Devlin Black Brant II floor/sole supports stringer?

R

Richard S

Member
I've been working on a Black Brant II restoration project for the last few months, and at a point where I need to work out what I want to do for a floor. I'd love to see options other folks have used for this boat or something similar. The previous owner had a 3/4 plywood floor with 2 2x6 "supports". The supports weren't fit to the hull, just laid flat and screwed to the plywood. Nothing was attached to the boat, and from moving around and with most of the pressure on 4 small areas, it wore most of the way through the epoxy on the inside of the hull. I was planning to use the outline as a pattern for a new floor, but I'm thinking I'd like to go with something that isn't so wide that would let me sit lower in the boat.

View attachment 20200801_183313.jpg

I started trying to fit lateral supports to replace what he had, thinking I could epoxy those to the hull but still have a removable plywood floorboard, but I'm having a heck of a time working out the best way to do this, and I'm questioning if that is the best route to go. My first though was to guess at the height I wanted the floorboard at one location, cut/fit one support to the hull, then try and fit a few more leveling them (as the boat sits on the trailer at least) from the first support. I cut a few 2x4 templates to try this out and it seems like this approach may work out, but it would be great to hear from others with experience with this process.

View attachment 20200803_204844.jpg

It seems like a glassed in sole is a popular option with many Devlin boats builds I've seen on here, but I'm leaning toward keeping with something I can remove and/or replace if needed. Any and all advice, information, pictures, or opinions are appreciated.
 
Good morning, Richard~


I am a fan of removable floor boards (duck boards to be more precise) in gunning vessels. As you know, I've never worked on any Devlin boats. But, here's the approach I have used on several duckboats - fitting the floor board frames (cleats) to the hull contours but making them part of the removable floorboard.



(NOTE: The long deck screws in the photo are simply temporary supports to hold the board off the bench during the sealing and painting process.)



View attachment Floorboard 09 Nails for painting.JPG



One benefit of this approach is that you can use boards and not plywood. I made these from half-inch clear White Pine. Boards are stiffer than plywood, of course, but you would still need several cleats to support the entire floorboard over its length. You could use a Pine, Cedar, Cypress or Mahogany.



I use a softwood (White Pine or Cypress) for my cleats to minimize chafe on the hull interior. In your case, I might also add a dense foam or rubber on their bearing edges to protect your hull integrity.


View attachment TD 12 Floorboards.JPG



Although the above photo does not show the feature, this board is held in place by 4 turn-buttons. You could certainly devise something similar to hold your board down - even just a single "hold-down" at either end.


I made the central board a bit longer to 1) tell me at a glance which end was the bow and 2) to add a touch of Art Deco style - as the boat was early 1900s.



View attachment TD Floorboards painted.JPG



Hope this helps!


SJS













 
Thanks Eric. I'm trying to picture how the floor was designed using the supports in the second picture that follow the contour of the hull vs being flat like the first design?
 
This design looks like a very good option, and something I think I might be able to construct with my limited skills. Any suggestions for the rubber/foam products you would suggest for the contact edges? I like that idea to avoid damage, but I'm also picturing a floor that squeaks every time I move a muscle. I suppose that is where the importance of the attachment points comes in.
 
Richard~


Not sure if any weatherstripping products would be tough enough. I'd probably use strips cut from an old inner tube (remember those?) or EPDM (I have scraps left over from our pond liner).


All the best,


SJS

 
Richard S said:
Thanks Eric. I'm trying to picture how the floor was designed using the supports in the second picture that follow the contour of the hull vs being flat like the first design?
Click to expand...

That floor had cutouts where the supports were and the floorboard was held by screws into sacrificial blocks epoxied to the floor supports. I used a 2" wide weather strip around the perimeter of the floorboard to minimize chaffing and the floorboard had a shallow bevel on the underside to match the hull angle . That was a big job with a hand plane and some trigonometry to work out the angle/width of the landing spot all the way around the perimeter of the floorboard. The angle is constantly changing. I got a really nice fit though.

When I built my Brant I took these lessons learned and incorporated it into the bulkheads from the word go. The below pictures show its configuration. I bonded the floor in and the strength/rigidity that adds to the hull is quite noticeable. I have mentioned this mod many times over the years and to this day am glad I built it this way. Very strong structure.

View attachment fit14.jpg

View attachment floorbond2.jpg
 
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