How to Put a Floor in a Boat
Building a floor into the bottom of a boat can really help with stability and comfort for the occupants. This is generally only required in smaller rowboat style craft, where the floor of the boat is concave, mirroring the outside bottom. Making a flat floor that sits slightly above this will create a flat surface for mounting seating and other elements. As the lowest point of most boats is along the keel for purposes of hydrodynamics, making a flat floor above this will also create a convenient small storage area.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Measuring tape
- Spirit level
- Marker
- Cardboard sheet
- Plywood sheets, 3/4-inch
- Jigsaw
- 1-by-1 inch planks
- Screws
- Screwdriver
- Drill
- 2-by-4 planks
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure the width and length of the floor you wish to make for your particular boat. Do this with the boat in the water, or if out of the water, leveled as it naturally sits in the water. Draw a line at the height around the inside wall of your boat where you want the floor to sit using the marker. Check the line with the spirit level to make sure it remains level around the inside of the boat.
-
2
Make a template of the floor you wish to install by cutting and trimming a large sheet of cardboard until you are happy with the layout of the floor board template.
-
-
3
Measure the depth between the bottom of where you wish to place the floor and the bottom of the boat using the spirit level and measuring tape. Measure along the keel, as well as between the keel and sides of your boat, and make a note of these measurements. You will use this information to make supports for your floor to keep it from sagging in the middle. Hold the spirit level along the line you drew in Step 1, perpendicular to the boat's keel. Measure the distance between the edge of the level and the bottom of the boat.
-
4
Cut out corresponding lengths of 1-by-1 inch planks to match the measurements taken in Step 3. You should have enough of these 1-by-1 inch supports to be spaced evenly every 12 inches along your boat's keel line.
-
5
Cut out your floor by tracing the cardboard template onto the plywood. Cut along this line with your jigsaw.
-
6
Drill pilot holes through the floor, along the point where the keel line will sit. Place the 1-by-1 inch supports, lined up with the pilot holes. Secure them in place by screwing through the floor and into the supports.
-
7
Place the floor into the boat and check that it is level using the spirit level. If it is not, make any necessary adjustments until it is level and stable. Replace supports with slightly longer or shorter supports to correct any wobbling.
-
8
Secure the floor in place by cutting and screwing down some 2-by-4 inch planks to the installed floor of the boat, under the benches or seats in the boat to wedge the floor in place This will prevent it from lifting up in turbulent water.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Make a hatch in the floor by cutting out a square and mounting a hinge on it to allow access to the underside of the floor. This space can be used for storage.
Placing plastic foam blocks between the 1-by-1 supports can aid in buoyancy should the boat capsize.
When purchasing your plywood, ensure it is marine grade to avoid having to replace it due to rot.
Ensure that the floor is firmly mounted in place before taking the boat out on the water.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images
