C-Forum

I've just replaced the wooden gunwales on my Outrage. The factory decks were just thin plastic triangles screwed into the inwales. As I am contemplating replacing the decks I wonder if decks (especially the small factory MR) are really necessary on my Outrage? Any thoughts?

a lot of people particulary race head don't use them.

were you working off plans?
I have to replace one of the outwales on my Zoom as I've got rot at both ends due to the deck covers holding water. I did the other outwale two years ago off of plans out of a magazine (was it Rapid?) where the guy was exchaging plastic for wood on his Zoom. The article was helpful but I am unable to locate it now. Anyone recall?

As to deck plates....I do like the idea of having SOME plastic bumper protecting the bow, especialy for creekin. Other thoughts?

They are not necessary. My wood gunwaled Outrage came with short wooden deckplates that were almost an inch thick and weighed probably 2 pounds each. I ditched them in a hurry. There was no noticeable reduction in hull stiffness.
For deckplates to be of any use they have to be long, pretty much all they way back to the thwart and have a splitter to divert water away from the cockpit.
Short deckplates don't really keep the boat dry and they dont add any strength and stiffness to the boat.

TGG!

I find them essential in covering up the ends of one's inwales if one has boneheadedly cut the 45 degree angle at the end the wrong way. They can be pretty, too.

sbroam wrote:They can be pretty, too.

They can also be ugly. I actually found the Tupperware logo molded into the 'custom' deckplates on the Scamp I borrowed from JimP.

I find that when I flip the boat over to carry it solo, it rests on the deck plate, and I d rather it do that than the top of the hull.

Wood decks are convenient for installation the movie digital camera.

[img]http://www002.upp.so-net.ne.jp/ebara/ca ... masu01.jpg[/img]

I like the deckplates that help shed water, a little upward lip helps keep out the little pecker waves.

Sometimes decks are not a good idea, especially if a carry thwart is not built into the back edge of the deck. Sometimes folks grab those instead...

True, that is part of the reason I prefer to just carry the boat myself.

I bought a new Ocoee from Frankie when he had his shop at the Ocoee. When I picked it up I asked why it didn't have deck plates. He said "what do you want those for, they just hold water in"

How would you manage to dump water on yourself when loading boats on the rack without it?

I hear it makes enders a little easier without them!

Thanks to all who replied...I won't put my decks on, although jscottl67, sbroam and TonyB make good arguments for them!