10-4, thanks
johnboatjerry's "alumazilla" has some great pictures for sure, i'm being greedy i guess by wanting more :twisted:
the bench to bench dimension up front is 58" & the hull floor is 36" wide, i haven't measured the width from rail to rail, but it's probably around 4'. i'm not too concerned with specific dimensions as this will be assembled piece by piece as a custom fit, the boat is a 1994 year model so it's not perfectly in square. i'll make all my joints square, but the actual cut lengths will vary with the hull.
the main help i need is how to frame the openings for the hatches & how to frame the perimeter of the deck while being frugal w/ the pricey aluminum yet maintaining strength.... so pictures showing how to setup the side supports & the reveals for the latches / hinges would be so helpful. i've never done this type of work, & i'm only a novice woodworker. i have a buddy who builds & installs custom cabinets so i'll try to get him over to help me, but i'd much rather do it myself & impress him....or at least not take too much grief from him lol
i'll probably order 1.5x1.5x96 sticks of 1/8" (0.125) 6061 aluminum angle to frame this up. i could get by by w/ 1x1 but i think the extra 1/2" will be very helpful in framing the hatch opening reveals & for strength in general, plus it's only an extra $30 or so to go from 1 to 1.5
i asked if they can make me some 2x3 angle in 0.5" thickness to, if the answer is yes then i'll be starting a home-made jack plate thread too :mrgreen:
the TH marine jack plate is rated up to like 150 hp v6 or something & it's made of 2x3 angle that's 1/2" thick, mines only a 30 horse 2 stroke, but i need to get it up about 5 or 6" since it's a long shaft, my transom height is about 15 & 3/8", so i figure a 21" stick of angle on each side should do the trick. basically i'm building one of these $180 jack plates for $60 or $80 (however much it costs if i can source this 2x3x0.5 angle...) what i'm trying to make is this:
specs on above image here:
https://www.thmarine.com/products/Outboard-Jack-Plates/Static-Height-Plates/CMC-Static-Jack-Plate-5-inch-vertical-extension
it's actually on sale for $140 here:
https://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/T-H-50012/TH+Marine+CMC+5+Inch+Motor+Mount+Vertical+Extension.html
also, i almost made a big mistake when i went to lowes & home depot for aluminum, then i found onlinemetals.com (thanks tinboats!)
it's so much cheaper for a better product with onlinemetals.com, & i don't even have to get out of my seat until the doorbell rings
lowes / home depot r selling the "architectural" angle for a much higher price than "structural" angle from onlinemetals.com, i can buy 8 sticks of the lowes stuff from onlinemetals.com shipped to my door for the price of 3 sticks @ lowes or home depot, wow!
edit:
revised my drawin for y'all, please save, edit, & post your ideas!