Thoughts on cypress board flooring in aluminum boat

Brian Story

Brian Story

Active member
Just bought a new 1860 Weldbuilt tunnel. Wide open, nothing but a small front deck and 2 seat pods in the rear. Considering putting down cypress planks for the floor. I can easily get 4, 6, or 8 inch widths in 4/4 thickness. Ribs are roughly 10" apart. Thoughts on the best board width and mininum thickness? Opinions on the best way to attach planks with the chance I may need to remove on occasion? Best gap between boards? Primarily duck boat/tender with some striper fishing mixed in.

Thanks,
Brian
 
Brian,

I have a slatted floor in my hunting boat that is made from treated fence materials salvaged from the left overs of a fence project. Reason I mention this is that it has worked well for me for several years. The slats themselves are 7/16 X 5 X ? (sections vary in length) The slats are attached to 1 x 1 1/4 cross pieces. If I need to remove the slatted floor it can be picked up in sections.
IMG_0028.jpg



I would suggest that you consider something similar using the cypress. I'd install cross pieces of cypress to attach the cypress slats to and just let the sections rest on top of the boat ribs. If you make the cross pieces the same height as the present ribs, you should have plenty of support and won't need a thicker slat for strength. I doubt that you would need to secure them down but a screw in each corner of each section should do it if needed. Personally, I'd avoid as much drilling of the ribs as I could.
 
For the width the fewer the boards the better.

For the thickness I would go 3/8"-7/16" and 3/4"X 1 1/4" like Dave used.

Seal all 6 sides with Thompsons or a Semi Trans sealer like Cabots to help with water saturation.

Use Stainless Screws.



3/8" Plywood would be another option with the ribs that close together.
 
Must be careful when cutting cypress as you can ruin a board easily.If I was going with planks I would consider white cedar. I used plywood last time riveted to the cross members. When that rots out who knows ? Also if you use planks space them close enough that gunshells, fishing lures etc. won't fall through the cracks.

Don't overthink,
Harry
 
Thanks. Dave that is what Shawn Hollis and I were talking about, looks like it works well. I want as little screws into the ribs as possible, but also want little to no vibration noise. Thinking about the widest boards (maybe 12") on the outside edges, screwing them down securely, and glueing foam on the edges of that to keep stuff from falling underneath easily. Then using smaller planks on the inside with the crosspieces that can be removed easily.
Also have a good welder that might install grab rails on the inside of the sides. Anyone have a reason to not do this.

Thanks.
Brian
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top