Swim Platform Material
 

Considering fabricating a swim platform from King Starboard or a similar material. Anyone have any experience with using this material?

I've used it for a few things, nothing that had to support much weight though. I made a passenger side foot rest and some trim rings for my speakers. The foot rest had some aluminum angle iron and wood as part of the project. The starboard will have some flex to it if it is a long piece. You might be able to use it for the top side, then use metal brackets underneath.

Make me one while you are at it! haha. I hate our ugly textured fiberglass platforms.

No problem, I am having mine cut on our Cnc router at work. I could easily cut two.

My main concern is how stiff the material is. It looks like the professionals go with 2 layers of 3/4" material. I found a couple sheets at work today so I will do some testing tomorrow

I have been kicking the same idea around. please keep us posted with pics. I'm not a 100% certain where my exhaust is gonna exit the transome/deck so I'm holding off a week or two but would really like to get things in order. I had thought about aluminum.

Good luck and look forward to seeing your progress.

John

We use TONS of the stuff where I work at Tiara Yachts. You can get it in 1-1/2" thick, but it's pretty pricey and very heavy. You can also get it with an antislip surface texture on it. We use that on our big tournament fishing boats.

I bet you use louon also.

Saw this online

Very cool! I am thinking I am go into use 2 layers of 3/4" because thats what we have laying around our shop. The bottom layer I plan on cutting some strategically located lightening holes in it. My support brackets extend out from my transom 13" I plan on my platform extending out 18". Hopefully I will be ok with a 5" cantilever. It seems to me I could make mine much stronger if I could glue the 2 pieces together and not just screw them but I haven't heard of a glue that will work.

I am going to make the platform approximately 12" less in width and 3" less in depth compared to the stock piece. Also more squared off. If it turns out to my liking I will be selling my stock platform which I just finished recoring and glassing.

I would like to see two vertical pieces on the ends that ties into the side of the boat a little better than just a flat platform that sticks out. Kind of like how the aluminum tubular ones have that large triangular side support, just gives a nice look IMO and covers up all the crap under the transom like a molded in platform would do.

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I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out

Looks great. What a nice job. Do u mind posting a pic of the underside when u can.
John

That turned out awesome Hadleycat. Is it stiff enough? (That's what she said)

I suppose a little flex wouldn't be bad either for those occasional 60 + deg re (rear) entry.
Looks great doesn't it. Also if one was to purchase material how much appx you looking at for everything including mounts.

Yes it turned out to be very stiff. I down sized it so it only cantilevered past the support brackets 5" to the rear, just to be safe with the way the boarding ladder puts all your weight right on the rear lip of the platform. I also like the look of a smaller platform !

I re-used the stock Checkmate mount brackets. I believe you can buy a 3/4" thick (4x8) sheet of Starboard for approx. $200 if you are able to purchase through a plastics supplier. We buy ours through the same supplier that we get our Plexiglass from.

looks great, I had one made by plastek several years ago for my gibson, now that one is 4'x13' and is heavy as hell !!!! and it's not solid !