Composite deck wood

[gocards]

Has anyone ever considered this fake wood for a floor in a jon boat? It seems like it would be better than wood. Anyone used it? If so any suggestions and pics would be great.

 

[natetrack]

I have never used it in a boat, but have used it on decks. It is heavier than normal wood, and gets very slippery when its wet. It also costs more. If it was covered with carpet or something, that would help it being slippery, but the weight and cost could still be a factor.

 

[Rairdog]

It also has sawdust in it which can mold. Especially in a wet environment and covering. There are some made with all PVC that might be ok. I think they flex more though. I just put 500 sf of Choicedeck by Warehouser on my house deck. Researched the latest formulations and problems quite a bit. Lot of mold lawsuits and most manufacturers are not warranting against mold now. I am also researching alternative products for my boat deck.

 

[bhorlings]

I am planning (at least right now) on using delrin for my decks (when I get my boat in a few weeks). From talking to some engineers at work it is lighter than plywood and can be drilled unlike lexan. If I get the supports right it should not be soft either. Did I mention that I won't have to worry about it rotting out either! Not sure about temperature though. One of the engineers is going to get back to me on it. I love working at plastics manufacturing company!

 

[Rairdog]

Tell me more! Website info? 100% plastic?

 

[bhorlings]

From what the engineers tell me its 100% plastic. Not sure on cost yet but they said it shouldn't be that expensive. I guess it is light too. When I find more out next week I will let everyone know.

 

[DANZIG]

A bit on Delrin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyoxymethylene

 

[Rairdog]

I checked into Duraplate yesturday. Wabash National Trailer in Lafayette. IN makes it for their semi traler walls. They used to sell scraps but when I called the lady said they "quit selling it about a year ago". It is a HDPE plastic sandwiched between 2 thin sheets of alum. HDPE is the stuff they put on snowmobile skis and ice sled runners. Now I just need to find someone the works at the factory for an inside connection.

 

[Quackrstackr]

I checked into Duraplate yesturday. Wabash National Trailer in Lafayette. IN makes it for their semi traler walls. They used to sell scraps but when I called the lady said they "quit selling it about a year ago". It is a HDPE plastic sandwiched between 2 thin sheets of alum. HDPE is the stuff they put on snowmobile skis and ice sled runners. Now I just need to find someone the works at the factory for an inside connection.

They make the same stuff locally as the brand name Alucobond.

That stuff is uber expensive (if you can even find it) unless you can find someone that works there and get seconds. Seconds can be hard to come by here even though it is made locally. It used to be easy to get before some shady people started buying up large quantities and reselling on the market as #1 grade stuff.

Those laminate sheets are the stuff for making just about anything that you could dream up in a boat, let alone used as decking.

 

[gocards]

So its the plastic inside the Alum sheets. A buddy of mine just redone his decking with something similar. He bought some at the flea market. He loved it and it turned out pretty good. I need to see about getting some but I am not wanting create a monster deck on this thing. Just want to have a solid floor that I don't have to worry about tripping on the ribs. I looked at the other stuff on the web and it is too pricey. So the composite wood does not sound like a good option. If it is that bad how are they putting it on decks. I mean this stuff will get just as wet on a deck as in a boat. What we were wanting to do was just put it in like a floor of a deck and not cover it. It would not have any covering at all.

 

[Popeye]

Decks have air flow above and below to allow them to dry better. There is also gaps between the boards for the same purpose. You don't really want gaps in your boat because you know you're gonna drop something and it will fall through the cracks. If you wanted to make your floor removable and take it out everytime it got wet it would probably work. Sound's like too much of a hassle to me.

 

[gocards]

I found this on another site. Thanks for the responses. I won't be using the composite for my boat or deck for that matter after reading this.

https://www.gardenstructure.com/composite_decking.html

 

[Popeye]

Not wanting to sway anyone one way or another about composite wood I would recommend more research beyond one persons opinion. I noticed there were no scientic testing results, just opinoin, Then, there is this disclaimer on that link you provided... Note: the opinions expressed in these articles are simply an opinion of the author. No malice is intended. I'm not saying his information is flawed or wrong, it's just SOME of the information out there.

 

[Quackrstackr]

Tom was kind enough to show me around a few composite decking installations in Burlington. The decks looked good—that’s why he’s our competition in many areas. He tells me that 90% of their work is composite decking. I offer a great thanks for his time showing me his work.

Sounds to me like the author is in the deck building business and may not be completely unbiased.

My vinyl siding gets mold on it and has to be washed every few years too. It has zero pulp wood in it. It's nothing that a pump sprayer with a home brew cleaning mixture (including bleach) doesn't take care of for another few years.