build a front deck.

[cathunter]

Just wandering if anyone has ever built a front deck in a john boat. All I'm wanting to do is make a level spot in front to make standing more comfortable. Debating on using marine plywood or aluminum.

 

[RUGER]

Mine is a V bottom but yes I built one last year.
Dunno if the thread is still in the archives or not.

Wasn't that hard and turned out great.

I used wood.

The only thing I would suggest is research the glue you use to put the carpet on, if you do put in carpet.
I think I used the wrong kind because when it gets wet you can feel the stickiness if you are barefoot.

 

[TheDuke'sBack]

I made one for a 14ft john boat that was removable. I made it where it sat over the front bench seat and snugged up into the bow. I cut it out to size, and screwed in support beams in the bottom of the deck. I would remove it whenever we needed the room for jugs or what not. It worked really well and was easy to build. As for the glue I cant say what brand I used but My father in law had left over glue from where he put new carpet on his bass boat. It was specifically designed for marine carpet and worked great.

 

[choupique]

A contrary opinion -- if you can get your hands on some retired road signs, they work fantastic. You can waste a lot of time trying to epoxy-coat marine grade plywood and have it rot out a few years down the line (ask me how I know!) or have a nice, lightweight deck that will last for the life of the boat with minimal maintenance.

 

[cathunter]

Thanks for everyone's advice. Gonna tackle it when fishing slows down.

 

[TennesseeRains]

I've got an old 1984 BassTracker Guide Special V-17. The plywood was rotting - so I tore out the entire decking front to back down to the ribs and replaced with aluminum. The only wood in the boat now is the transom (original) and the bow where my trolling motor is mounted (for support). For that I used marine grade plywood, painted it, and then epoxy coated prior to covering with carpet. It's been 16 years and no rotting yet. I redesigned the layout and extended front and back decks adding more storage and a baitwell to boot.

It's not all that hard - worst part for me was cutting the aluminum for the radius on the bow. I used marine carpet and glue...you can get these from any of the big outdoor catalogs I reckon.

My project involved a lot as I added a heck more electronics, aerator pumps, etc. and it did drop the overall weight of my rig by a little over 100 lbs by removing all that wood. Utilize stainless steel hardware to fasten everything.

You can definitely use "retired" road signs - I had a buddy who did just that.

 

[DaveB]

I used plywood on mine. Yep, lasted two years. Wood with holes in it is gonna get wet and rot.

I think old street signs are too heavy for johnboats.