Alluminum floor

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pescatore

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Kensington, MD
I want to built a floor for my jon boat, and I would like to make it with alluminum (pop rivets to the ribs).
I have look on some website to buy some sheet but they have different type of malluminum (1100, 6075...) Which one is better and how thick should it be?

Anybody has pics of their alluminum flooring?
 
5052 is generally the accepted freshwater alloy for sheet and plate.

5086 and 5083 are the saltwater alloys for sheet and plate.

For extrusions, 6061 is most widely accepted, but 6063 is often adequate for freshwater.
 
how thick do you think a plate to built a pavement should be??
I am planning to cut some isolation foam panels to lay on the bottom inther the alluminum
 
Take a look at the link to my Aluma-Jet build, this should give you some ideas. I used 1 1/2" thick polystyrene foam boards between the ribs in my boat, in the bottom, and in the sides, like you are talking about doing. The floor of my boat is made from 1/16" aluminum diamond plate, and the sides are 1/16" smooth aluminum. The floor piece and the sides are welded together, to form a 'tray' that simply fits in the hull of the boat, and is riveted to the ribs.
 
Pescatore, I used 1/16 DP on my build on 2X2 aluminum frame.
Here is the front
DSC001732.jpg

and the back
DSC001822.jpg

using foam underneath is a good idea, it will make it quieter.
Here is a link to my build and welcome to Tin Boats....Jerry
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=20643
 
Nice looking work, Jerry!

Using foam underneath also assures level flotation in the even of the boat being swamped, as well as dampening sound and vibration. In fact, I think ABYC standards state that any cavity between layers in a boat hull must be filled with foam.
 
beautiful job jerry!!!
any suggestion about where to buy alluminum (I would probably go for plain not diamonds) ??? I know it's expensive and if I can save some $$$ :)
 
pescatore said:
beautiful job jerry!!!
any suggestion about where to buy alluminum (I would probably go for plain not diamonds) ??? I know it's expensive and if I can save some $$$ :)

Check your local metal scrapyard, many have cut pieces of aluminum sold for a lesser price than full (new) panels.
I used all scrapyard aluminum on my build. My floor is 3/16" DP and decks as well. I did not put foam in my main floor mainly to have good drainage.
Good luck on your build! :)

TRACKER%252520DECK%252520INSTALLED%252520010.jpg


TRACKER%252520DECK%252520INSTALLED%252520001.jpg


TRACKER%252520FINISH%252520009.jpg
 
Yep, nice rig, mmf! And you're right about scrapyard deals. You can get some really good deals sometimes. When we did my HO build, my friend got some 2x 1/4" square aluminum tube to do the engine rails from the scrapyard, he got them dirt cheap, much cheaper than it would have cost to buy it new.

If you notice the pictures of the floor of my aluma-jet, before paint, you see some staining and discoloration of the panels. They didn't come from the scrapyard, but I did get a pretty good deal on those panels from the metal supplier, due to the discoloration and staining. I told them up front I was doing a boat project, and I intended to paint the aluminum, if they had anything that was less than ideal, I could use it.

This is another advantage of doing your own work, you are often able to cut down on material costs, as well as labor costs.
 
PSG-1 said:
Yep, nice rig, mmf! And you're right about scrapyard deals. You can get some really good deals sometimes. When we did my HO build, my friend got some 2x 1/4" square aluminum tube to do the engine rails from the scrapyard, he got them dirt cheap, much cheaper than it would have cost to buy it new.

If you notice the pictures of the floor of my aluma-jet, before paint, you see some staining and discoloration of the panels. They didn't come from the scrapyard, but I did get a pretty good deal on those panels from the metal supplier, due to the discoloration and staining. I told them up front I was doing a boat project, and I intended to paint the aluminum, if they had anything that was less than ideal, I could use it.

This is another advantage of doing your own work, you are often able to cut down on material costs, as well as labor costs.

Agreed, PSG-1, stains and crap don't mean a hill of beans. A fisherman will be walkin' in the boat with dirty shoes, fish duke, blood, dried up bait (you never found), mud from the anchor and etc. What a fisherman wants is the material more than the looks, even though it is nice to look fairly good with what you really have.
Don't get me wrong, I like nice looking boats etc., but I know I will be making a mess of it really fast fishing!

PS....PSG-1, I am the subscriber on your youtube channel known as outboardmaniac, fyi and I LOVE your videos and WILL get down there hopefully upcoming summer to see you. :D
 
I'm kinda meticulous about my boat, keeping it clean, but I sure ain't afraid to get it muddy or messy when I'm fishing or oyster harvesting! That's what a garden hose and a scrub brush is for.

Anyhow, yeah, definitely give me a holler when you plan to come to the SC coast. As you saw on my fishing video, I can put you onto a wide variety of fish just about anywhere in the estuary, and with all kinds of tackle such as bream busters and fly rods. (Even if you have never used a fly rod, I can have you casting one with about an hour of instruction) I used to fish for spot tail bass with a float rig and a spinning rod, but ever since discovering how to use fly rods about 4 years ago, and how much fun it can be....I haven't used a float rig since. Even though I tend to cheat a little, by using actual bait instead of flies, it's still fly fishing in my book.
 
whistler said:
In looking around on the various sites I see a 3003 aluminum plate also, is that suitable for flooring?
It looks like it would work. I googled 3003 Aluminum and came up with TreadBright and here's the link.
https://www.suppliersonline.com/propertypages/3003.asp#Spec
I would highly recommend putting foam underneath for support and sound deadening. :)
 
Whichever aluminum you decide on, use the closed end blind (pop) rivets. They're much stronger than the open end rivets and are waterproof so as not to let water into your bilge like the open ends will.
 

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