Plain or marine or treated lumber for deck projects??

Hi gang,

Glad to be aboard and I've added a paragraph after my question so you'll know my story if you care, lol!!

I'm about t pull the trigger on a realtively new Tracker 1436 with only a 5HP outboard and a trailer; not even a trolling motor. Ripe for conversion! Most of the excellent work I've seen on this board seems to use common dimensional and untreated plywood lumber. Any problems with warp, rot, etc?? Suffestions? Should I spring for marine stuff? Are the chemicals in treated stuff bad news for me and the boat?

Thanks!!

I built an 8' pram 50+ years ago which is still in use (elsewhere). I worked my way througth canoes, bass boats, etc to a 28' 370HP inboard pilot house boat that I captain out of Annapolis. Now I'm getting to be an old fart and winding back down. Maryland is somewaht devoid of fishing but the upper Potomac isfairly close and there is a 500 acre electric only lake that I use to attack so those are my plans!

Steve

Welcome!

As far as the wood... not pressure treated. The chemicals used in modern pressure treating contain copper, and will react with the aluminum in your boat and cause all sorts of corrosion. Marine plywood is good, it is also treated, but with an older (and more toxic) arsenic based chemical so it is OK to use. Regular is OK too if you coat it with fiberglass, or epoxy, or paint or whatever.

You can swing your budget one higher or lower by changing your expectations for how long you want it to last.

Not all pressure treated plywood is bad for aluminum, as a matter of fact they make and sell a type of PT plywood mainly for the boating industry and it has a lifetime warranty.

https://www.pontoonstuff.com/pontoon-boat/144-marine-plywood.asp

My '98 Tracker came from the factory with this stuff in it when I bought it new.

They don't sell it at HD or Lowes, but you can probably find it locally by calling lumber yards or contacting a boat dealer in your area.

It's called kiln dried CCA pressure treated plywood. After you put it down the first time you'll never have to replace it.

SteveF, do such research on the PT plywood suggested before purchasing it. It may be safe for aluminum contact but its laced with Arsenic. That stuff can kill you if you dont take the proper precautions with it. Theres a reason it has been banned in nearly every industry. Id never put it on my boat, I dont care what Tracker says or does. To each his own though.

For me, I'm using all aluminum framing and decking in my build. It will outlast that pressure treated crap and it wont kill me. I can take my kids fishing with me without having to worry about them getting sick. If I was going to do a wood build it would be exterier grade ply treated with 3 coats of Spar Urethane. If done properly, this will last more years than most people will use thier boat.

Thanks all!
I got a hard lesson in quick decision making today. I told the Craigslister that I'd come by to buy that boat tonight or tomorrow but someone else swooped in last night and grabbed it. To reiterate, an almost new 1436 with a galvanized trailer and a 5HP Merc 4 stroke for $1600! Clearly I should have canceled yesterday's trip and gone after it. The motor alone is worth that. Oh well. I'll keep up the search and be back when/if I succeed!

Steve

I would highly suggest aluminum... skip the wood completely. Lighter, won't water log, stronger etc.

Do it once, do it right.

Aluminum is light, maint free but erxpensive. I used cedar for all my trusswork and exterior ply with epoxy coating.

Steve, welcome to the site, what part of the UP are you going to fish?

I'd use aluminum before wood and regular wood before any pressure treated stuff. Jigngrubs a PT plywood salesman, you can tell by reading his posts. Being a pram guy, you know sealing it saves it from most rot and it'll live for a good while.

Jamie

Hi Jamie,

Many years ago I used to enjoy wading the Harper's Ferry area until I realized I was risking my life (pre-dawn alone and other dumb things); then it was on to the 'barely upper' Potomac before moving on to Annapolis about 15 years ago. Since I'm in the Gaithersburg/Potomac area I would plan to launch at Seneca Creek. Not near the fishery it once was but hopefully still worth a shot.

Take care,