Our new bow deck.

[rseas]

We finally finished. The new bow deck came out great and provides tons of more or less dry storage. The difference is amazing, the boat is organized, the dogs have a flat place to lie down and the boat looks completely different. The material list included a 4'x8' sheet of 3/4" marine plywood, 3 yards of marine vinyl, Gorilla Glue, a bunch of assorted fasteners, vinyl flooring adhesive and the new hatch. Overall the project was not difficult but I would use caution in developing the pattern. It turned out that our boat is not symmetrical from port to starboard and I ended up having to do some rework. The pictures are before, during construction and of the finished bow deck.

[clarkbre]

That deck looks great! It is amazing how much organization can be had by adding a storage hatch. It looks very similar to the one I did on my Lund a a year ago. After a few crabbing trips and lots of lake trips it still is holding up well. You did a good job. I also found that my boat was not symetrical no the center line so I had to measure 84 times and cut once. Again, a job well done and it should hold up well for a long time.

Oh, and one more thought: For your next boat project, if you havn't already, consider putting the battery for your trolling motor in the hatch. Open floor space is a very valuable thing in these aluminum boats.

[FishingFool]

looks great. I wish I had that front support on the bow. Still trying to decide how I want to do it.