capping aluminum boat with fiberglass

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user 4464

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Hi to all, I have a question about capping my G3 aluminum boat with plywood covered in fiberglass to flush the top with the edge of the boat then paint both top and bottom. with this being said i would counter sink the stainless screws into the plywood into the top of the boat edges which is about 2.5" all the way around the top. Has anyone tried this with their boat or hear of anyone else doing it? My concern would be the flex in the hull capped with fiberglass...duno about that. If i cap it, then I would have to prep the inside with a new floor and sides. All would be plywood covered with fiberglass. Any opinions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Forgot, my boat is painted with bed-liner paint inside along with the top too. Pictured is an example of what I am wanting to do. Of course I would be using 3/4" marine grade plywood...
 

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well i would create a cockpit, would make it look like a flats boat i guess. im pretty crafty with wood working...i would construct a mini console and fiberglass that and attach it to the new floor.
 
if you are going to add some framing support under the deck I don't see any problems with strength or durability. Did you check your local boating regulations to see if there are any restrictions on not having a grab rail or gunwale?
 
if you are gonna try and fiberglass the ply to the boat i strongly advise you not to that aluminum will flex and pop the fiberglass loose if you are talking about using the fiberglass to seal the ply no problem, just dilut it down so its not real thick, cause the board will flex some and pop the fiberglass. i used a flexible plastic scraper to spread mine around so i didnt get it too thick.
 
First off I am not really sure I understand exactly what you are talking about doing. I think I have an idea, but not sure.

As for working with fiberglass, I do it for a living. I would not use marine grade plywood. Fiberglass will not stick very well to marine grade. Now if you already have the wood and your set on using it, then please sand the entire piece with 80 grit. Once the wood is scuffed well, then the resin will penetrate the wood and it will stick much better. (personally I use treated plywood, and since I am going to cover it completely with glass, I do not have to worry about the wood reacting with the aluminum)
If you router the edges of your plywood the glass will lay down much better. You want the edge of the wood to look like this u
As suggested above I would not try and glass the wood to the aluminum, it will not stick that well.
You could bolt, or rivet some aluminum angle under the gunnel lip and then fit the wood inside of the angles. Then you could screw the wood down to the angle and that would allow you to take it off if needed and it would give you a small lip to help keep things from falling overboard.
If I can help with anything, let me know.
 

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