Seat posts.

[nygooseduster26]

Doing a little project on a 16 foot smokercraft. Floors are 1/2 inch thick and completely rotten. So... I tore all of the old carpet and the wood up and I'm replacing it with 3/4 treated that I'm going to seal and paint with the sand paper like gritty paint. The seats that were in it were the back to back bulky box seats. They are in rough shape so I'm putting new seats in. My goal is to put some type of pedestal seats that are on posts that will swivel. My biggest concern is when the boat is rocking with the waves and somebody is sitting in the seat I do not want the bases to "uproot" and tip over. I would just like to figure it out before putting the new floors in. Thanks, brad.

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[Lip Rippers]

use large butterfly anchors  they will act as a large washer on the bottom and spread  the pressure out  so they wont rip up and out of the floor

[KIGI]

I cut pieces of aluminum about 6 inches wider than the diameter of the circle made by the bolt holes in the pedestal base to serve as reinforcement backing under the ply. Or if u have room, you can double up plywood where the seats will be. Make sure to check under deck flotation foam when u replace the floor. Mine was rotted and needed replaced. After researching it, I ended up using a bunch of foam pool floats (the kind kids use at the pool). It worked really well and dampened noises and shock of running through waves. But they also make products specifically for that purpose but are expensive.

I ended up using a product called kiwi grip as final non slip coating. Worked out very nice but the sand paper paint would also likely work for less $ but won't be as grippy as the kiwi grip.

Also check out thehulltruth.com forums. Lots of good info on there about replacing tin boat wood decks.

[nygooseduster26]

Do you think it would be worth it to use 2 half inch aluminum plates larger than the bolt plates for the seat posts? May be over kill but I'd rather have it very solid.

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[Shellback]

You may want to do some research on using pressure treated lumber in an aluminum boat. It was a strict no no, due to the corrosive effect of the chemicals used in pressure treating. Formulas in pressure treating have changed some, but I would advise against using pressure treated.

[Meals-On-Reels]

Don't get too carried away with it. The plywood will support most of the load and some steel or aluminum sheet below the area will make it all very solid.

You just need to sheet in the area below the proposed seat location and tie it in to your floor supports so it bridges the area. Once you then bolt your seats down the seat will be connected to the floor and also tied-in to the floor supports to avoid rocking loose from just the wood alone.

My floor is out right now and I just relocated one last night. I can grab you some pics if you like.

[KIGI]

You may want to do some research on using pressure treated lumber in an aluminum boat. It was a strict no no, due to the corrosive effect of the chemicals used in pressure treating. Formulas in pressure treating have changed some, but I would advise against using pressure treated.

I read similar when I did my boat. Although ny first thought was treated would be good, others suggested otherwise. Marine grade ply is very pricey so I found a lumber yard that had nice quality 7 ply that I sealed very well with primer and outdoor paint. I believe marine is 13 ply typically but not sure. Epoxy would also work well i bet. And used silicone in every hole for rivet or screw.

[nygooseduster26]

Pics would be great!

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[Knotlost]

Don't use treated, it will give you problems. They sell a special project plywood that's made for exterior and is 1/2 5ply or 3/4-7 ply that's great at lowes. It's almost as good as marine. It's 1/2 the price though. You need nothing extra to secure the pedestal in 3/4 I have done many with good SS wood screws. Install the pedestal and drill the pilot hole so you don't just crush the wood fibers then remove each screw and saturate each hole with a thin epoxy and reinstall the screws. It will out last you.

Edited July 8, 2013 by PKomrowski

[nygooseduster26]

7 ply good? Price?

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[Meals-On-Reels]

I've used practically everything mentioned above. I switched from marine to treated and then stopped using treated because the quality was horrible from the supplier (warped and many knot holes that weren't filled). I then went with the exterior plywood with the extra layers mentioned above in 19/32 (5/8"). You still have to sort through the pile a little but the quality is good and it's pretty strong.

I did an islander with it and coated each sheet with polyester resin. My current rehab is getting the same wood but coated with a waterproof layer that is also an adhesion promoter to help my carpet glue grip into it. I have a thread here somewhere on my current project.

When I used to use treated, I sprayed all the aluminum contact areas with plasti-dip (sprayed onto the aluminum surface).

No matter what u use, the number one thing is a good cover and storage practices. It's the weather that kills the floor more than anything.

I'll grab some pics of the seat support areas when I get home.

[J.D.]

I used 3/4 inch plywood as suggested and and installed stainless steel T-nuts under the floor... works like a charm..

 

[Meals-On-Reels]

Here's the support areas. Two are factory (bow and stern areas) and one was added by someone after. The factory ones have rolled edges that add some extra stability. The other one seems just as strong when sitting on it though. All appear to be 1/8" aluminum.

I use self tapping screws through the wood and they bite into the aluminum. Never had any problems.

Floor back in and mounts ready to be screwed down...