# JON BOAT DECK JOB



## justin sumner (Jul 19, 2016)

I have a 14' Jon boat with a 6hp motor, and am in need of replacing and extending the front deck, and adding a deck on the back of the boat.
I have been watching some youtube videos on some other peoples work they have done and was just wondering if anyone had any recommendations for me. I saw some people use angle aluminum for the supports/framing, and others just used wood, guessing wood weighs more all together, opposed to the aluminum. Problem is I am limited on skills and tools. I do not have any rivet equipment, and do not have a whole lot of experience with self tapping screws. I am not really sure if I use angle aluminum if it will hold good and sturdy, or if the screws will just wobble loose. I dont want to spend the money of rivet stuff, assuming you need power tools, and i am guessing if hand tools are an option for rivets, it is probably still costly. I figure since this is my first time doing this rivets is a bad idea because i guarantee i am going to screw things up, and i want to be able to quickly and easily make adjustments.
A few questions

What would be the thinnest plywood i should use to be able to cut down on weight? i was going to use treated wood as well

Is outdoor rated carpet good enough, or do i really need to use marine grade carpet?

Where can I get marine carpet by the square foot, if marine is necessary? The marina by me only sells carpet in huge sections and it is $300 dollars, no way I am paying that much!

The front of my boat has a metal enclosed lip on the inside of the boat about 1' or so from front to back, that is what the front of the deck is resting on. The back of the front deck is screwed into a frame the previous owner made out of aluminum and wood. Basically i am replacing the plywood, but extending the new deck to the back of my middle metal bench seat. The space between the frame he built and the bench seat is going to be storage, and i am also cutting out a storage area over the main part of the front deck. Biggest issue I have is how to secure the front of the deck to the boat, currently it is just sitting there, and I hate that because it is cutting up the trolling motor cables and the front light. He drilled holes in the front lip to run the wiring up to the front of the boat. I will cut bigger holes and protect the sharp edges, but i still want the deck secured up front. i was thinking maybe take some 2x4 pieces and screw them to the metal lip with brackets, and then just screw the deck directly to the 2x4 pieces. I just dont like the idea of having to put screws through a newly carpeted deck. Wondering if there are other methods I do not know about.

As far as the back of the boat, I am really not sure how to secure the plywood to the very back of the boat, i am covering the bench seat and using the back of the bench seat as my pivot point for the hinge for the doors that will cover the gas can and battery.

Anyways that is a lot to read, but I am sure somebody out there likes to be really helpful.
Looking for some dos and dont's and some advice on material and where to get it, and methods of framing.
If anyone has links, or videos or pictures they would like to add I could take a look.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Jul 19, 2016)

1/2" exterior grade plywood is good if there is proper support.
Never use pressure treated wood on an aluminum boat.


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## richg99 (Jul 19, 2016)

14 ft boat...6 hp motor....."adding a deck onto the back"

As was said above NEVER use treated lumber on an aluminum boat.

Adding a stern deck may weigh too much and kill any opportunity to get her up on plane. At the very least, calculate the expected added weight and fill some 5 gallon buckets up with water (about 42 lbs per 5 gallon bucket). Ride around for a while with the buckets in the stern. Be certain to tie the buckets down tightly.

Using screws, rather than rivets, is fine to stick down the front deck. Rivets were made for a reason and they do a fantastic job, but do what you do best. It is your boat.

richg99


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## derekdiruz (Jul 19, 2016)

Sealed end pop rivets from eBay are easy and cheap. I did a deck from wood and the cons with it that I've found are what you stated above. Mainly, it's heavy. I'll be going with aluminum covered with tuff coat paint. A sheet of .125 4x8 cost me 75 bucks and reinforced with 1x1 .125 angle will help to seriously cut the weight and drastically improve my function, as it's mainly a duck boat and the wood would keep me worried 

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## derekdiruz (Jul 19, 2016)

All in all, good luck. It's not too difficult if you have common sense and premeditate a plan. Take your time, don't rush, and anyone could do it. Sift through these forums until you're comfortable. 

