Aluminum decking

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straightaxle

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Dad's 15' Smoker crag Pro Alaskan and my 83 Sea Nymph FM164 are in need of new floors/decking. We have decided to go with Aluminum diamond plate. What thickness should we use? My guess 1/8". We do not know what the hull construction is like on either boat. Any heads up you all can give me on either boat? Anything to watch out for on these during this project?
 
I used .125" for all my floor/decking and it is VERY sturdy. Others have went thinner with no problems. Since it sounds like you're replacing an existing floor, you shouldn't need to come up with any bracing. But, if you do, I used 1" x 1" aluminum angle. Plenty stout for the job. Solid rivets for any bracing attached to the hull itself, and closed ended blind rivets to secure the floor/deck to the bracing and/or ribs. I also found the easiest way for me to cut my aluminum was with an angle grinder and metal cutting wheel. Tried a jigsaw for about 30 seconds, didn't cut nearly as good as the grinder.
 
In every boat I've been in with diamond plate, the plate looks good for about 2 years...after that the grips loose their sharp edges and become just as slick feeling as sheet alum. Sheet with a non-slip of some kind might be a better option. Something to think about since the diamond is usually more expensive.
 
A standard 7.25" circular saw with a carbide tipped blade (demolition blade) works wonders on cutting aluminum - cuts just as easy (if not easier) as plywood. You just need a full face shield such as a welding mask to protect your eyes from all the bits of aluminum flying everywhere.
 
onthewater102 said:
A standard 7.25" circular saw with a carbide tipped blade (demolition blade) works wonders on cutting aluminum - cuts just as easy (if not easier) as plywood. You just need a full face shield such as a welding mask to protect your eyes from all the bits of aluminum flying everywhere.
Yep been doing it this way since I was a teenager , always had someone close with a can of wd40 or similar spraying the blade. Protection is a must but absolutely works great
 
You can't use the circular saw to cut little 1" sections of angle to use as anchor points, such as when you want to run a vertical support off a rib as part of a latticed support frame. Found that out the hard way, they get caught in the blade housing, destroy your blade and come shooting out of the saw at high speed (very very very dangerous).

Either use larger lengths (2") for making feet to attach to ribs, or if you're like me and don't want any wasted material if you can avoid it, cut your attachment braces using a hacksaw and do everything else with the circular saw.
 
Thanks guys. We have a good selection of metal working tools, chop saws, grinders, sanders, ad the sort. Yes we are replacing the existing floor. We are actually going to bring the boats and the flooring in to the machine shop to have them cut and loosely fit There should not be a need to change and bracing. I may sink my fuel tanks and battery in the floor, not sure yet. I have found some nonskid coating to apply. Is the aluminum floor going to save much weight? The best I can figure is it will save about 25 pounds. The price is not all that bad, we will get both done well under a grand. We plan on using #10 SS s/m self drilling screws and seal edges and seams with Vulkem.
 
What thickness plywood is in there?

1/8" aluminum weighs ~1.75lbs/sq. ft. (https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1246&step=4&showunits=inches&id=76&top_cat=60) and weighs about the same as 5/8" plywood. If you're looking for weight savings drop down to .090" or .100" aluminum, but your braces will need to be close enough to share more of the load of weight than what you'd need with 1/8". That's not to say they're not close enough together already. All things equal, if you're having to replace the decks aluminum will still be an (almost) permanent solution - it will not rot out on you - that's reason enough for me to want to remake my 16' with it.
 
onthewater102 said:
What thickness plywood is in there?

1/8" aluminum weighs ~1.75lbs/sq. ft. (https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=1246&step=4&showunits=inches&id=76&top_cat=60) and weighs about the same as 5/8" plywood. If you're looking for weight savings drop down to .090" or .100" aluminum, but your braces will need to be close enough to share more of the load of weight than what you'd need with 1/8". That's not to say they're not close enough together already. All things equal, if you're having to replace the decks aluminum will still be an (almost) permanent solution - it will not rot out on you - that's reason enough for me to want to remake my 16' with it.
Thanks I have no idea what the underfloor structure really is in either boat. I guess we will make that determination then on what to use.
 

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