DIY Inflatable Boat Floors

[mmgarrett]

Looking at replacing the floors in my 18 foot Achilles. The wood on the current floor is badly de-laminating. The aluminum stringers, etc are in good shape. I plan on replacing the floors with pressure treated plywood covered by waterproof paint.
The questions: has anyone done this? How big of a project am I taking on? Any tips?
Thanks in advance,
Matt

 

[abdiver7777]

Re: DIY Inflatable Boat Floors

I did it on my 13.5' Zodiac that had a failed air floor.

Works Awesome.....

Make sure you leave a flex point between floor boards about 3'-4' from the nose. Sounds like an 8' long piece might be perfect for your boat. You can wrap the edges that might chaf with outdoor carpet.

For fishing I mounted a round 20gal bait tank to a seperate section of plywood that fits between the side tubes when partially deflated. Inflating the tubes locks it in place. You can build a Center Counsel in a similar way. You can remove these when you want......

 

[likalar]

Re: DIY Inflatable Boat Floors

Matt, Since you already have the old pieces for templates, this shouldn't be too difficult at all. Trace, cut, sand edges, etc. If you are handy with tools and have some basic project skills, go for it. IIRC, the wood slips into a groove on the aluminum braces. right? Match the final thickness of the wood carefully. Last year I built up some floors for a small boat, and was able to order 1/2 " marine plywood for $53.00 a sheet here in SF at a hardwood lumber yard. I've soaked an unpainted scrap of that wood for several months, and there's still no delamination. Great stuff. Pressure treating sounds like a step in the right direction but be sure that you get plywood that is void-free and manufactured with waterproof adhesives between the layers. I believe the big box stores sell what they claim is marine grade sheets. Good luck with this. Do a search on marine grade plywood. There have been lots of good discussions.

Larry

 

[mmgarrett]

Re: DIY Inflatable Boat Floors

Thanks for all the great advice. I think I will go down to our port to search out some true marine grade plywood. It seems like it should be a pretty straight forward project...but, you know how that goes sometimes. I'll try to post pictures for others that may try to tackle a project like this. First, I need to wait for this wet weather to pass.
Thanks again,
Matt