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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on June 8, 2016 at 7:23am

C.W. if you take a look at http://montana-riverboats.com we have had that discussion or at least a variation of it over several years. One side of the issue is that a rigid floor doesn't "oil can" or flex when a rower applies his energy to the oars to maneuver the boat. Much like flex in a bicycle frame that bend when you pedal, the energy is used to move the floor not move the bike forward. If a boats floor flexes then the boat doesn't may require a greater amount of energy to be used to achieve the desired result, be it pulling away from danger or rowing downstream against the wind.

A secondary aspect to that is the shape of the may not be what you planned on if it flexes. Probably a very minute issue.

With an appropriate lamination schedule of types of fiberglass cloth, weights of cloth, type of resin, etc the builder can control the flexibilty and or the durability of the floor. For example, when I built my floor I laminated 17 or 18 ounce tri-axial fiberglass cloth to the top of the floor prior to installing it. It is extremely rigid, in fact so rigid it was difficult to flex enough to get it to attach properly! On the outside or bottom of the floor I have another layer of the same cloth with several additional layers of epoxy and epoxy mixed with graphite. My floor doesn't flex but cost more to build than what most care to spend. However if I hit rocks the floor has not so far fractured. I have lost a chunk of lamination and wood from the side of my boat where I hit a rock.

Another side of the discussion is for those folks that deck over their boat and have partitions that run to the bottom of their boats eventually resting on the floor of the boat. This can create a "hard point" much like a potential stress fracture in other materials. If the right or shall we say the wrong things occur then there is a potential of greater damage to occur at this point. If the entire floor can take the shock of hitting an object then the concept seems to be it can spread that stress out over the entire floor.

Rob Grubb and Mike Baker built a decked over boat for Rob with just such a floor. Here is his take on have space below a decked floor. Not the same as what you are talking about but at least another part of the puzzle.

NOVEMBER 2012: REMOVING BULKHEADS

After using this boat for a while, I realized the empty space under the false floors were eventually going to rot out the boat if left ill maintained. Thus the neck kinking, back breaking, potty mouthing adventure of cutting out the bottom of the bulkheads under the passengers footwells. I gained extra room for camp gear and no more wet, empty spaces.

I know I don't have the answer to your question but I am also uncertain as to what having a flexible floor would achieve or why you might want one. I hope I have been able to add some information to your discussion, perhaps it will assist you and others.

The next part of the discussion might lean toward what epoxy resin you might want to use to have both flexibilty and strength. Look up Brad Dimock's discussion of Resin Research products and the testing he and his buddies did. Would you believe you can make a crush proof roll of toilet paper.

http://fretwaterlines.blogspot.com is his blog address, you will have to go back a few years to find that particular set of entries.

Rick N

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