I'm assuming you used the "Face Extrude" modifier?
Tried it and it does give the look of a tacked on deck.
But I'm not sure what purpose cutting a hole in the mesh first does.
Maybe I did it a little wrong?
If you every come back from retirement you are more than welcome in the LWAMI team.
EDIT: Finalized Bigfoot 1:

Tried a new style of mapping using only 3ds max, I think it turned out nice.