Will this work??? with .090 aluminum

Hey folks!!....just joined, I've been lurking and reading for awhile and I want to say this is a wonderful site with many talented people. I have read a lot of the topics on full restore's and in the Boat House forum but did not find an answer my exact question and circumstances. So I ask this....

I have a custom built 2007 Legend Craft 1448 with front casting deck and rear bench, open center (80" from back of casting deck to front of rear bench). I now have marine grade plywood covered in astro turf in the bottom of the open area. I am going to pull this out and replace with aluminum. The floor braces are on 12" centers they are 1 7/8" tall, so I put 2" of closed cell foam in between the braces before I installed the existing plywood floor.....my question is--
Will .090 aluminum be thick enough to walk on with the foam underneath and the 12" on center braces?

Thanks for any and all help.

A pic of my youngest son and I crappie fishing in 2010

Well I’m not an expert but .090 is pretty thin I would imagine the foam would help support the weight but it will probably flex a little. Also depends on how much you and others weigh. My project is going to get a piece of treated ¼ ply and then aluminum on top.

I'm trying to keep my build light, I'm sure you are too.

Hope this helps.

DWD said:

Hey folks!!....just joined, I've been lurking and reading for awhile and I want to say this is a wonderful site with many talented people. I have read a lot of the topics on full restore's and in the Boat House forum but did not find an answer my exact question and circumstances. So I ask this....

I have a custom built 2007 Legend Craft 1448 with front casting deck and rear bench, open center (80" from back of casting deck to front of rear bench). I now have marine grade plywood covered in astro turf in the bottom of the open area. I am going to pull this out and replace with aluminum. The floor braces are on 12" centers they are 1 7/8" tall, so I put 2" of closed cell foam in between the braces before I installed the existing plywood floor.....my question is--
Will .090 aluminum be thick enough to walk on with the foam underneath and the 12" on center braces?

Thanks for any and all help.

A pic of my son and I crappie fishing in 2010

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id put 2 1/4" foam under the floor, so when ya bolt down the floor it compresses real tight and give you a lot of support between braces. from the looks of you and your boy you guys dont look like larger than average guys, that being said i think it will work fine. others with more experience will chime in with their opinions. make sure you cut a channel in the foam so any water that gets under there can flow back to your plug/bilge. good luck! cant wait to see more pics

shawnfish said:

id put 2 1/4" foam under the floor, so when ya bolt down the floor it compresses real tight and give you a lot of support between braces. from the looks of you and your boy you guys dont look like larger than average guys, that being said i think it will work fine. others with more experience will chime in with their opinions. make sure you cut a channel in the foam so any water that gets under there can flow back to your plug/bilge. good luck! cant wait to see more pics

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Thanks Country Dave and shawnfish.

shwnfish.......
Sorry i didn't put our sizes on the previous post.....We are about average...I am 6 ft, 225# and my son (age 17) is now 5' 11", 195#.

You’re more than welcome DWD. This is a great sight and there are some really talented people here. I learn something new every time I log in.

Personally, I wouldn't go less than .100 even that's pretty thin. Ideally .125 or better.

The rib spacing on my boat is 22" and the original factory installed aluminum over foam was only .025 thick. It had marine carpet glued to the top of the aluminum. I found that more than adequate for the time I fished out of the boat before I started my mod. In my search for material to modify my boat, I found some aluminum that is .052 so I have installed that. I weigh 250+, and the ribs in my boat are much wider spacing than yours, and the .052 is more than thick enough to support me with the foam under it. As bare metal, I can see a slight bit of flex in the aluminum as I walk around in the boat, but the only reason I know it's flexing is because the reflected image distorts a little. You'll be amazed at how much strength and support the foam adds to the aluminum sheeting once it's all installed. I think you'll be more than satisfied if you use the .090. You can check out my floor in my mod thread that is linked in my signature if you like.

And just to add to what Scott said below this, I used 3 layers of the ½" extruded polystyrene (.55" to be exact) that Lowes sells, and it does not compress, so plan accordingly.

I have a 14x48 and I put .060 thick aluminum over foam and it has worked well for the last 8 years. If you get closed cell foam, I am not sure you will be able to compress. I got the same size as my rib height and it has worked. My main goal is to keep weight down. .125 seems like a bit of overkill to me fr a floor.

Scott

yep, foam can take a lot more weight than people think, and more so when its covered with anything that distributes the weight more evenly. i havent finished my boat yet (its been over a year but i figured id take my time and do it right, plus i keep removing things after i realize i can make it better) but im gonna go with .090 or a bit smaller over foam on mine. ive got well over 150 pics of the long slow progress im gonna use to make a thread from start to finish whenever that is. ive been going with the less is more concept and im glad im going slow cuz i think when im done the ole AHK IRENE will be light,fast,roomy and very functionable, i plan on giving it to my ten year old son here in about 5 yrs so i have an excuse to get something a bit bigger to play with...

Thanks to all for the help and comments. I am going to try the .090 with the good foam under there and see how it does. We don't do jumping jacks or walk around much other than getting in and out from the bank. It will make the boat much lighter than having the existing marine grade plywood in there. Thanks again 8)

Let us know how it works out for you.

The .090 will work with foam under it. I recommend a good bead of silicon or similar product on each rib to cut down on squeaking and make sure you get the correct type of foam.