Synthetic, light boat decking material?

[Larry Edgerton]

I need to put a deck in my boat

[Mac McQuinn]

PVC Trim Boards have great nailing and gluing abilities, lot of sizes available. Seems a little pricey although should be a one time installation.

Mac

[andy bessette]

I need to put a deck in my boat

You'll need to provide a lot more information than that.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Balsa core between West System is something I have read about for decks and hulls.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...ct-detail/1590

Contoured ProBalsa Plus is a coated, contourable, endgrain Balsa Wood for use in marine and boatbuilding applications. Coated with a thin resin film to enhance bond with epoxy, VE and polyester resin systems. 10 lb. per cubic ft. typical density. Standard core for many OEM boatbuilders. Typical applications include hull and deck core replacement, construction of small parts and inexpensive straight core replacement. Purchase by individual sheets / boards or by the case.

[Allan Dozier]

I'll agree with Andy that we need more info. How wide a span? Will it be arched? Is it big enough boat that you need to stand on it or just as a cover for a small boat? I have used Plascore, a honeycomb panel. You would apply fiberglass etc. to both sides. The advantage over balsa core is that if any water gets in the core it can't rot. The company can help guide you to which product would work best
https://www.plascore.com/honeycomb/honeycomb-panels/

[George Yetka]

Larry

not sure what type of boat your talking but these tiny boat nation are awesome for bass boats.
https://tbnation.net/

[Larry Edgerton]

Ok, had more typed, don't know where it went?

Anyway, what I am doing is rebuilding a 15'10" Spectrum side console fishing boat. The floors are fairly solid except for the raised front. I am going to use it the way it is at least part of this year so I can figure out how I want it all layed out rather than just copying what is there. The boat came with a Force 50, which I immediately took to a scrapper. I am not after speed, so in the interest of fuel efficiency/reliability I bought a new Suzuki 30hp remote. Stripped all of the unnecessary upholstery etc. to save weight.

My question was what is available that is fairly light weight, preferably not wood, for decking duty. We get a lot of rain here so a deck gets wet often. I don't want to do it twice. That and I may cover it with some kind of foam decking, still researching that, and don't want to do that twice as it is fairly expensive.

Plascore looks cool but I am sure the price will scare me. I built some cabinets for a helicopter out of a carbon fiber honeycomb and that was amazing, but $$$.

I'm 67, and decided it was time to give up dirt bikes, so this is the replacement. More age appropriate hobby.

George, thanks, I will check out Tin Boat Nation.

[andy bessette]

OP--though you have not bothered to tell us even what the boat is made from, I will assume it is an old aluminum boat, and further assume it has a plywood deck. In which case you might as well continue to use plywood for your deck modifications or repairs. As your apparent budget can hardly rationalize the use of expensive and labor-intensive composite construction.

If you really think you must use cored construction, then divinycell foam core might be considered. But be prepared for a lot of dirty work and lavish expenditures far beyond the real value of the finished boat.

[Larry Edgerton]

The boat is an old aluminum boat. Exactly what I wanted, built well and a scuff here and there so I can use it the way I want to in the places that a more genteel boat would never be seen. I already have more in the boat than it is worth but was not planning of selling it. What I decide to spend is only my concern. I am just looking for options at this point.

[Larry Edgerton]

PVC Trim Boards have great nailing and gluing abilities, lot of sizes available. Seems a little pricey although should be a one time installation.

Mac

Mac, thought about that because I have a lot of experience with that, was on the Versatex advisory panel for a while. It would not make a good deck, heavy and not very strong, especially in the cold. I do have a few sheets of 1- 1/2" material around and was contemplating building a new helm out of it just for fun. I want to get the electronics all figured out first, then build a new one. Bought the Suzuki all in one digital dash, but don't know much about fish finders and GPS just yet. Think I am going to go with Garmin separates and if I like build a helm around that. Then I can rewire after I get it just the way I want.

[Allan Dozier]

If you can post a photo of the front deck? If it is currently plywood, is there some sort of support under the middle of it? If you cover both sides with fiberglass you get such strength from the sandwich construction you might get away with many options for the middle of the sandwich. If all the edges are covered with fiberglass the interior could be wood and you wouldn't need to worry about rot. If there is some sort of support under the deck it won't need to be super strong since any span would be small. Might be cheaper than some sort of phenolic panel.

[Larry Edgerton]

If you can post a photo of the front deck? If it is currently plywood, is there some sort of support under the middle of it? If you cover both sides with fiberglass you get such strength from the sandwich construction you might get away with many options for the middle of the sandwich. If all the edges are covered with fiberglass the interior could be wood and you wouldn't need to worry about rot. If there is some sort of support under the deck it won't need to be super strong since any span would be small. Might be cheaper than some sort of phenolic panel.

Its looking like that will be the final answer. I was thinking carbon fiber cloth just because I want to play with it. Three 5x5 BB would cover the deck. Have not torn it apart but according to the net it has aluminum cross braces. Thought about an aluminum deck, just not sure how thick I would need till I see the structure, and I wonder about noise?

[Allan Dozier]

Let us know what you find. Hope you catch a lot of fish!

[Maurice Mcmurry]

King Starboard AS shows up as a search result for synthetic boat decking.
A good quality marine plywood coated with Gluvit and and a top coat with anti skid additive would last a long time.

https://www.kingplastic.com/products/king-starboard-as/

https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...ct-detail/2091

https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...t-detail/98110

https://www.jamestowndistributors.co...t-detail/97706

Whoops, backpedal on the King Starboard, A 4'x8' x 3/4" weighs 480 pounds!

[Doug Garson]

Check out stitch and glue construction, popular for kayak building. I have a pair of stitch and glue Pygmy Coho kayaks, the combination of thin marine plywood and epoxy/fiberglass on both sides is incredibly strong and light, comparable to a Kevlar or carbon fiber layup but much less expensive.