DIY Cheap Removable Casting Deck

I have always wanted a casting deck for my jon boat "the rooftop boat" but I wanted to make it removable to keep the jon boats portable nature. I didn't find any other videos showing a good portable deck solution so I figured I would film my project! I hope you enjoy!
Materials used:
Sheet of plywood, 12x1200x2400mm
Wood studs, 28x70x4500mm
Balcony Carpet
Deck screws
Tools used:
Bosch 18V screwdriver
Bosch 18V jigsaw
Bosch miter saw
Boat: Sea Nymph 14K
Cameras used:
Panasonic Lumix GH4
Music by KZbins music library

[@thediycrab2674]

2 1/2 year update: It's still going strong! the carpet is getting torn in the edges and have started to smell a little bit from getting wet and being out in rain so that is going to be changed soon. The wood shows some "cracks" but it's still going really strong. When I'll change the carpet I will at least put another coat of oil onto it. The deck doesn't sag at all yet and I have been fishing loads on this with sometimes two people standing on it.

[@emeliomusso6911]

Does she support your weight good?

[@thediycrab2674]

@@emeliomusso6911 Oh yeah, doesn't sag or bend anything at all

[@jarrod5722]

Good to hear man, cause I just bought a 14 ft aluminum boat and I'm going to put a deck on like you did. Thanks for the quality video bro

[@loukenthompson2365]

This is great! I own a ‘00 1457 Sea Nymph and this is the perfect set up for a platform. Thanks!!!

[@michaelbeckman1794]

Maybe next time use 2 coats of fiberglass resin on all of the wood after assembly. Probably last 3x as long as the tung oil.

[@marksutton3054]

You did an extremely great job. I'm glad to see young men as yourself get so involved in a hobbies and actually do the work yourselves. That shows passion,I really like your boat,great job

[@matthew5172]

Hey mark. I’m 14 and want to do this design, but I’m not sure how it’s going to work. Would it pop out if I hit a big enough wave? (I bought myself a 1973 skiff boat that I have restored over the summer dedicated to saltwater)

[@j.murphyscontractinginc.3482]

Nice work! I just bought a 14 foot aluminum and this casting deck will add to the coolness for sure!

[@TheJJohnsonExperience]

I love the portability of this build. I want to make a casting deck for my boat but don't want to do anything to the structure of the boat. I think this will work perfect!! Thanks for the awesome Idea. I subbed as well.

[@smokinhic]

Nicely done! Like the removable option

[@avidhuntr]

Been thinking of doing this to my 14' Princecraft for a while, now I'm just gonna do it, great ideas and a great build thanks partner.

[@dirtyhooker6317]

How did it go?

[@bardinkurtis]

@@dirtyhooker6317 he never did it

[@andrewcorston4712]

Just finished making this for my boat. Such a cool idea. Can't wait to try it out. Thanks for the video.

[@erNomic]

Nice work, it is a game changer. I never used my boat until I did this, now I love it and use it all the time. I dropped in 2 lower carpeted floors too between the seats.

[@bugbiteflytying]

Sweet!! Did this to a 14ft Lund but made it permanent and added a storage compartment with a lid. Great job!

[@timothywright1318]

I just did this last week! The template took me way more time to master than I thought it would. Once that was done, the project was quite manageable.

[@colinphillips__]

The bottom of my boat is an endless supply of cardboard shavings atm lol

[@tybchance6918]

@@colinphillips__😂😂😂

[@allidoispoo6678]

This is sweet. I've been looking for ideas for my boat for some time now and this is exactly what I had in mind. Now that I have seen t your process it is totally doable on my boat. Thanks for the great vid

[@thediycrab2674]

Ryan Pearce Thanks! Glad that I can inspire others :)

[@reesy22]

Awesome mate. Absolutely awesome

[@dougcameron8429]

Pretty slick man! I think I'm going to use this exact plan for my boat! Might try to add a little storage door as well. Thanks for the vid!

[@jbeeker16]

Awesome Job!! I'm going to do the same to my boat! Thanks for posting.

[@MichaelConsul]

Impressive work. Video editing and angles also very impressive. Well done.

[@steveman223]

Love it...and I love the cardboard template. You don’t see that simple method often

[@TRITONFPV]

Been meaning to do this for sometime now with a leaning post. Glad I can across your video. Thanks 👍🏻

[@PucketyCrik]

Nice, as I was watching your video I realized I have the same boat, but newer. Cool.

[@cougargold]

Nice job man! Really clean cuts and well thought out.

[@MostlyPosative-nj5ex]

I like how you put the frame on top to outline the areas where screws would go. That’s a good tip.

