Pontoon Decking Question

So I have stripped my pontoon of everything and going to turn it into a catfishing/spoonbill boat. I have spent the last two nights reading so many reviews and getting ideas on what to use for the deck but have not made a decision yet. I want your opinions. The boat is 22' long and 8' wide. I have seen people say use marine in 3/4", 5/8" and 1/2". I have seen people use 1/8" and 1/4" aluminum sheeting, some use marine plywood, some use regular and coat with epoxy, or polyurethane or fiberglass, some use 1/4" and then put a layer of epoxy and then another sheet of 1/4" and change the direction of the grain from the last one. some say the boat is a lot lighter with aluminum, some say its not, some say aluminum gets extremely hot and some say not if you cover it with carpet or a coating like Tuff Coat. I am lost on what to do. right now I am thinking the 1/2" AB marine Plywood would be fine, but there may be things that I am missing.

I am not going to put carpet back down, I am going with a product called Tuff Coat, that has to be sprayed or rolled on and I will put atleast 3 coats down. Also, I am debating on taking console and making it a center console so i can fish on all sides of pontoon, I have measured all wires and cables and I have plenty of room. If I do this, should I center the gas tank also, or leave it on a side and put batteries on other side?

I posted in Main forum but also wanted to post here.

I think you will like one of the wood options better than aluminum.

Hat55..I think your right. I am reading more and more on it, and most of the boats that use aluminum have went with carpet and I am not putting carpet back in it.

I would definitely go with marine plywood (expensive), if not exterior b/c. It being a pontoon and could have lots of people on it I would go with 3/4", fiberglass, and then your coating. Is the tuff coat available through Cabela's? I think that is what my friend put on and it works great, but it was over fiberglass.

Definitely go with the 3/4" Marine Grade Plywood (7 layers). We used the same stuff to replace part of the decking on our boat dock. Then I put 2 coats of Restore on it to give it texture - we chose a nice blue color since that is the only thing you will see blue on Eufaula (very dirty lake). :Rofl

If you have more specific questions or want more ideas, check out the Restoration section over on the Pontoon Boat and Deck Boat forum http://www.pontoonforums.com/viewforum.php?f=16

(moderator, if it's not okay to post links to other forums, please delete this link).

If done right the aluminum would be your best bet but will cost you more in the end. Wood is easy to work with and can be done with minimal tools. You don't have to use marine plywood. Save money and go with a 3/4" exterior grade plywood and seal it with either 2-part epoxy or Spar Urethane. You'll never know the difference.

aserioushunter....yes, the Tuff Coat is available at Cabelas and has great reviews. whatever floor I choose, i will be using Tuff Coat to put on top.

Thanks for all the ideas so far guys. I am definitely considering each. DrNip...what all is needed to work with aluminum? I have seen several posts that state that wood is much easier to work with. I have never messed with aluminum.

Depends if you are going to have it welded, riveted or bolted together. I don't know what the flooring on your boat looks like or I could probably give you an educated answer. Another thing with aluminum is finding it. Can't go to your local hardware store like you can with wood. Aluminum can get to be expensive as well. True aluminum is lighter but we're talking about a pontoon boat here. Decking it with 3/4" plywood won't budge it. You have a picture of the area you are talking about?

I will take some pictures tomorrow and see if i can get them posted.

http://www.plascore.com/honeycomb-co...e-industry.php

http://www.infracomp.com/

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/gran...e-decking.html

http://www.flatironpanelproducts.com...s/Welcome.html

I once saw a demonstration where equal size sections of bare plywood and aluminum decking where placed under a heat lamp, the plywood felt hotter. I have been in boats with both types of flooring (carpeted) and do not notice a difference in them.
Mine is a tri-toon with the same deck size as yours and has two batteries plus 31 gallon fuel tank opposite the console. It appears level and stable to me and I would not expect having the console centered would affect it much. A two toon might differ but hey, just keep them coolers full of catfish on the other side.
SS

Josh,

Let me answer you by asking you a question. Would you walk on a roof with 1/2 plywood on it? I can tell you that I myself personally would not do it very often, without knowing exactly where the bracing is at. If you take this into account, I would go with the 3/4 plywood then put multiple coats of a very very good water sealer on it. On the bottom of the plywood, the part facing the water, I would go to an auto parts store like O'Reilly's and get some roll on bed liner. I would run at least three coats of that on the bottom of the wood. This will give it extra protection against the water that will be splashing on it all of the time. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions. We have ran it on the roofs of our rat rods or on the bottoms of some of our truck beds. Great stuff and it doesn't cost you a ton of cash.


If you have the option, I think I would have the batteries in a different location than the gas tank. Just to give myself an extra bit of security against fire, even if it is only in my head.

As far as center console goes. That is my favorite style of boat, so you know the answer on that one. The only question I have for you on that is this; is it going to be a sit and steer or a standing and steer?


Bobo

Josh, 3/4" CDX plywood, 3 coats of urethane and 3 coats of tuff coat, and the decking will outlast the toons IMHO. Center console is a great idea. The fuel tank and batteries don't weigh enough to factor in. Wood is for sure easier to work with. If you need, I have a table saw I'll be more than happy to bring over.

If you choose to use plywood, do NOT coat it with Thompsons sealer! I did this when I revamped my boat and not too long after found out that the outdoor carpet glue would not adhere properly to the Thompsons. I don't know if it would allow another substance to stick or not.

Make sure you tape the seams. Have you thought about synthetic decking?