Framing material and options? (Advice wanted)

I'm heading to the Depot tomorrow to purchase my boat mod materials and I’m trying to decide what route to go.

Here are the options I’ve come up with thus far;

Framing for the deck I could use 2x2 wood furring strips



Or I could utilize my aluminum ladder that hasn’t been used in over 2 years,



I also thought about using Galvanized furring channels but I think I read something about aluminum and galvanized metal not mixing well together.



Here is the framing I’m doing (thank you Zube),



Using aluminum square tubing and angle is not an option for me because of $$$ (new) and having no time to search at the local junk yard.

Thank you All

No galvenized that will result in holes in the boat!


Use aluminum for everything low (below decks) - so I suggest that you use that ladder for anything that might get wet and stay damp.

If you use the wood make sure you seal it with an epoxy sealer - wood can and will rot so in a few years all your hard work might be for nothing - you can use other sealers but they will not completely seal the wood so if you are gonna put your time in use the correct wood sealer

I used Overtons 2 part epoxy sealer and it worked great!

Try googling metal suppliers and find one that sells "used" metal. The place I buy from has the exact square aluminum tubing you're looking for at $2.50 a pound regardless of size. That may seem like a lot until you realize new metal is closer to $5.00 a pound.

My winter project is to replace the wood/carpet deck with an aluminum one and I bought enough sheet to do the job and aluminum channel for bracing and spent less than $200.

If you've already decided to use wood, it looks more like you're seeking reassurance more than advice.

Wood will work for a little while, longer if you keep your boat dry and covered when not in use.

Aluminum is permanent.

It's your boat and you can do it any way you want.

Wood sealed with some sort of sealer will last several if not many years as long as it is not saturated or submerged on a regular basis.

Usually folks sell their boats before the wood all rots away. If you keep it, the worst thing that can happen is you start noticing it getting soft and have to replace it one day.

spotco2 said:

Wood sealed with some sort of sealer will last several if not many years as long as it is not saturated or submerged on a regular basis.

Usually folks sell their boats before the wood all rots away. If you keep it, the worst thing that can happen is you start noticing it getting soft and have to replace it one day.

Click to expand...

From what I've seen, they usually sell the boat when then wood starts to rot rather than doing another modification.

Ladder it is;




Thank you guys!

You will be much happier with the aluminum.....one of the previous posters suggested looking for a salvage yard to buy aluminum buy the pound....much better deals than the box stores. Good luck.

offdutyangler said:

Ladder it is;




Thank you guys!

Click to expand...

Just add floatation foam before you deck and you're good to go!