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DIY raft drop deck

28K views 23 replies 11 participants last post by  palidog 
#1 ·
I'm thinking of making this but without the metal reinforcement. So essentially a rectangle of plywood with rounded corners and slits along the edges for the hanging straps.

I don't know exactly what I'll be attaching so I'd like a bunch of tie down points that will give me flexible strapping options. I was thinking to drill four rows of holes perpendicular to the hanging slits and lace rope through each row creating low 'loops' on the deck that I can run a strap through. Maybe knot the rope so that pulling against one loop doesn't tighten it's neighbors.

Suggestions? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Hey barco,
lots of threads on similar items here. Maybe somebody can dig out some search terms for you. I've been on the quest for the "better floor" for a while myself and have found a happy ending in a thick piece 3/4" of birch plywood(?) drilled out to take an assortment of rocket boxes, day coolers, etc.
Alot depends on the frame, the boat, attachment points, the weight requirements, the phase of the moon, how much beer you drink, etc. basically there are lots of permutations. Get some cheap thin plywood sheets, start cutting patterns until you have what you think you want, then step-up and get some solid wood and transfer the pattern, sand, seal and get on the river. After all, summers are meant for boating..
 
#3 ·
I'd make a plywood deck to fit your boat with holes in the 4 corners, coat it with either Kwal exterior paint (the burly stuff- AAA recommended using that), spar varnish, or truck liner. then use loop straps to attach the floor to the frame. the loop straps make it easy to adjust the height or remove completely and you don't need to worry about loops that a foot can get stuck in.
 
#4 ·
I titled my post poorly

Thanks oarframe and whoapiglet. Mainly I'm looking for suggestions on how to add a lot of strap anchoring points to this floor so that I can tie down random stuff. It seems like a lot of people know exactly what they want to lash to the floor and where, so they cut slots and pre rig straps with that in mind which seems ideal but my rigging has not evolved to that point yet. My rope loops plan seems kind of lame, so I'm hoping MB will deliver a better idea.

PS I did a search before I posted and got a bunch of good info on materials and coatings.
 
#5 ·
Is this for you to stand on? or a floor for a cargo bay that will be completely full of gear? if its the latter, get a drop bag - its easier, less bulk, etc. if its the former, I'd get a piece of plywood, and go to town with holes, and see which ones you use the most. then make a better, more permanent one this winter.

I don't like floors in self bailers because I think it is better to suspend things from the frame and then strap them down nice and tight and you can stand to scout etc. on a self bailer well enough. plus if there is somewhere on my boat that I can't get to easily, inevitably, my lighter, map, sunglasses or weed end up under it.

If something is strapped to a floor that is just hanging from the frame, if you flip, all that stuff is going to hang way low from your flipped raft making it harder to re-flip and you'll probably lose a bunch of stuff as it whacks rocks etc. while upside down. not to mention a floor with two heavy and sharp rocket boxes chasing you out of the boat could do some damage to you or maybe tangle you up in your boat. If you throw straps over the rocket boxes you can't get in them while rowing, so you might as well have them in a drop bag.

Isn't that sweet-ass NRS Revolution stiff enough for you to stand on the floor?
 
#6 ·
I know the feeling - BUT think about what you will possibly be putting there. rocket boxes, coolers, bags, cases of beer. put these items on your wood and see what logically works and where.

I took a 1 1/2 inch circular drill bit and bored holes in my cargo floor. The pattern was dictated by where certain things would probably go. then i used various lengths of cam straps depending on the size of the cargo and ran the cam strap thru the holes on the floor and back up over the cargo. if possible i try to run the cam strap thru a frame member for Xtra security.

have fun!
 
#8 ·
The flip consequence is a good point and one I hadn't considered.

My main goal is to exploit the space in the cockpit to either side of my legs. I'm having a hard time imagining how to do that without a floor (single rail, 4-bay, AAA frame). I could try and put dry bags there, but there's nothing to attach to besides the crossbars so I'm worried stuff would flop around and get in my way at the wrong moment.

What about hanging a floor from the crossbars, strapping ammo cans etc to it, and then running a strap across the top of that gear pile through the crossbars? That would keep the floor from popping out in a flip. That might have been what oarframe was suggesting.
 
#9 ·
what about captains boxes that mount to the frame or pelican 1430 cases in a harness? or DRE captains bags with small dry bags/pelican boxes for what needs to stay dry?

I have a dry zipper duffle that fits the length of my captains bay perfectly, that I strap to the rails. can't move to get in the way, and the duffle config. lets me get in when I need to without unstrapping anything. I did the rocket box in a sling thing for a couple seasons, but didn't like having hard, sharp objects next to me, and I couldn't get into them when I needed to anyway because of the way an ammo box opens.

Also, you have to make sure your footbar (if you have one) doesn't get in the way of any hard box you plan to put there. Soft bags don't have that issue.
 
