Boat build project

G-unit · Post by **G-unit** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:15 pm

Im in the process of building a 14 foot valco. I am in to the front deck. My first question is about plywood. Should i use marine grade plywood or are other exterior plywoods that are a better choice?
Should i use Star Board or another synthetic plywood alternative?

If anyone has expierence or any input it would be appreciated.

Thanks, Matt

jack morris · Post by **jack morris** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:16 pm

Marine grade only, exterior plywood will warp or seperate. (been there done that). Do not use pressure treated as it will cause a reaction with other metals. Jack

Takedown · Post by **Takedown** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:32 pm

If you want to paint the plywood with a high grade Varnish.
Marine plywood is not needed. But you must seal up all edges, maybe even giving it two coats.

I have made 3 smaller bass boat conversions. All worked out great for fishing smaller creeks and sloughs. i used a 20 horse power for two of them and a 35 HP for the last boat.

35 HP would push the 14 foot Valco 37 MPH
Now that is fast, but we were in the Sacramento River System and the Yolo Bypass.

G-unit · Post by **G-unit** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:54 pm

wow that is fast. I think a 30 horse is my goal. thank you for the feed back and if anyone has any more i'd love to hear it!

Ceaser · Post by **Ceaser** » Sat Apr 16, 2011 10:00 pm

I've had my share of aluminum bass busters and marine grade ply is the easiest/best way to go in my opinion. Another thing i found worked good was to run wires from back to front so your trolling motor batteries can be in the rear or middle for good weight distribution when ur up on the front deck.

DeltaBassBuster · Post by **DeltaBassBuster** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:48 am

Hey G-unit,

In my custom Valco "BASSBUSTER1" I used regular plywood, but treated the wood to water proof it. For my wiring from the front to the back of the boat I used pvp piping ti channel the wires around and also to protect them. It's getting late tonight, tomarrow I will create a quick video tour of my boat and send you a youtube link. Hope I can give you some tips and ideas for your custom build.

DeltaBassBuster · Post by **DeltaBassBuster** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:58 am

Also to add, you may want to consider rebuilding your transom. My 12 footer originally had just a strip of wood going across the top. To icrease the strength I made a full transom for the back of the boat which I believe increased its strength. Especially if you ar considering a higher rated motor. Mine is a Mercury 15 HP Four Stroke.

nipples · Post by **nipples** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:04 am

+1 on the marine grade plywood only and +1 on not using regular pressure treated wood.

If you are close to So Cal and plan to use regular lumber to support/augment the marine plywood, there is a distributer for Timbersil in Placentia, CA. Timbersil is a glass (like actual glass) infused wood that is non toxic, completely safe, will not discolor anything, and carries a 40 year warranty against rot and decay. You can stain, varnish, cut, sand, shape, just like normal wood. It's treated southern yellow pine, but because of the glass infusing, it takes it almost to the hardness of hickory (harder than oak). I've been looking at getting some to make planter beds for organic gardening, but it would also be my #1 choice for marine applications as well. Some people are using it for decks, docks (both salt water and fresh water since it doesn't leach anything), houses, sheds, projects, etc.

Here is their website... http://www.woodwontburn.com/index.html

(the glass helps it resist fire as well, the stuff is pretty cool)

Good luck and have fun with the project,

-Nips-

biteme · Post by **biteme** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 7:51 am

You can also coat it with resin to protect it. But it would be cheaper to buy the right stuff.

Triton Mike · Post by **Triton Mike** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 2:27 pm

When I built my electric only boat I looked at alot of different designs and layouts. I thought I would share the steps that I took to build mine.

www.tritonmike.com/boat.html

offduty · Post by **offduty** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 9:35 pm

: F DECK.jpg (23.52 KiB) Viewed 3096 times

: R DECK.jpg (19.39 KiB) Viewed 3095 times

I re worked a whole boat interior with King Starlite XL, it is their xtra lite product and I got 5' x 8" sheets from Paragon Plastic in Santa Ana, Ca for 155.00 which is a great deal if you price the stuff. They had 1/4". 1/2" & 3/4". This stuff you can work like wood and lasts forever. I never used any carpet over it and it was non slip.