[@tylorkirklin4636]

Great video! This really helped me out when building mine.

[@TravisInCanada1]

Heck yeah nicely done dude it looks awesome!

[@NashMagnum]

Awesome video, I'll be doing the same exact thing for my row boat. Thanks for the help!

[@noprooutdoors96]

Very nice job dude!

[@C-Dub487]

Awesome! Looks great man.

[@SmokinBigTruck224]

Awesome video! I enjoyed the relaxing music, no talk get it done! Great job and great video thanks!

[@brianfranks3123]

Just did something similar to my boat. Might redo the 2x4s to make room for a hatch. But that'll take some figuring out. But it works great for now! Thanks for the idea!

[@goalieboarder8931]

Made this with son this past weekend! Looks awesome and works perfect,

[@Rich3553]

I really love the idea. No destruction of the original boat and nice and clean finish. Great ! Thanks for sharing !

[@villeeklind4379]

Snyggt! Tackar för inspirationen! Bara att börja bygga!

[@motorcycleskullcaps]

I love it! I just purchased a 12 foot Jon boat and plan on doing the same.

[@yourenotwrong3511]

How did it turn out

[@paulflores490]

My man!.....Nice work!

[@MidwestCoinHunter]

Great build!

[@robertgardner536]

man that was an awesome video for dummies like me !! lol love the way you laid it all out ! you did a great job and thanks for this video. gonna give mine an update soon i hope. thanks again

[@wildtrophyhunts300]

Excellent video. Thank you for posting!

[@kendallgillespie3783]

Looks great. I had a design very similar drawn up to build on my 12ft v hull. I’m gonna build mine busing basically the same template and making some hatches in mine. Great simple vid!

[@peteryeung111]

Good job. Excellent video👍

[@1065Olivia]

Great idea and great job! I may try this with my 14' crestliner.

[@ezragamson4519]

thank you helped me build a boat deck really helpful

[@TheGoofyGenius]

Your a beast bro! You make it look so simple.. I might just try it out

[@strada21_]

Good job 👏 very detailed

[@DC-iu2eh]

Thats awesome. Well done.

[@edstimator1]

I think I am going to do some kind of a version of this myself. I like the idea of having options if my platform needs change.

[@juststatinfactssv4989]

Very nice. When i did mine i sprayed it down w rubber in a can to seal up the wood and made my frame different to lighten the load and add hgt.

[@pedroaldorodriguez1161]

Brother nice, simple and clean. Camt wait to start on mine

[@stanih.1427]

thank you for this example. iam looking forward to build it like you!

[@FoodPornNetwork]

Fantastic! Just what I am wanting to do, thanks!

[@lattapix]

Nice job! I made a casting deck some years back and about the similar size as your boat. Never used any frame work for support tho only 12 mm high quality marin ply. Weights over 100 kg have jump around on it, throwing things in all directions, once a 70 g jerkbait even touch my head in the back of the boat but I got out of it with all my senses alive. The deck have keept up relly well. I first planed to use some sort of carpet mainly for avoid the risk of sliping and fall but got the advise of a friend that done a lot of things with boats just to paint the casting area with marine quality paint and "sugerspray" the last coat to get a rough structure. He said by using a second skin that will keep and trap the water I would get the wood rutten in a while even if it's protected of some sort. Don't now what's right or wrong but it seems to work. Anyway, you made a really nice and tidy work my friend!

[@thediycrab2674]

That sounds cool! thanks for the input and nice comment :) maybe will try that on the next deck!

[@MerchantMonk]

Well done. Nice video.

[@mickaelfayolle9656]

Very good job 👍

[@ethanmacheras5967]

Looks awesome

[@64kdawg]

Awesome idea, thanks👍

[@chuckxjarhed982]

Excellent video.

[@thediycrab2674]

Thanks!

[@TheShelltrack]

Cool! Now, I'm gonna have to make one for my boat. I think I might add a hatch door on mine so it's easier to get to the stuff underneath. Thanks!

[@HuskyKMA]

Yep, one simple hatch door and you can utilize all that storage space underneath.

[@beebob1279]

Absolutely. Are you going to have a seat up there? Love the storage idea

[@quackme100]

Great work

[@joebrown19811]

Looks good!

[@buddahmayne9273]

Nice build.. 😎

[@thediycrab2674]

Some of you have asked how it holds up now after some time. I just spent 6 days fishing in this boat the past week and it still holds up great! The wood has aged a bit and you can see a few "cracks" in the wood from it drying but it's still as sturdy as it was in the beginning. The carpet have started to wear in the corners but I have been using this boat A LOT last year. Probably more than whats healthy ;) So conclussion, I will stick with this for this year and probably change the carpet for next season.

