Deck Material

[GreenHead870]

Hello,
After looking at everyones different mods it seems that each one has its own style to it. I am looking to add on to my front deck 18" and have a three hatch setup, battery on each side and storage in the middle. I have an 1860 Alumacraft with an aluminum floor already installed. The sidewalls seem to have a cover over them hiding the ribs of the boat. So my question to you guys is how should i attach it to the boat? I have seen guys use rivets which would be nice since i dont have access to a welder. I dont want to go with wood because of the weight, i know the boat is plenty big enough to handle the weight but it is going to be getting a bowfishing deck soon. As far as material goes i saw that some people used angled aluminum and just riveted it together and seemed to work well. I am not for sure what to cover the deck with, should i just use sheet aluminum? Also what thickness metal should i go with? More then likely this area of the boat will get a lot of traffic from stepping up and down to the deck. I will take pictures as soon as i start the build, just need some inputs before i buy some material and start hacking stuff up. Thanks Guys/Gals

ZACK

 

[Hooky1420]

hey zach, welcome aboard.

i know that you are eager to start your project, and it seems that you are looking to go with aluminum. i used plywood for my front decking on a 1436, and it was really easy to work with. i wouln't know how to going about the aluminum route. i will say that i pop-riveted all my brackets for the decking frame and it worked exceptional. could you post some photos of the area you would like to deck? i think that it would help the members get a visual for what you are facing, and i'm sure that you will get a lot of responses once they can see what you're looking at.

 

[Will 31pics]

I know this is a very old thread & I hope you are still here. I am wanting to do the same thing. Did you ever extend the decking on your 1860 to get more storage space ? Thanks, Will

Hello,
After looking at everyones different mods it seems that each one has its own style to it. I am looking to add on to my front deck 18" and have a three hatch setup, battery on each side and storage in the middle. I have an 1860 Alumacraft with an aluminum floor already installed. The sidewalls seem to have a cover over them hiding the ribs of the boat. So my question to you guys is how should i attach it to the boat? I have seen guys use rivets which would be nice since i dont have access to a welder. I dont want to go with wood because of the weight, i know the boat is plenty big enough to handle the weight but it is going to be getting a bowfishing deck soon. As far as material goes i saw that some people used angled aluminum and just riveted it together and seemed to work well. I am not for sure what to cover the deck with, should i just use sheet aluminum? Also what thickness metal should i go with? More then likely this area of the boat will get a lot of traffic from stepping up and down to the deck. I will take pictures as soon as i start the build, just need some inputs before i buy some material and start hacking stuff up. Thanks Guys/Gals

ZACK

 

[DaleH]

Just use high shear 1/4” rivets (need large A-frame rivet gun) to affix angle aluminum to the sides of the hull. Plywood is an easy choice, strong & reasonably lightweight when adequately supported.