# Stabilizing a unstable boat



## bronkobri (Jul 10, 2012)

I hope this is not a rediculous question. If it is, go easy on me. After about 30 years away from fishing I have returned with a frenzy. I'm 62 years old and can't get enough. I bought a 14ft aluminum boat last summer and had it out 2 or 3 times a week. The problem with it is it's very unstable and just standing up in it is pretty scary. I put a plywood floor in it and I would like to stand and be able to cast and move around a bit but that is out of the question. Has anyone ever tried to stabilize a boat like this? I thought about getting some 2" thick styrofoam, doubleing it to make it 4" and attatching it to the sides of the boat so it is about 1\2 in and 1\2 out of the water. I realize it wouldn't last long but maybe cover it with fiberglass or something. Could this possibley work? I made a crude drawing to show what I mean. I wish I could afford a nice bass boat but money is just to tright now


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## promag (Aug 21, 2011)

I like your idea. I had a similar thought. I was going to use the foam insulation board and some how attach it using a 2x4. Cutting two pieces of wood one for each side and insert it into the styrofoam. I would use some long bolts and go through the board and into the upper part of the hull. I would try and match the foam up to the contours of the boat. Then cover in a fiberglass, or even a plastic then attach with some sealant and tighten the bolts. I like the idea. I ponder this for a few years and just ended up getting a new boat. But I hope that you consider this and please let me know how it turns out.

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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

Try it out! It would be a cool little project, and an added bonus if it works... My only thought was trying to transport something like that. I think you'd have to make them removable or foldable/lockable for trailering. In theory, it should work!

But let me ask you a couple questions first: did you ever fish out of it without the floor, and if so, was it unstable then? How high up is the floor? How thick is the plywood? What's the beam of the boat?

With smaller boats, raising the boat's center of gravity _at all_ will cause instability to some degree; even more-so with a narrow boat. If it was too unstable for your liking before you built the floor, then by all means, go for it!


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## viper1 (Apr 13, 2004)

Well if a boat is unstable my suggestion would be not to use it. A 14 ft boat isnt made to walk around i. Much at all. I had one for many years. Younger it was fine as i got older and my stability changed it wasnt. Even in a bigger boat i just dont have sea legs these days. I know what you mean as im 60. My suggestion would be accept some open seats on here when you like. And save for a bigger boat or make friends with some one who does. But would really hate seeing you drowned in a boat you considered unstable.

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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Yeah probably need a bigger boat. Look into a gheenoe! Great little stable boats. Have more of those types down south for the flats but yeah.. Pretty darn stable for a small boat.


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## bronkobri (Jul 10, 2012)

Here is a pic of the actual boat. As you can see the floor is only a couple feet wide and is way down in the boat. It is 3\4" plywood. The beam is about 48". I realize I won't be able to frolic around on it but would just like to be able to stand without feeling like I could tip as easy as I now do.


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## F1504X4 (Mar 23, 2008)

By adding the 3/4" plywood you increased the amount of weight in the boat by quite a bit. Not only can it make it less stable but you also reduced the amount of weight you can legally carry according to your capacity plate. You may try removing the plywood and see if its any better. 


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Many other have much more boating knowledge that I do, but I thought if you try to put as much weight as low and centered in the boat as you can it will help stabilize it. 

Our river rats (what we called them) on base were just modified "v" bottom aluminum boats. They had a sub floor, modified wheelhouse, and a mount for a machine gun on the front. They had massive outboards as well. But the idea was the same, all the weight was as low and centered as possible.

Also, I wasn't talking about adding anything to the boat, rather moving what is already there.

Could you maybe take out your subfloor, cut some support footers and use another lighter material to make the floor? Maybe use aluminum? That may cost to much but is something to think about.... 

Mr. A

(2013)
Bass: 0
catfish: 0
bluegill: 0
Other: 0


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

By adding the plywood, you added a lot of weight above the center of mass of the boat, which effects its stability. Also, you are standing higher in the boat, so your weight is adding to the instability. Try rebuilding the deck a little smaller and shorter in the boat. Also, try fishing from the back of the boat where it's wider and lower in the water. The front of my boat is always more unstable than the back. The styrofoam will help the bouyancy, but not the stability. The styrofoam is great if your boat flips over. It will keep the boat afloat until help arrives. I have styrofoam under the bench seats in my 14' aluminum boat. My 14' semi-V is very bouyant, but it does bounce around like a bobber in the waves. I don't have a plywood deck but I feel safe standing in it in the middle or the back of the boat.


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I saw a solution to your problem this summer at Chippewa Lake. Large man 
(200+ pounds) in a narrow beam boat. He had a capped section of 4" PVC pipe attached to each side of the boat at the waterline. The pieces were around five foot long. A sturdy "U" shaped bracket was attached to the side of the boat and the PVC was held in place with large hose clamps.
He sealed the bolts that held the "U" with rubber washers inside and out plus silicone sealer. The clamps allowed him to remove the stabilizers if needed.
I'm sure other methods of securing the PVC could be used but this type of stabilizer was a quick sturdy/tough build without the mess of reinforced foam.