[@bigmanmichael7995]

The DIY Crab how do I make a template?

[@hunterfrancofishing1585]

I was also wondering how you made the template

[@bobhardy3]

Great job on the video DIY Crab! I read the questions below and offer how to make your template. Materials needed: cardboard, tape, pencil, razor knive, compass (www.amazon.com/Westcott-Metal-Compass-Wooden-Pencil/dp/B00DUXZNHE) Cut the cardboard to overlay each other to cover the area trying to copy. If you look at his example, it appears to be 4-6 pieces taped together. Take the first cardboard piece, and place along the side of the boat across the plane you want it rest on. Take the compass, and slide it down the side of the boat with the pencil side overlapping the cardboard. Cut along the line you made with the compass/pencil. Place the cardboard against the side to verify the cut. Make alignment marks on the side of the boat and the cardboard to provide alignment points. After cutting all of the pieces, lay it all out, aligned along the sides with the alignment marks. The pieces should be large enough to overlap each other in the center. Tape the cardboard together to complete the whole piece. Flip it over and tape it again to prevent it the pieces from shifting. Lay it back down to verify the template is accurate, and trim as necessary. Now use the template to transfer the design to your plywood. You may have to remove some of the profile to allow for the carpet that is folded over the side. Cheers!

[@thekraken1173]

Why you decided to name your channel "the diy crap''

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

That’s a fine job. The tung Oil probably doubled the usable life of the wood... that said, you’d have at least quadrupled it by applying two coats of two part epoxy.... but you may not be worried enough about seven years down the road to spend that much... good job. I may copy it with a few minor changes...

[@raymondrouthier3920]

Nice job keep it up

[@Funkyluv]

Good video on DIY good idea keep up the good work.

[@punishersoriano2895]

great video, you made it look easy

[@thediycrab2674]

Thanks!

[@gilbertrobles1374]

Looks good to me😀 good job bro.👌

[@thediycrab2674]

Thanks!

[@1965JB]

Nice job! I want to make one of those for one of the boats at the cabin I rent for a week each summer.

[@bountyhuntas]

THATS AWESOME AS HELL.....GOOD SHIT BRUTHA

[@TranslucentJuice]

nice job man, ill be trying something similar to this in the coming week :D

[@Trentkursen]

looks good!

[@jefferiefrench2463]

Well done sir

[@AbrahamRomney]

Totally going to use the cardboard template trick. Thanks

[@AndyBuilds]

Great video! Thank you for sharing. How do you keep this on the boat during windy days at highway speed?

[@heathschwab]

Very nice may do that I'm making one for my Jon boat but may do like yours thanks. God bless

[@darthbaker820]

Nice job. I have a 1958 Rich Line and want to do something similar.

[@thomasandersson6618]

I have the same boat as you , need to copy your deck 😃 But i want to build a cast deck rear also!! Nice work !! Tight lines/ Thomas

[@mitchmaciel6557]

Great job. Will likely do similar to my 12’ gamefisher. Ever think about putting a hatch in the deck for storage access?

[@joshvanschaick4896]

Sweet vid, thanks

[@beebob1279]

Any thoughts on building storage compartments. When you replace the carpet look at hinging the long sides and build some compartments to hold you're equipment. Batteries, and stuff like that. I found your channel because this is what I want to do with a boat my buddy gave me. Thanks for the framing idea. I was going to build down lower and use 2x6's. I like your idea much better. Oh, did you add seats to the deck? How about a bow electric motor? These are things I'm considering

[@monsterbassmx4281]

Great man

[@kali223laron]

thanks it's going on our tiny

[@seanbrown8722]

Well done

[@techguy3424]

Nice deck would be cool to fab a hatch for easy access to storage below deck.

[@Vanzgardian1]

Way cool!

[@Robert_Keel]

That was a cute paint brush.

[@james-im1sj]

Cool idea I use same boat for fishing our river and duck hunting that would be awesome for my dog 🤙

[@ashley66639]

thanks for sharing

[@punchfukker3383]

I plan on doing a removable deck for a dingy too, but instead of carpet I am going with either spaced out strips of grip tape or a double thick layer-mix of marine grade anti-slip additive to a lacquer or epoxy. Also, I'm making mine with about 3 *inches* of overhang in the back with a bunch of pre-cut holes to serve as pole holders, net holder, slots for pliers and forceps and knives... you get the idea.

[@thediycrab2674]

Punch Fukker Thabks for watching! I really like your idea of an overhang! Personally I prefer to store my rods horizontally in the boat so they are not in the way when I'm fishing but I could have used some overhang on the sides to make cut outs for tools, pliers, maybe hanging some lures, that would had been nice. Good luck with your build!

