aluminum = $$$! wood in a new jon?

like the title says, im shocked at how expensive square aluminum tubing is around here
a few scrapyards i called were barely any cheaper than buying it wholesale

would sealing the living hell out of 2x2s work fairly well for supports?
seeing all the boat makeovers because of rot has me a bit paranoid
but i mean its a brand new boat so im hoping theres no leaks...

this is adding up fast!

i just did a brand new lowe 1648 . i used marine plywood for the floor and used western red cedar where needed for floor joist's. i expext to get 10 yrs out of my floor. wood working is my hobby so if the floor gives me problems i will just redo it. with that being said ; if i were only going to build it once and want trouble free service for the life of the boat i would go with aluminium frameing and aluminium decking. i know it is expensive initially but the long term trouble free service would probably be worth it. i am sure most folks on here would agree that there is a lot of satisfaction in owning and useing a well rigged boat that you have built yourself. one other thing . i am a professional steel fabricator and i can tell you that all metals are only going to increase in value. a boat you build today useing aluminium frameing and decking will probably return your initial investment at the scrap yard in 10 years. this is just my .02 cents. good luck with your build.

Yes sealing 2x2 with a few coats would work. It will take a few years of water inside the boat to make it start rotting.

New aluminum is very costly. Have you seen about getting any used aluminum? At my local scrapyard, used aluminum is 2 dollars a pound. I don't know how they decide what gets saved, and what gets melted, but there is some real useful stuff out there. My tubing for the Yazoo is cut from some aluminum fence sections I found and bought. So far, on my yazoo, I have spent about 425 bucks on aluminum. But, that is a lot better than the 1000 or more that it would have cost me to get it new. Sure, I could of gotten wood a lot cheaper, but the aluminum is lighter, won't rot etc.

i have a few friends scouting for me now too

i might just make vertical supports aluminum and seal the hell out of everything else
i knew this was going to add up fast, but i had no idea just how fast