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## dmills4124 (Apr 9, 2008)

I love this site and all the cool ideas everyone comes up with to solve problems. You know what they say about two heads being better than one, well you grew several hundred heads. 
Every answer here sounds like it would work and here is my two cents worth also. Make yourself a couple of outriggers(like the boats in hawaii) from used aluminum poles and for the floatation, use a couple of those 6 inch pool floaties that are 5 or 6 foot long. Hinge the outfit so it will fold back into the sides of the boat when your traveling.
What a neat winter project till you can get back on the water.
good luck
donm


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

I made outriggers for my canoe with 4" thin wall PVC. If I had to do it over, I'd probably use 6", then attach it to the canoe with no outriggers. The outriggers make it hard to paddle (we use a trolling motor) and it's harder to manuever in tight places. Believe it or not, but my wife and I can both stand up in it. If I were trying to do what you are, I'd use the PVC again. Just use 22 degree joints on the ends, with just 5 or 6 inches of extra pipe sticking out of the joint to glue the end caps on. You might not even need the outrigger parts, just attach it to the sides of the boat. Good luck!


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

My friend and I did the exact same project quite a few years ago. We had bought a 14' semi-v boat and trailer. It worked OK, but we didn't like standing on that sloping floor, especially after it got wet! So, we did the following.

We wanted a flat floor and pedestal seats, so, we inspected the boat and saw a "groove" that ran down the sides of the boat about 1/3 of the way up from the keel. We thought that might make an OK mounting surface. We bought 5/8" marine plywood and basically soaked it in Thompson's Water Seal. Then we took a huge chance. The 3 "bench seats" in the boat were riveted to brackets that were welded to the inside of the boat. We drilled out the rivets and "opened the boat up"! Of course we had taken measurements of the width of the boat at the "groove" in various places and drawn that out on the plywood. 

Then came the task of cutting and shaping that plywood to fit the profile of the boat when it was "closed up" again. We also designed floor supports that were screwed in on the underside of the floor, in line with the length of the boat so that once water got in the boat, as it will, it could move as it usually does and be drained out through the transom. We also had additional trimming of the floor to do since we wanted it covered with indoor/outdoor carpeting. We had also acquired "frames" of boat seats for which we cut new plywood seats and backs. Then, with some foam rubber, vinyl, screws, and staples, we had boat seats that we mounted on short pedestals on the bow and stern bench seats. 

We "closed up" the boat by using stainless steel bolts, lock washers and nuts to secure the bench seats to their brackets once again. This might have been the hardest job of all since there is precious little room to get your hand in there holding a lock washer and nut! In hindsight we might have used a Sawzall, or something, to increase the "scallop" cut at the ends of the seats to give us a little more room. 

When we were all done with it we took it out fishing. It fished, and drifted, and motored and turned just fine! Yes, we were standing, and sitting, a little higher in the boat, but it seemed no more unstable than when we started. In fact, it seemed a little more stable. Maybe because we had added some weight at or below the waterline, but I think it was because we were able to stand on a flat surface. 

Don't get me wrong, this was a butt load of work! It was a BIG JOB! But, we got it done and were very proud of it afterward. We did this at least 30 years ago, and that boat is still going strong to this day. It did give rise to some jokes though. One day, we were fishing the Youghiogheny River in PA for Smallies. With our remarkable intelligence and foresight, we had set out on the river that morning with absolutely nothing in the boat to eat! So, we motored back to the launch, where one of us would run into town to get some food. There was a local at the ramp when we pulled in , and he asked us what kind of boat it was. I said, "You've heard of Ranger bass boats?" He says, "Yup". I said, "Well, this isn't one of those. No, this isn't a Ranger bass boat, this is a "Stranger" bass boat!" Apparently, this local guy was born without a sense of humor gene since he just stared at us!


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## bbsoup (Apr 3, 2008)

I've also got a 12' aluminum semi-v which I'd like to rig with a floor and trolling motor, for use at Cowan. You will find everything you need to know here: http://tinboats.net/


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## louisvillefisherman (Jun 9, 2012)

Tinboats.net is like porn for aluminum boat owners. I have been reading there for almost a year and can not get enough.

I am currently in the process of modifying my 14ft semi-v using many ideas that I gathered from that site. Some of my mods included building a instrument table to mount my sonar and android phone with navionics app placed in a dash mounted holder/charger) as well as two battery mounts that slide in/out from under each of my center benches and a platform to hold my bow mounted trolling motor.

The reason I need the instrument table is that previously the sonar was mounted on the rear bench beside me. It was a literal pain in the neck to monitor the depths while trolling and still being able to watch where I was going. So I built a nice corner table (out of aluminum of course) in front of me just big enough to hold the devices. I also mounted my power controls (lights, pump, etc) under the table.

The batteries (which were always in the way) are now secure and hidden away, and will help stabilize the boat because they are now sitting center on the floor versus up on a wooden platform like I previously had it. And the gas tank is now in the rear instead on that same wooden area.

Bottom line: tinboats.net is a valuable site.


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