Casting Deck Suggestions 150 Sport

[LCnSac]

[A Boston Whaler 150 SPORT boat was just purchased by] me this weekend. It is my fourth Whaler, and the one best suited to my primary use: inland and estuary fly fishing. The boat has been in the same family since new, and the owner claims 80 to 100 hours--could be as the hull looks almost showroom and it jumps up on plane quick to 36-MPH with two onboard



Still, I'm not happy with the casting deck appearance.



The actual framing work is very well done, with the perfect angles. I don't know about he carpeting; it looks a little Jon-boat-ish. I'm looking for suggestions on refinishing that to make it look just a little more in line with the rest of the boat. The casting deck can never go great with a Boston Whaler, but it's integral with my style of fishing. The trolling motor base isn't so hot either, but I'll probably soon replace the troller with an iPilot, so I'm not too concerned.

Other that filling a bunch of small screw holes with 5200 and finding a way to scrape off dozens of patches of shoe goo and liquid nails for whatever they had pasted on the hull and finding fly rod storage where I won't clouser my rods with every cast, I'm pretty happy with this one.

Any suggestions always appreciated, nice to be back on CW. ~John

[Oldslowandugly]

Sweet looking boat. I have the same swivel seat base-strong. I'm not a fan of carpet either, as it holds dirt and fish stink. But I'm assuming there is plywood underneath. That means sanding, staining, varnishing, and lots of work. Or just painting it white to match the hull and add non-skid granules for traction. Maybe keep the carpet for now and see how it works.

[jimh]

If Boston Whaler made a casting platform, I don't think they would use carpet as the covering. It is not in keeping with the rest of the interior, which can be washed down and cleaned easily. A better surface for the casting deck would be some sort of a vinyl flooring with an aggressive non-skid surface. And the color must be in a neutral white or perhaps gray. Look at some industrial flooring material that comes in a roll and in a width that is sufficient to permit you to re-cover the casting platform with one piece and have no seams.

Here is a non-skid pyramid-pattern vinyl material available in white and in sizes up to 4-feet wide and any length:

http://www.americanfloormats.com/pyramid-runner-mats/

A mat could be ordered in, say, 4-foot by 6-foot size at a cost of about $140, and then carefully cut to fit the platform. The mat could be glued to the platform with a suitable adhesive, perhaps rubber cement, so that the mat could be peeled off without too much difficulty if it needed replacement.

[Jefecinco]

If the platform is unfinished wood or plywood rot has probably started. Before replacing the carpet consider a long lasting rot resistant platform material on which to place a new non-skid surface. King Starboard comes to mind but I'm sure other materials would serve at least as well. If King Starboard or an equal product is available with a non-skid surface that would look good with the other features of your boat and be virtually maintenance free.

Perhaps a rot resistant platform material combined with a carpet material installed with snaps such as used on many boat brands would get the job done. A benefit of the cockpit carpet material is comfort for feet, reasonable durability, low cost, easy replacement, and easy cleaning and drying. When not needed the carpet can be rolled up and stored at home.

[LCnSac]

These are very good suggestions, and yes, the carpet is not consistent with the Whaler design, look or feel. That's why I asking! I especially like Jim's suggestion, assuming I can find something that's comfortable on bare feet. The small skiff I have now has rubber tiles on the bottom, and those are great and somewhat comfortable but they won't go with the Whaler. The structure is definitely not rot-resistant but it's fairly new and appears to be in great shape. I may epoxy it which will be fine for a few years. Cheaper to replace it that to go with KING Starboard or similar until it needs it, and the sides are barely visible. It's a little heavy but [the boat top speed is] still getting mid 30-MPH with two guys AND it actually provides some useful storage that the small Whalers lack.

[Oldslowandugly]

A piece of Starboard that size is going to be expensive. Especially in the thickness needed not to bend unless you support it underneath. Marine grade plywood is made with waterproof glue and will not de-laminate, but is expensive too. As long as it is sound an epoxy coating will waterproof non-marine grade wood very well. I have had great success with GLUVIT which is easy to work with and has enough flex to give with any wood movement. The key with plywood is to seal the edges as that is where water gets in and rot begins. I have used regular exterior plywood on a skiff and it has lasted over 20 years now. I sealed the edges with polystyrene fiberglass resin. I painted the exposed surfaces with GLUVIT and Interlux grey Bilgecoat with non-skid granules. Is that deck hinged to tilt open for storage access, or not? Don't forget, with any type of fishing but especially fly fishing, sound deadening is critical. Carpet is great for that. Whatever you decide on. keep [sound] in mind. Every time I drop something on my hard deck, it sounds like a cannon went off.

[LCnSac]

I took a closer look just now. There's quite a variety of woods/compare to wood in that box, clearly none of which are appropriate. Seems to me that for three hundred bucks all in or so I could redo it with Okoume marine ply and a KING Starboard or Marine Board top with built in non-skid.

I also see that the casting deck box is resting directly on the hull, and of course there's no provision for drainage through it, out of it, or around it. I'm not going to caulk it because I want to keep it removable. I would assume one solution would be to lay down some dri-deck and place the platform on it? Or simply put in some rubber feet.

[LCnSac]

I think I found a pretty good solution for the deck structure. Several years ago I salvaged a 36" x 20" x 12" 6036 T5 aluminum dunnage table, rated at 2000 lbs. capacity, from a dead restaurant in one of our centers. It weights about 8 lbs. I always thought it would make a good casting deck--at the time I was between boats. The structure is 1.5" x 1.5" welded aluminum, but with only .08" wall thickness, securing the 3/4" ply deck will take lots of fasteners.

The storage below is less convenient than with a wood structure and hatch, but greatly expanded in capacity. Securing articles from shifting aft when underway is something I haven't figured out yet, maybe a netting system with hooks. I am thinking that coating the marine plywood with a one part appliance epoxy paint would be sufficient?

Trolling motor will be replaced with a Terrova 12V, jon boat seat is on Craiglist and I'll install a Tempress chair with flush deck mount in its place. Deck covering will be Dri Deck in white. It is not the most comfortable decking on the feet, but the best choice for a removable deck.

[Oldslowandugly]

That looks like a super idea. .080" is standard aluminum hull gauge. 6036 is not really a marine grade but any 6000 series has magnesium and silicon for good strength and corrosion resistance. I would strive to protect the aluminum where the wood is attached. Wet wood can cause poultice corrosion. An epoxy barrier coat should do the trick. Also use only stainless steel fasteners. No brass or plain steel. You might want to use some kind of pad where the legs meet the deck to spread the load. I think a waterproof tub would fit nicely under the deck and make for good storage. Excellent use of salvaged material!