G-unit · Post by **G-unit** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:33 am

Thanks guys! really good input. Nips thanks for the link too, i am in socal so thats perfect.
Ceaser in your opinion are the batteries better in the back or middle?
Off duty thats a sweet rig. I fish the bays around me too so im def thinking the synthetic sheets may be my answer. Are they strong enough to stand on when i make my compartment lids?

Ceaser · Post by **Ceaser** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:32 pm

depends on how big you are and how heavy your decking ends up being. I took mine out before i finalized the wiring (also in pvc conduit) and stood in the front like I was fishing and rocked the boat and leaned over like i was landing a fish and tryed the batteries in different spots. then I sat in the back and fired up the outboard and drove it with the batteries in both locations. Then I adjusted the trim angle a couple times to see what was best. On my 12' boat the batteries worked in the back to offset my weight in the front but in my 14' they i put one in the middle and one in the back (24v trolling motor). It took a few hours out there but it was worth it in the long run.

offduty · Post by **offduty** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:22 pm

G-unit wrote:Thanks guys! really good input. Nips thanks for the link too, i am in socal so thats perfect.
Ceaser in your opinion are the batteries better in the back or middle?
Off duty thats a sweet rig. I fish the bays around me too so im def thinking the synthetic sheets may be my answer. Are they strong enough to stand on when i make my compartment lids?

3/4" is pretty strong but it really depends on the sqft you are trying to span. I did another boat that was a 15' out of regular 3/4" plywood and carpeted it and it also worked without any problems but I triple primed each piece before installing paying particular attention to the end grain. On the 15' I cut both decks all the way out and then made struts, like a partial bulk head that went from side to side about 4" wide every 18" and then drilled 2" holes in them to lighten. I then attached everything else to those struts and got a lot more storage capacity. Sometimes I kind of miss that little 15' with the 40 hp because of all the work I put in to it, until I appreciate the room n my 21'. One word of advice would be to do what you want because you probably will lose money if you try to sell it.

summers · Post by **summers** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 10:41 am

another site to get some more answers for your build check out tinboat.net the entire site is about converting aluminum boat into bass boats.

G-unit · Post by **G-unit** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 7:47 pm

Thanks Guys!! and good looking out SUMMERS. Off to hammer this thing out. i'll try to get a thread and take some photos. Thanks again. See ya on the water!!

Dom · Post by **Dom** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 5:43 am

I just had to build rod locker doors for my Ranger 335V as well as the frame (cusions were missing when I purchased the boat) I used 5/8 reg plywood I made all my cuts then used thompson water seal to make it water proof I used 2 coats then I am wraping the frames and doors in Marine grade carper it has rubber backing. So between the thompsons, Glue, and Carpet the wood will not even get wet. I only use Stainless steel hardware like hinges,etc... How ever I used deck screws for building the frame you can get a box of 300 for 6.00 bucks VS what stainless steel screws are running in cost today. The deck screws come with a special coating they do not rust or corrode.

If cost is an issue you can go this route and get GREAt results without having to spend the big bucks on marine plywood. I called Ranger and they do not have the anymore of the rod locker doors so I called a apolstery shop and they wanted $900.00 bucks to make the frame and doors ! Total investment 150.00 bucks from start to finish including all materials

And I went with carpet instead of cusions and the doors match the front deck and flush so I got it the way I wanted it in the process.

Tin Can · Post by **Tin Can** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:48 am

I fish out of a 14' aluminum, that I made into basically a mini bass rig. I keep the TM battery up front, you're going to have your motor and gas tank in the back already, so I don't see any reason to move the battery back there and add any additional weight. Mine already rides fairly low in the back as it is. I'll try to snap a pic and post it up later. Only thing I hate is the seat pedastals I used, they are super cheap and bulky, I don't like em at all. I'll be recarpeting it soon and adding new seats and pedastals. I used regular plywood and it is starting to warp a bit, but I have been fishing out of this boat for years with zero warping. It only started warping after it got rained on, the neighbors cat destroyed my cover and I threw a tarp over it and the tarp blew off and the boat got filled with water.