Aft deck replacement

[dlp90731]

Hi everyone! My boat has an aluminum framed deck with composite hatch covers. I want to remove the current framework and replace with new wood framework and plywood glassed over. I am new to all of this so any type of help or direction would be great. The aft area is 11' x 7.5'. The hatches are not water tight and the deck area flexes a lot at the edges. Some of the aluminum framework is becoming corroded and giving out. Pictures attached.

What kind of boat is it -A Uniflight? Those overhanging coamings are nice but make a deck replacement a little tricky. Yes, the set-up you have is horrible. That cannot be OEM...is it? A few things; Don't save any part of the present deck, including hatch covers. You will want deep troughs around future hatches - 3 1/2" deep (a two by four). This makes a molded deck make sense. You should have much more freeing port area and this is the time to do it - but not at deck level. They need to be an inch or two higher than deck level so that there is enough glass of new deck to hull and fish blood, rust, etc. don't stain the hull sides. Normal deck water should drain through recessed drains and out under the swim step (with a valve, just in case). Balsa core is my preferred deck, with a minimum of one inch of camber for your eleven feet. If there is no way to finagle a completed deck in there, then piecing in a plywood deck WITH THE BOTTOM AND EDGES ALREADY COATED WITH EPOXY/GLASS makes sense. Don't skimp on plywood. Much more ventilation is good, which is very simple with those big coamings. Those aluminum tanks need to be raised up so air can get all of the way around. Ask Tony at Seaboard Marine in Oxnard for personalized advice.

[TollyWally]

"Ask Tony at Seaboard Marine in Oxnard for personalized advice."

LOL,
Do you know everyone everywhere?

[dlp90731]

It is a 1973 Livesay. This seems like a pretty big job to tackle by myself. What would the framework need to be made of 2x4 glassed to the stringers? The previous owner also cut the wood glassed to the port and starboard sides so now that will need to be replaced. When you said a molded deck they would make the whole deck with hatches and what not in one piece? Like I said I am new to all of this so I will need a bit more definition lol. Thanks again for the information and help.