How to replace wood floor in a boat?

Wood floor for an inflatable boat?

• What do I need to do to put a wood floor in my Sevylor Fish Hunter 6 person boat? I just want a cheap and relatively easy was to solidify my floor so stuff doesn't scoot around and so I can stand up occasionally. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032GV04Y/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

• Answer:

  They're not designed for a floor. The biggest problem is going to be rubbing. The floor material is likely to rub against the seam where the side pontoons are attached to the floor. This will eventually cause the seam to either leak or fail. If you want an inflatable with a floor then you're really going to need to buy one that's designed to accommodate one. Those typically use fiberglass coated marine plywood. Along with a rail of sorts along the side and clips in-between to keep the panels flat. Otherwise the panels would move around, making footing a problem and potentially ripping the inflatable material. Using panels is necessary as a way to get the larger floor to tuck securely under the sides of the inflated pontoons. I guess you could cobble something together. Use at least 3/4" marine-grade plywood. Start by creating a template using cardboard. Make it as large as will fit tightly under the edges of the inflated pontoons. Otherwise the floor would likely pop up if weight shifted elsewhere on it. Consider making an interim template out of something stiffer than cardboard in order to refine the fit. Once you've got the ideal shape then make one out of the marine plywood. Be sure to sand the edges thoroughly and round them off to avoid rubbing. Then use marine epoxy to seal it up. Some fiberglass cloth would also help to seal it up and make it more durable. You could embed some nonskid into this too. But basically if you want a wood floor inflatable you're better served buying one designed for the purpose.