What's a good material for deck templates?

I will be installing a false floor, casting deck and bulwarks for dry storage/foam in my jon boat soon. I would really really like to do it right the first time because aluminum is spendy and my OCD won't let me live with gross mistakes. :LOL2:
What's a good, cheap material to use for templates to transfer the shape/dimensions to aluminum sheet? I am hoping to find something that is stiff enough to be accurate but easy to cut. Something like a really dense, thin cardboard sheet but I don't know what to call it so I can't find it.
What do you guys suggest?

I just used corregated cardboard. Check with an appliance or furniture store, they might have big pcs that aren't folded yet.

Use cardboard and then cut a test piece out of Masonite or 1/4 plywood. Something cheap. Then if you're happy, transfer the shape to aluminum.

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I used poster board. It is stiff enough to to lay flat yet easy enough to cut

I've found that regular cardboard is a little too stiff to push into a contour and get a good template.

I like either the thin construction paper type cardboard or poster board. You can push it into a contour and get a good crease made that you can follow with scissors.

The only place that I have ever seen that thin cardboard used is on pallets of feed sacks, they put the cardboard on top of the pallet so the planks do not poke holes in the feed sacks. Maybe check with a farm supply store and see if they have any laying around.

Poster Board from Dollar Tree! I like to make Patterns as well. Grab some Awesome Orange Cleaner when you stop there, it works Amazing!

Piece of masonite, door skin, or cardboard. Use the tick stick method. And, there will be much happiness! :LOL2:

Thanks for all the replies from everyone.
LDUBS, tell me more about door skins and the tick stick method please.

I found some "Thrifty White" wall board at Lowes, $14.50 for a 4x8 sheet. I can glue/tape 2 of those together to get the floor template built and then reuse one for the casting deck. Found it searching for "door skins", so thanks LDUBS!
The floor is just over 48" wide, the material specs at 47.75" so I will need to extend the edges a bit but I can probably use something like cereal box cardboard to do that. Things are coming together. 8)

sss said:

Thanks for all the replies from everyone.
LDUBS, tell me more about door skins and the tick stick method please.

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Used to be able to find luan door skins at the big box stores for a few bucks. Now days I guess it would be 1/8 hardboard.

A ticking stick is used to duplicate a irregular shape with quite a bit of precision and it is pretty easy. You basically use a pointed stick to register points along a curve then transfer those to the piece you want to fit. Or, if you are like me and want an abundance of caution, you transfer the points to a template to double check the fit. It is pretty straight forward but difficult to explain. So, as much as I hate to I'm going to suggest you google tick stick or ticking stick. That will give you a much better explanation (and photos) than I ever could.

The photo below shows a ticking stick being used to plot points along a curve for a boat bulkhead. It is from Sawmill Creek woodworking forum (a great forum for woodworkers by the way).

Ahhh, I get most of the concept from that pic, thanks! I was going to use tri-square in a similar manner to transfer the arc to the template.
I will google it before I do, I don’t understand why he wouldn’t leave the ticking stick at the same angle all the way down the curve and plot the curve 16.5” down the stick, instead it looks like he angled it as he went.
Thanks for the help man! 8)

Ive used the tick stick trick but never on a boat. It works well if you're working with flat surfaces and can tape your template down so it doesn't move. You'll have to block your template up and somehow make it rock solid and floating at deck height - but if you can do that, it's quicker and easier than cutting-fitting-recutting-refitting-recutting-refitting-etc. a template.

That’s exactly the situation I’m in, luckily. The boat has stiffening ribs about 3-4’ apart that span the bottom of the hull. I can use those and it will float the material 13” down from the gunnel edge for the entire length of the boat. I’ll just need to lean over from the outside and make my marks.:thumbs up:

https://youtu.be/0iC1AvxT6-k
I've used this method using cardboard strips and a stapler. Then transfer the shape to cardboard for test fit. Then to the decking material.

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I took a different approach and used 2 sheets that overlap down the centerline of the boat. Yes I've got a seam as a result, but it won't show after I sand down the edge and Tuff Coat everything. It let me rough out the contour using weldor's technique and then make fine adjustments with the grinder.