# 14' Aluminum boat floor ideas needed



## jakeo

A few years back, a gentleman on here gave me a 14' Mirrocraft and trailer for free that needed fixing up. I got it home with the lil donut tires and decided it wasnt worth re-doing as a "run about" with the steering wheel and all so I gutted it completely except the inside supports.
I now have a 20 hp motor with electric start so am, ready to get this thing fixed up to my needs.
I had been using it as a shell with 3 - 2x10's acrossed and 2 seats just mounted to them but no floor or storage.
Any pictures would be greatly appreciated SEPECIALLY on building-buying front storage.


----------



## Quack Wacker

Jakeo, 

Can you post up some pictures of the inside to give us a better picture of what you are dealing with. 

I will post up some pictures of my jon. I put a mid floor in, and then also a casting deck with pedestal seat and storage doors that might work for you. 

Eric


----------



## Quack Wacker

On peice of advice is that when you do your floor or benches, stay away from treated wood, depending on the manufacturer some are worse than others, but the chemicals in the wood leach out and can eat aluminum, causing damage. 

Use marine grade plywood, untreated, it has less voids and won't eat the boat.


----------



## Greenbush future

Another great option is to buy reg plywood and use fiberglass resin (cover it completely) it will last a life-time if sealed well. Marine plywood is not much better and it cost a small fortune, and it will rot!!


----------



## coverdog

There are a lot of ideas in this site I ran across. http://www.tinboats.net/forum/


----------



## 7iron

Greenbush future said:


> Another great option is to buy reg plywood and use fiberglass resin (cover it completely) it will last a life-time if sealed well. Marine plywood is not much better and it cost a small fortune, and it will rot!!


 The reason for using marine plywood is that there are no voids in it. Voids over time will cause delamination of the ply's no matter how well you seal it. West System Epoxy is a great product and its worth the cost.

If you go to the West System web site it will explain how the void thing works.


----------



## jakeo

:lol:


Quack Wacker said:


> Jakeo,
> 
> Can you post up some pictures of the inside to give us a better picture of what you are dealing with.
> 
> I will post up some pictures of my jon. I put a mid floor in, and then also a casting deck with pedestal seat and storage doors that might work for you.
> 
> Eric[/QUOT
> 
> GRRRRR....This weather has put a hold on everything.......I have a tee-pee tarp over it to work on it but taking off one side of the tarp leads to a BIG BLUE TENT.......I DONT want to be like the BALLOON GUY:lol:


----------



## suckerbass

thats my old 14 foot Mirrocraft. You prob got the same boat. I used treated ply wood, glue and carpet. That floor was 15 years old in the pictrue and just starting to get a little soft. there was storage in the bow and on both sides. I sold it a few years ago and thats the only picture I still have.


----------



## jpollman

I had a sixteen foot boat I bought probably about eight or nine years ago. It had a trailer but no motor, but that was no biggie because I had a 40 horse Evinrude that was my grandfathers. 

It was a very basic boat but someone had constructed and installed a console steering unit and it worked very well. The flooring in the thing was just 2x4's on edge with some standard 3/4 exterior plywood screwed to them. He had ripped the 2x's down a bit and formed them to fit the slight curvature of the bottom of the hull. They just set in place and worked fine. There was one small section of floor between the two rear seats, and a little larger one in between the center and forward seat. It had been this way for YEARS and was in great shape! It worked fine and it was NOT "marine grade" plywood. That is a total waste for an application like this. That stuff is WAY too expensive to use for something like this. 

After I bought the boat, I built and installed a forward casting deck in the front probably third of the boat. I just used regular exterior plywood for the decking. When it was installed, I covered it with some outdoor carpeting that I bought at Home Depot. I glued it down and was good to go. I even put a hatch in the casting deck to take advantage of the storage space below the deck. 

I used the boat this way for several years and it worked fine. The old flooring and my deck installation was in great shape when I sold it a few years ago. In my opinion, it's not worth spending huge dollars trying to build something that's going to last for decades because it won't. You don't have to go dirt cheap, but you can do the project very reasonably using standard exterior plywood and it will last fine for a long time. If you still have the boat down the road and it goes bad, rip it out and do it again. You'll be money ahead with this approach. It's not that hard to do, or expensive either.

Have fun!

John


----------



## Bucket-Back

Quack Wacker said:


> On peice of advice is that when you do your floor or benches, stay away from treated wood, depending on the manufacturer some are worse than others, but the chemicals in the wood leach out and can eat aluminum, causing damage.
> 
> Use marine grade plywood, untreated, it has less voids and won't eat the boat.


If you want to treat marine ply , good old oil-based paint is what Myself and Chris -Craft used .Marine Ply and oil-based paint would be cheaper than exterior ply and west system . But what do I know ,I've never seen a boat "floor" before


----------



## jakeo

suckerbass said:


> thats my old 14 foot Mirrocraft. You prob got the same boat. I used treated ply wood, glue and carpet. That floor was 15 years old in the pictrue and just starting to get a little soft. there was storage in the bow and on both sides. I sold it a few years ago and thats the only picture I still have.