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## justin sumner (Jul 19, 2016)

richg99 said:


> 14 ft boat...6 hp motor....."adding a deck onto the back"
> 
> As was said above NEVER use treated lumber on an aluminum boat.
> 
> ...



Rich, I kind of have a feeling you did a decking project and then realized you were going to be going motor shopping!
I am in the market for a jet drive motor since I just moved to the Saint Louis area, there are some really good smallmouth rivers southwest of the city about an hr or so. There are not many lakes around here I care to fish very much, so the jet drive will be my main motor regardless of where I go, so my current motor hp is not overly pressing. That is a good idea though to take it out and weight it down to see what I am dealing with. I am not really sure that two pieces of plywood and and some angle aluminum will weight 80 lbs though.


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## justin sumner (Jul 19, 2016)

derekdiruz said:


> Sealed end pop rivets from eBay are easy and cheap. I did a deck from wood and the cons with it that I've found are what you stated above. Mainly, it's heavy. I'll be going with aluminum covered with tuff coat paint. A sheet of .125 4x8 cost me 75 bucks and reinforced with 1x1 .125 angle will help to seriously cut the weight and drastically improve my function, as it's mainly a duck boat and the wood would keep me worried
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk



I wanted to use the angle aluminum for framing and use plywood for the deck.
Do you need an air compressor for rivets, or can you use a hand tool?
If I screw up is it real hard to remove the rivets?
How much $$ would I be looking at for a gun and rivets, not sure what all else is necessary to do rivets.
All the framing people do looks so nice and sturdy and clean with angle aluminum.
The wood frames look all clunky and sloppy, and probably dont last as long, takes up too much space and weighs too much.


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## justin sumner (Jul 19, 2016)

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> 1/2" exterior grade plywood is good if there is proper support.
> Never use pressure treated wood on an aluminum boat.




Crap! Just bought a pressure treated 2x4 for my bunk boards. Should I return it, or am I ok with the carpet being over it?
There must be some nasty chemicals in that treated wood, my head was spinning as to what to use with treated wood, as far as staples, nuts, bots, etc................ Does the pressure wood react that badly with metals?????? Why do they even make it if it destroys everything it touches?????????

I will never be on saltwater, at least not in the plans............Am I ok with just using whatever hardware I want for the deck and mounting various devices?????? If I buy exterior grade plywood do I still need to treat it or anything or is it good to go?

I am a motor and car guy, I have done little to no wood/carpet/framing work, except for laying down some tile, and carpeting for a few summers for some side cash.


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## derekdiruz (Jul 19, 2016)

Pop rivets are just done with a 15 dollar tool from home depot. Sealed ends cheap and will keep it from leaking if sealed with 5200 3m. If you mess em up, just drill em out. Easy peasy 

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## Florida_Native (Jul 20, 2016)

justin sumner said:


> lckstckn2smknbrls said:
> 
> 
> > 1/2" exterior grade plywood is good if there is proper support.
> ...



If the boat is painted you'll be fine with the pressure treated, it only becomes an issue if you have an unpainted aluminum jon boat. Its possible it could eat up the aluminum if it comes in contact with unpainted aluminum. I personally had a deck on my painted jon boat that was framed out with pressure treated lumber and have no issues to this day.


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## richg99 (Jul 20, 2016)

If you think a thin coat of paint will protect your boat... You may well be mistaken. Electrolysis is incidious. Why risk it? 

richg99
p. s. It doesn't happen overnight.

https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/292644-holes-aluminum-boat.html


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## justin sumner (Jul 20, 2016)

Well I have decided I am going to attempt to buy some angle aluminum for framing out my front and back decks. I will also be attempting to use rivets for the first time. I am a little uncertain as to what method to use to be sure my supports are the same height from the front of the boat to the back of the first bench seat, which is where my deck will end.