#12 ·
what about captains boxes that mount to the frame or pelican 1430 cases in a harness? or DRE captains bags with small dry bags/pelican boxes for what needs to stay dry?
The DRE captains bags are pretty small, about 24L. My rowing compartment is 44" wide by 25" long, I figure I could store two milk crates and two ammo cans per side (for example). I'm not looking for easy access to this stuff, I just want to take advantage of this nice low centered space. Propane, drinks, groover, treasure, etc. Captains boxes mounted to the frame would probably be great, but that's a lot of $$ compared to $50 for varathane, straps, and plywood.
 
#10 ·
Barco, i have a frame with drop bars that go almost to the floor of the raft so I can put a floor across it and strap it down. I 've seen people hang floors from the top crossbars, but don;t know how they keep it in position when upside down.

I'll try and take a pic this evening and post.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for the offer but no need for pix, I get it. Alas, I have no drop bars. One option could be to make the floor longer, so it's at least partly below my cooler/seat and the front would be below my foot bar. The cooler and foot bar should prevent the floor from dropping in a flip. I'm not crazy about going with a longer floor, but it's a thought.
 
#15 ·
Barco;
I use 2 rocket boxes on either side of my legs, under 1 box I have my dry gear bag amd under the other one I have my beer bag. The bay is about 21" from bar to bar and I do not have drop bars. I'm 5'11"(and did I mention I blow fire from my ass) and still have plenty of room in the bay.
As was said prior I srtap the handles of the cans to the frame so the dont get loose and as far as having a single rail frame that will not stop you from building side decks. I can send you pictures of mine and they have worked just as well on a single rail as they do on a double rail.
Oh and just concentrate on rafting right now the cold and low flow months are coming and you can fuck around in the garage more in the winter.
 
#16 ·
MY 4 bay frame has the floor under my cooler that I row from and the cockpit. It keeps my cooler rock solid. I placed the items on the floor that I want to tie down(captains box and small cooler, liquor box) Drilled holes into the floor next to them. Then took Mule tape(A half inch webbing) put it through the hole, where I ran a 1 1/2 inch ring that you can buy at lowes/ depo. then back into the hole to thread to the next hole. After all the rings are in place tie the ends together under the floor, done. I think para cord would work if you buy one strong enough. The metal rings are easy to strap to, you can put the rings all over if you want.
 
#17 ·
I've heard of strapping the suspended drop floor down through the webbing or holes of the self bailing floor to keep in place in the event of a flip, and also to stabilize it when being walked on or loaded. I've also heard that the general positive buoyancy of the gear keeps the gear floating udner the flipped rig so that it doesn't hang as far into the water as one would think. Does anyone see a downside to rigging this way? This is what I plan to do with the drop floor i will eventually build for my captians bay.
 
#18 ·
The monkey family is representin' in this thread! I'm thinking you'd want those straps through the floor to have enough slack that the floor could flex/sag without deformation. One hypothetical downside; if your boat was upside down and current was catching the cargo floor it could put a lot of stress on those attachment points, in a way the raft wasn't designed for. Maybe not a real problem, I'm just speculating based on my many many minutes of rafting experience (triple digits!). A variation on your idea would be to glue a d-ring on the inside of each tube, down low, and strap the platform to those.
 
#19 ·
First post for me on mountain buzz but I have been thinking of this same problem of keeping the floor in the boat during a flip. My thoughts are to drill two holes in each side of the floor and bring cam straps from those holes through the floor laces, then underneath the tube and up to the side rails of my frame. It would add drag underneath the boat though and potentially catch on rocks etc. What do you guys think?
 
#20 ·
Do that only if you want to rip your floor out of your boat. Imagine the forces pulling on your floor if your boat gets chundered, it could tear the floor's holes out, partially, fully, yikes! When I run a plywood floor on our raft (which we rarely do) I run straps over the rocket boxes to the frame cross bars that sit on the floor.
 
#21 ·
Water transportation Dinghy Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies Vehicle Boat

The above picture was version 1.0 of rigging a drop floor, which I abandonded as a bad idea due to the seat mount plate sticking out of the front. I have since chopped off this plate, swapped the location of the two crossbars in the pic, and now run the beaver board below what was the old fishing seat crossbar. The drop deck is now suspended with loop straps from the front cossbar and from the stern seat side rails, the cooler that I row from sits on the board and is strapped down through the handles from the front crossbar to the rear crossbar, strapping both the cooler down and preventing the deck from lifting when inverted. The decking is also strapped to the drop bar with 2, 1 ft straps, preventing it from shifting or lifting. When I repurposed the front fishing seat bar and inverted it, it became apparent that is has the same dimensions/bend radii as a standard NRS footbar. Very stable setup. Easy to load, good place for the dog when gear isn't loaded in the back. Additionally, the downward bends in the inverted seat bar increase the area that it makes contact with the back of the cooler keeping it locked in place, no shifting or twisting, and doesn't interfere with the hinge of the cooler lid so it can be opened without interefence.
 
#22 ·
I have flipped my raft with suspended wood floor four times. It has taken the least beating of all my gear. If it got snagged, the straps would pop under tension. I upgraded this year to decks and floor made of 1.5" puckboard. I'll be floating the Green next week. Good times.
 
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