Solid plywood floor on a wood driftboat, bad idea?

OK, so I started this $100 driftboat fixer-upper project so I could get a quick and dirty boat in the water for fishing, but I stumble on this website and now I'm obsessed (or posessed?) The bottom has been completely removed and 2 sheets of 1/2 marine PW are on order. A little rot in the bottoms of some of the ribs but nothing worth replacing.

 

Question: The last owner did a nice job of covering the ribs with plywood to make a nice solid floor from gunwale to gunwale for an 8' length of the boat. It's a real nice floor and is very solid and easy to walk on, however I'm concerned about ventilation and potential rott. Most wood drift boats I see have longitudinal strips with openings inbetween as a floor. I assume this is for ventilation? What are your thoughts, comments?

 

Thanks

Troy Redding, CA

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Permalink Reply by Roger Fletcher on March 13, 2010 at 3:00pm
I employ both but I'm personally partial to a solid floor, especially when fishing. Retrieving an unintended drop of a fly or lure from between floor slats can be annoying, especially when winter fishing and your fingers seem useless. When I craft solid floors I use 3/8" exterior grade plywood and cut them to fit around the base of the side frames so as to secure them fore to aft. They are easy to remove and I have not lost a floor board in transit - ever. The solid floorboards simply lay in place. I oil them on both sides without any skid resistant filler. I haven't slipped out of a boat yet. I use them in front of the guest seat, and in front of and behind the rowing seat to the transom. The slatted floors are nicer aesthetically and they are more traditional. As far as a solid floor subjecting the boat to potential problem, I don't see it, especially if the boat can be stored dry. My 42 year old Mckenzie has had nothing but solid floors. My 10 year old 13-foot double-ender has had nothing but slatted floors. It's a matter of personal preference.
Permalink Reply by Troy Nicolls on March 13, 2010 at 3:34pm
Roger
Thanks for the input. The floor is currently screwed in place. I never thought of making it removable. That makes good sense. I also hadn't considered making it 2 piece, which would make it easier to remove. Since the current floor pretty much covers the whole boat from behind the rowers seat to in fron of the guest seat, would it be advantagous to leave an open area saw under the rowers seat to facilitate bailing water?

Totally green to drift boats.

Troy
Permalink Reply by Roger Fletcher on March 13, 2010 at 5:40pm
I keep the area under the seats open to accomodate my dry boxes which hang from my hinged rower and guest seats. I make the mid-section floor (under my feet) in two pieces with comfortable thumb holes juxtapositioned along the mid-seam. The mid-seam is perpendicular to the bottom frames. That way, if I need to bail (it happens to the best of us), I simply reach down, lift and slide one piece or the other to expose several inches at the chine, and bail. My weight tilts the boat to the chine comfortably and I can bail with ease from the roqwing seat. When i'm done I slide the floorboard back into place, secured by its fit around the side frames. My solid floors are in four pieces: one tapered to the fly line frame in front of the guest seat, two for amidships as described above, and one aft of the rowing seat.
Permalink Reply by Troy Nicolls on March 13, 2010 at 6:29pm
That sounds very practical. I think I'll be cutting up that plywood similar to your description.

Thanks again Roger

How many boats might one expect to see at the meet in April on the Mckenzie?

Troy
Permalink Reply by mitchell on March 14, 2010 at 7:47am
Troy,

last year at the show I'd guess there were more than 50. Just a guess.

Anyone else

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