My initial thoughts are to try to level out my boat on the trailer as best i can with a level, then just try to match all of my additional framing to the frame that is already built. I just am not sure how to tell for sure that the frames that I am making will match the frame that is in the boat already. I guess you just eyeball up the new frame as best you can, and run something flat and level from frame to frame, and adjust until your level balances out. Measure and mark and rivet I guess.

I think the deck that is on the boat is 3/4" and there is no framing inbetween the front of the boat and the frame he built for the back of the front deck. I was looking at some plywood today that was outdoor rated, it was about $25 bucks a sheet, the 3/4" was very heavy so I think i will downgrade to 1/2" since my deck will be larger, and I am adding a rear deck. I am hoping 1/2" is good enough, just a little worried about the spots I am going to use to mount my seat post on the front, and also the spots I am putting my storage compartments. I am thinking i will be fine if i just screw some sort of brace to the bottom of the doors and seat post sp

I would consider abandoning wood all together and go all aluminum all together, but I am not sure if that would be me getting in over my head, which I already feel like I am doing by even starting this project in the first place. Does anyone know how I would mount the aluminum deck to my supports, and also how the heck do you mount things like trolling motor, depth finder, seat post base, rod holders etc etc. I would still want it carpeted, no idea what hardware to use.

I am going to be asking a million questions on here, and really need a lot of direction. I would like to post pictures, but i could not even figure out how to put an avatar on here, it kept saying all of my pictures were too large. I dont know how else to select files other than to email pictures to myself, save it to the computer, and add it on here. AAAAAnd that is not working well!


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## justin sumner (Jul 20, 2016)

richg99 said:


> If you think a thin coat of paint will protect your boat... You may well be mistaken. Electrolysis is pervasive. Why risk it?
> 
> richg99
> p. s. It doesn't happen overnight.
> ...



I did a little more research on the chemicals and treated wood, I returned the 2x4 and just got a regular one for my bunk boards.
I did not treat it or anything, but I did not carpet the wood all around, I left the bottom bare, I just have 2 bunks under the boat, 3' each, so it is not a big deal to me to not have the wood treated or anything. If I use 1/2" outdoor rated plywood for the decking, and I carpet it, do I need to use wood stain or something prior to carpeting. I have a little 2x4 chunk that i use to mount my trolling motor, and i wood stained it before mounting it, and it just seemed to wear off and not really be worth the money and effort to wood stain. That stuff is expensive, it was like 40 bucks for a can of it. Is there something else i should be using instead of wood stain that is cheaper, or am I ok just using the outdoor plywood as is. My boat is currently garage kept, and if I wind up living somewhere that i do not have access to a garage, I will build a pole barn, I also have a boat cover, so it will never be exposed to the elements while not in use.


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## richg99 (Jul 20, 2016)

Some good choices....

I wouldn't worry too much about your 2x4. You can see it. You can check it every time you go out. It is the hidden wood that rots.

Have fun. richg99


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## Florida_Native (Jul 21, 2016)

richg99 said:


> If you think a thin coat of paint will protect your boat... You may well be mistaken. Electrolysis is pervasive. Why risk it?
> 
> richg99
> p. s. It doesn't happen overnight.
> ...



P.S it's the factory finish, which is baked on. And btw I've owned the boat 6 years, that's a little longer than overnight. 


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## Florida_Native (Jul 21, 2016)

justin sumner said:


> richg99 said:
> 
> 
> > If you think a thin coat of paint will protect your boat... You may well be mistaken. Electrolysis is pervasive. Why risk it?
> ...



I would stain or get some primer and paint the deck you intend to carpet over. When that carpet gets wet it holds moisture until it fully dries out which will in turn rot that deck rather quickly. 

If you aren't trying to spend a lot of money on paint/stain stop by a real paint store (Sherwin-Williams, PPG, or a Benjamin-Moore) they often sell the colors they mess up on for $1 just to get rid of them. Most of the time the colors they have aren't desirable but if it's going to be covered up by carpet the color won't matter. And make sure you use an exterior grade. 