[@punchfukker3383]

Ah, no, I should have been clear, the rod/pole holder holes will be diagonally drilled so rods can hang over the sides for slow trolling, bait'n'bobber fishing, or catfishing.

[@thediycrab2674]

Ah I see, that sounds sweet! :)

[@Astralpilot2.0]

Punch Fukker go to autozone they sell shock absorbing rubber matt. very durable

[@davidr.4699]

Nice, we did basically the same for our 14 foot except we did 2 sections to reach back to the middle seat so we can have 2 guys standing comfortable for bow fishing. We have seats to clamp to the benches for regular fishing so this works good, just a few minutes to switch.

[@davidcalcagno4394]

Can I see a pic

[@davidr.4699]

@@davidcalcagno4394 Be glad to show you if I knew how to put pics on these replies lol.

[@tp7393]

Good job...

[@rickylove619]

Im so doing this!

[@cod2510]

It becomes even more removeable down the highway :D

[@TURBOINTEGRATYPER]

Yeah if you're a dumbass

[@Busyascanbe]

Damn. Good !

[@CA-kv6fy]

Glad i saw this

[@HawkEye3188]

So cool,,, although I would've use a stencil and spray painted my logo on the deck...... but this is so freaking cool...

[@thediycrab2674]

HawkEye3187 That is a cool idea! Thanks for watching :)

[@thatslivinfishing1089]

Just made kinda the same thing just by watching this video. The hardest part was making the cardboard outline haha apart from that it came up a treat

[@hopper1415]

Awesome

[@melesmeles2095]

Mine is not as net as yours, or framed quite the same, but it functions the same !!! I am NOT a carpenter by any means... THANK YOU !!! Now I have a deck and storage for my batteries, life vests and other little items !!!

[@thediycrab2674]

@Nathan Fynaardt Thanks! I have been fishing a lot now on this deck and I would say that I am happy that I skipped using glue. Already the deck looks a bit "walked on" with the carpet getting a bit torn where people have been standing. So I guess I will have to change the carpet next year or maybe the year after that. But with a higher quality carpet maybe this won't be an issue. However, the carpet is held in place really nice and there is no slack so I am happy with the result other than the low quality of the carpet I chose.

[@azzkeo8677]

marine grade carpet should last years it's durable as

[@thediycrab2674]

Azz Keo Yes of course, but the whole thought with this project were to make it cheap. I am ready to have to change the carpet in the next year or the year after that

[@Astralpilot2.0]

The DIY Crab nice. well enjoy man. Florida sounds like a paradise but it is a drug fueled shit hole. I want to get my kids out of here. every day someone overdoses and gets murdered. Its an over populated shit hole. bumper to bumper traffic daily. wasn't like this 15 years ago but its bad now

[@jameslaw3740]

Made mine with a false floor up front for lifejackets storage, tackle boxes, put carpeting on the wood over middle and rear seats. Cut hole in center seat for live well. Rear seat is for me and fishfinder. It does not work well, just can not find the fish. Looks great for a 12 foot boat. Placed a 2 x 8 in the oar locks and I run 2 down riggers to fish salmon , trout , and planer board for walleye. 2 x 8 board is great for cutting baits for catfishing with a piece of lexan on it. Two dollar store cup holders and a magnetic 18" strip holder ( princess auto) to hang lures on and pliers knife, lot of space in a twelve footer if you organize it right. Your build prep is a great idea , did you put a casting seat up front or not utilize the under storage up front??

[@nathanfynaardt5605]

Hey DIY Crab, I'm doing a similar project with my similar boat. would you have used carpet glue if you were to repeat the project? I plan on stapling the underside of the carpet once the glue is applied, just wondering how your deck carpet performs without the glue. Thank you, great video btw!

[@JR-ii5ld]

Hi, quality instructional vid. I have a Sea nymph 16T, basically same boat just 2 ft longer. Have u thought about a sub floor. Like to hear ur ideas. JR

[@marcelojosesouza6881]

Parabéns pelo trabalho👍

[@damnbogeygolfmelchert8912]

Awesome! 1) Do you have to leave a small amount of room on the sides (?1/4 inch or so) to accommodate for the carpet or is that not an issue? 2) Do you trailer the boat with deck in place? If so, does it ever get close to flying out? How do you ensure that it doesn’t?

[@thediycrab2674]

Thanks! 1. Yes a little bit, but once you step on it it will go into place even if it's a snug fit. 2. Yes I do! I put a strap under the seats over the deck just in case it would fly of but I don't think it will even without it. But I drive pretty fast with it when travelling far so feels more safe to have it secure