how to bolt something to the floor of a nautuque

[keegan]

i am building a new sub box for my 07 SANTE 220 in the observer compartment. i am sure this is a simple question but i hope someone can help with it.

my last boat was a malibu. i tried to bolt a sub to the floor. the floor was made of some corrugated something and the hull was foam filled. it was a bitch because the floor had no strength.

how are you guys bolting sub boxes to your floors? are the floors on out nautiques fiberglass?

than you,

-keegan

[SkiTundra]

My thoughts. Sub > Isomat > floor > Isomat > backing plate. Make sure the area where the sub is located is very well vented or you'll just get rumble & seat vibration.

[GCSuper]

I would just say very carefully. We bought our first boat in 1985 in February during the boat show. Since it was still cold, I spent time in the boat just sitting and loading gear. Then I decided that if the two front seats were a little closer to the sides, there would be more room to walk thru. So, I removed the screws and moved each seat farther out approx 6". Problem solved, right ?? NOT The first time out after this repair, we couldn't get the boat off the trailer. Several people came by and tried, but to no avail. So back to the dealer who promptly backed it down in their pit. They couldn't get it off either. Then he asked me if I had done anything to the boat. I confidently said NO, all I had done was to move the seats out a little. Ah Hah, he said. You screwed the boat to the trailer. About that time everyone in the dealership, including customers got a huge laugh at my expense. They fixed it at no charge and said to just use the boat, and don't mess with it. To this day, when I work on a boat, I am extremely careful. Lesson learned.

[keegan]

i am not worried about putting a screw through the hull of my boat. i just want to know if i put a screw into the floor will it hold?

[srock]

Bolted it to the trailer!

When I was 8 I sewed a rip in the knee of my blue jeans while wearing them. My Mother warned me to take them off because underneath was a pair of long underwear. Guess what happened when I went to take them off...yea bolted to the trailer.

[xrichard]

See the attached photo for the location of my sub box.

I put rubber feet on the bottom of the box to keep it off the carpet in case any water flowed through that area.

I then bought two Simpson Tie-Down L-Brackets at Lowes or HD and painted them black. I placed them so that the vertical portion of the L was against the sub and the horizontal was against the floor. I put one bracket on the front of the sub and one on the rear. Each side of the L had 4 holes--I screwed #8 (IIRC) screws through those holes to hold the sub in place. The screws are probably only 3/4"...maybe 1".

I've haven't had a problem with the sub coming loose...and, in fact, it was pretty difficult to drill into the floor.

[Chexi]

Last weekend I took my "new to me" boat out with the wife with the intent of (a) testing to see if I fixed a problem (I didn't) and (b) getting her more comfortable with driving it, pulling it off the trailer, and putting it back on the trailer. I was so caught up in teaching her what to do that I forgot to take the tie-downs off the trailer (I never used to use them). So after I lowered the boat down the launch my wife said, "um Scott... why is the trailer moving sideways... and is this something I should be concerned about?" I said, "no... it's fine..." as I smack my forehead *whack* and think to myself, "you stupid wally, you left the tie-downs on!" Of course, this was just after I explained to her what a wally is, with my primary example being someone who does not know how to load/unload a boat at a launch. Priceless.

[WakeSlayer]

A little humility never hurt anyone.

When I had my first boat, I wanted to add the little net that goes down the side of the boat for gloves and such. i had absolutely no idea that the hull was so thin. I was intending to do a tiny pilot hole and put in some 3/8" screws. I drilled right through the side of the boat, much to my shock. A cleverly placed Nautiques decal covered the hole, and one on the other side to match. I have told this story only in the last couple of years after keeping it to myself for about 12 years. It took me nearly that long before I would drill a hole in a boat. Until that point I enlisted my brother or my fellow Python owner buddy to do it. I have a much better handle on do's and don't's now, but it took years.

If you cannot laugh at yourself.....

[AirTool]

..., and one on the other side to match.

That's probably the funniest part.