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Jul 21, 2016)

To seal the plywood you can use what's called The Old Timers Formula. It's a mix of one part Boiled Linseed oil, one part Spar varnish or Spar urethane and two parts Mineral spirts.


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## justin sumner (Jul 21, 2016)

Florida_Native said:


> justin sumner said:
> 
> 
> > richg99 said:
> ...


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## justin sumner (Jul 21, 2016)

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> To seal the plywood you can use what's called The Old Timers Formula. It's a mix of one part Boiled Linseed oil, one part Spar varnish or Spar urethane and two parts Mineral spirts.




interesting but I will pass on that one


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## Florida_Native (Jul 21, 2016)

I meant exterior grade paint/stain. Idk if plywood is considered interior or exterior other than if it is pressure treated. Then I would assume pressure treated is an exterior grade. 


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Jul 21, 2016)

Exterior grade plywood is made with waterproof glues. Pressure treaded plywood is soaked in a copper based solution.
It is the copper that is a dissimilar metal that will cause issues with an aluminum boat.


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## richg99 (Jul 21, 2016)

Any plywood's description that ends in an X will be made using eXterior glue.

i.e. ABX CDX BCX

However, the last time I bought some at Lowes, NONE of their plywood had any similar designation. The sheet that I bought was marked for Exterior use.

I was told, once, that almost all of the plywood that we use these days is made with exterior glue.

richg99


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## justin sumner (Jul 21, 2016)

richg99 said:


> Any plywood's description that ends in an X will be made using eXterior glue.
> 
> i.e. ABX CDX BCX
> 
> ...



Thanks, yes i believe there was an x in the description, i will definitely look when i go
i do not trust big box store advice for the most part, lots of those people dont know their stuff
they try to be helpful, but what can you expect at those wages


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## justin sumner (Jul 23, 2016)

Some pics of how the boat was set up, doesnt look like it should be too hard to run some braces and frame out the deck to the back of th first bench seat


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## justin sumner (Jul 23, 2016)

Some more preliminary Jon boat modification looks.

Hoping all i have to do is run some braces from the front metal lip, to the frame the previous owner built to the rib.
Then from the frame he built to the first bench seat. Probably need to build a frame on the bench seat, because it looks lower that the frame and the metal lip. Going to use the frame, and the bench seats as pivot points for doors, might switch things up a bit, not really sure yet what I want to do with doors for storage.
I am sick of having to wrestle things out from under the deck I currently have, also when it rains everything gets wet, because when i am fishing in the front all the water runs to the front of the boat. I hate having to dry out all my stuff every time it rains while I am fishing.

I do not want to build a floor in my boat, but under all the decking I want to figure out a way to keep things off of the bottom of the boat, I want something removable so i can clean out the boat bottom from time to time.
Anyone have any ideas?
I dont want anything heavy....................Before I had a boat cover, and before i moved to a place where it could be garage kept it developed a roach infestation at some point unbeknownst to me. Lots of spraying and cleaning been bug free for a while now, but just in case i do not want anything to be hiding out of site on me.


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## richg99 (Jul 23, 2016)

Just a thought... Take a look at PVC lattice at a big box store. Won't rot. Lets water flow through. Might have to drop in some 2 x4 braces to keep it from sagging. Lowes and HD sell it 4x8 sheets. 
richg99


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## justin sumner (Jul 23, 2016)

yeah thats kind of what i am looking for, just something cheap to keep my tackle bags and such out of the rainwater in the bottom of the boat. I will have to see what they have, i am sure i will have plenty of scrap laying around to use for bracing that stuff once my project is done. For the time being I keep things in milk crates under the deck, had to saw the tops off though because they would not fit.


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## justin sumner (Jul 25, 2016)

Florida_Native said:


> justin sumner said:
> 
> 
> > richg99 said:
> ...




Thanks, got me 1 gallon of wood stain from Sherwin Williams for 4 bucks! quite the bargain!


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## Florida_Native (Jul 25, 2016)

Glad to help! 


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