THATS IT EXACTLY......I am in love and ready to start TONIGHT ..but....the "admiral" is sitting at behind me at the table and just brought up we need new windows..GRRRRRRR.
I hate it when she is right BUT I can do bit by bit. TYVM.....Happy Easter


----------



## suckerbass

it realy did not cost too much to do eather. I think back then it cost me about $50 bucks or so now you could do it for around 200 i would guess.


----------



## Willie Tippit

I am in the middle of re flooring my smoker big troller side console ,what i have done is better than new in treated or marine grade flooring..I used 1/2 in ac grade good grade plywood and got fiberglass resin and acatone and mixed and painted it on the wood this will last forever then used the vynil rubber flooring,its more money than carpet but woth the money as very washable dont pic up fish orders and hoos pull right out, just a thought for you jako... that looks great suckbass Good Luck Mark


----------



## jakeo

Cute story ...
I got the cover off and found that a Finch had built a nest on my seat!!!
Its a regular fold down seat that I had not folded over because I built a A-frame out of 4-2x4 and a 16' 2x8. I just used clothes-line wrapped the whole boat and trailer and threw cover over so I didnt need the reg cover. The ends were secure but a bird found its way in and out.
I tried to take digital pics but didnt have lithym batteries GRRR. I put gloves on and moved nest to my garage roof corner and sure enough the female found it. I was not sure what kind of bird it was untill I saw the female go to it.
I love finches and hope they nest there where I can see.

Finally got a start on building my floor but am having a problem figuring the angles at the bow so made a template out of cardboard yesterday. Not sure I want to sit up that high tho.
Anyone just use some 2x10 or 12 acrossed and secure boat seat to that and use the true bottom as the floor? Your regular "row boats" dont have floors.. 

BTW....Had neighbor lift the 20hp motor on for me and used the electric start to fire it and ran like a dream. Now to find a switch because I just touched the 2 wires together.
Might just make compartment in front and 2 2x10's acrossed and be done with it.
Opinions please.

PS....Ive never had a 20hp motor and wonder if a 6 gallon fuel tank will be enough if only going out a reasonable ways for a 14' boat? Do they suck gas bad? Its a 1973 or 1974 Johnson


----------



## Bucket-Back

jakeo said:


> Cute story ...
> I got the cover off and found that a Finch had built a nest on my seat!!!
> Its a regular fold down seat that I had not folded over because I built a A-frame out of 4-2x4 and a 16' 2x8. I just used clothes-line wrapped the whole boat and trailer and threw cover over so I didnt need the reg cover. The ends were secure but a bird found its way in and out.
> I tried to take digital pics but didnt have lithym batteries GRRR. I put gloves on and moved nest to my garage roof corner and sure enough the female found it. I was not sure what kind of bird it was untill I saw the female go to it.
> I love finches and hope they nest there where I can see.
> 
> Finally got a start on building my floor but am having a problem figuring the angles at the bow so made a template out of cardboard yesterday. Not sure I want to sit up that high tho.
> Anyone just use some 2x10 or 12 acrossed and secure boat seat to that and use the true bottom as the floor? Your regular "row boats" dont have floors..
> 
> BTW....Had neighbor lift the 20hp motor on for me and used the electric start to fire it and ran like a dream. Now to find a switch because I just touched the 2 wires together.
> Might just make compartment in front and 2 2x10's acrossed and be done with it.
> Opinions please.
> 
> PS....Ive never had a 20hp motor and wonder if a 6 gallon fuel tank will be enough if only going out a reasonable ways for a 14' boat? Do they suck gas bad? Its a 1973 or 1974 Johnson


Do you mean attach the 2 X ? to the side (topside ) of boat? And mount the seat to that? You should mount an alum,or stainless angle bracket under the wood and fasten it to the hull .Add a support in the center of the seat to the bottom(hull)in the center(keel) area.

I had the same model 20 , but it was a '76. Bring two tanks ,they are thirsty.

You can just cut a piece of ply and lay it directly against the hull to create a floor (deck). It may flop or fly up upon hitting a wave though ,so weigh it down with a beer cooler or your 2nd gas tank


----------



## jakeo

Bucket-Back said:


> Do you mean attach the 2 X ? to the side (topside ) of boat? And mount the seat to that? You should mount an alum,or stainless angle bracket under the wood and fasten it to the hull .Add a support in the center of the seat to the bottom(hull)in the center(keel) area.
> 
> I had the same model 20 , but it was a '76. Bring two tanks ,they are thirsty.
> 
> You can just cut a piece of ply and lay it directly against the hull to create a floor (deck). It may flop or fly up upon hitting a wave though ,so weigh it down with a beer cooler or your 2nd gas tank


I'm sorry that I havent showed pics. No I meant at the lip where the floor would go .....about a foot above the bottom of the hull.
I am just going to do the 2x10 idea and worry about the complete re-do come winter because I recieved a call last night that my son is comming home for 2 weeks and I will just be happy to get out anyplace with him. 
I havent seen him since November so just the basic safety items and the PLUG:lol:. Thank you for the info on the gas......I will get a extra tank today. 
Thanks for the great Ideas


----------

