the boat about 6" on each side, leaving a gap underneath for water to drain to the back still. I put them on the side of the round hump of the aluminum ribs where the rivets are. On few of them I put one on each side of the hump depending on the layout you want and strength your going for. Weight did not concern me as much as structural integrity. This also lead me to buying a bigger motor the next year......lol. Total I added about 150lbs of weight, that includes all the framing for the hatches, casting deck, carpet, hinges, 1/2" plywood floor.......etc. But you should be able to do it with about 50lbs if you are just going to flat floor it in 2 spots.


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## rancocasrich (Apr 30, 2012)

Johny, I love what you did there on your boat. You have a new boat now. I am thinking I will start with just a basic floor like I wrote but when I see you half-seat.....hmmmm. I will use the boat for at least this year and try to get the temporary floor installed and then start thinking about further customization by making a half seat out of the middle bench. That will really make it easy to move around. I am not so handy but have willing and very able friends.


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## MrSimon (Apr 30, 2012)

I had a 16' Grumman with a similar seat layout. We put some quick and easy floors between the seats that worked out really well.

As you can see in the pic, they were just made of wood slats. There were a few cross boards under the slats to help keep the boards from bending. The whole thing just sat there - wasn't connected to the boat at all - would lift right out.

Wasn't pretty, but it worked just fine and was easy and quick.


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## rancocasrich (Apr 30, 2012)

Mr. S, That looks easy enough and would be easy to do. I don't think it looks too bad either. It's a boat afterall.


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