Create space between furniture and deck

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krisburg
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Create space between furniture and deck

#1 Post by krisburg » Mon Sep 19, 2016 8:36 pm

Older pontoons often have plywood furniture with vinyl covering running right down to the carpeted deck. This is a trap for moisture in the carpet under the furniture.

Most replacement furniture now has plastic molded bases, some with grooves to allow water to escape off the deck. With carpet, there is still a large amount of carpet that attracts water under the furniture base if the deck is washed with a hose which can eventually cause wood rot.

I am thinking of mounting new plastic molded furniture with "skids" that elevate the furniture 1/2 to 3/4 inches from the deck to allow water to freely flow off the deck, and also allow the space under the furniture to be cleaned with a simple hose.

Anyone else elevated the furniture bases off the deck to facilitate cleaning and avoid chronic moisture problems? Even with vinyl decking it seems elevating the bases on skids would facilitate cleaning.
Last edited by krisburg on Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
1994 Tracker Fishing Barge 21'
1994 9.9 hp Mercury
Lake San Marcos, CA

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teecro
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Re: Create space between furniture and deck

#2 Post by teecro » Tue Sep 20, 2016 3:43 am

Wouldn't those "skids" end up holding or trapping some water too? How about skids for the skids then?

I'm all for the Roto-Molded Plastic Bases and Vinyl Flooring as well as spacers between the Rails and Decking but at some point you just have to accept that boats get wet and there is only so much you can do practically to prevent eventual rot...

Myself I would tend to think that most plywood pontoon floors rot from the underside up unless under-skinned due to the constant wave action keeping it soaked....
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Gearbanger
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Re: Create space between furniture and deck

#3 Post by Gearbanger » Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:18 am

I have 2016 Lowe SS210 and it doesn't have the seats raised off the deck. With that said, when I was in the market and looking, there were several brands that are doing that now. They use the same plastic risers / wedges that are used for the side railing to get the furniture off the floor from 1/8th to maybe 1/2 inch.
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Bamaman
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Re: Create space between furniture and deck

#4 Post by Bamaman » Tue Sep 20, 2016 8:22 am

Manufacturers don't install spacers because it'd be too time consuming. They'd probably have to use different fasteners than they do now.

And plastic bases are strongest when they're mounted flush to the plywood.

If marine plywood rots because of furniture not having a space, it'd be 30-40 years in use. That plywood is really, really tough stuff.
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krisburg
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Re: Create space between furniture and deck

#5 Post by krisburg » Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:37 am

I mentioned moisture as I am noticing some signs of deck deterioration as I take up the existing carpet to be replaced with vinyl. Some strips of the topmost lamination of the plywood are coming up attached to the carpet which was glued down as I remove it. The desk still appears to be structurally sound with no soft spots.

However, the problem is more than just moisture. My boat has been in the water on a lake continuously for 23 years. Regardless of what products that are used to keep birds off the boat, eventually some great herons decide it makes a nice shady place to eat their lunch. If you have not yet had the experience of heron poop on a carpet in the back of a pontoon that has no effective drainage from the deck, I can tell you it is quite a mess to clean as these are large birds. Once you stand in the back of the boat with a hose, the boat tilts aft and any poop and water from washing the desk only puddles and spreads out on the entire floor, but does not drain off the deck.

So a bigger interest is in having a floor that is easy to clean if that happens, which it eventually will unless the boat is in a mooring cover 100% of of the time.

My thought is with vinyl flooring and the rails raised and the furniture on skids, I could clean that boat with a hose quite easily. For skids, I was thinking of 3 or 4 strips of 4x1" pvc trim oriented pointing toward the edge of the deck so as not to impede deck washing. The edges of the skids would be slightly shorter than the base of the furniture so it would not be visible. Also, the 1/2" spacers on the railing might work, but 3/4 to 1 inch would be much more effective for washing the deck with a hose. I assumed the only difference in attachment would be the need to use longer bolts on the railing and furniture.
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