Good alternative to plywood?

[PunkR0ckz]

Hey everyone, I am still on the market for a good material to use for my floors.

At first, I thought I wanted sealed plywood + fiberglass, but then I found aluminum composite panels, but they are priced pretty high.

Today, I found someone selling some styrofoam-like material that is covered on both sides with aluminum sheets (similar to aluminum composite panels, but instead of a composite, its foam).

The seller says its good for walls & ceilings, it is 48" x 64" x 11/16" in thickness. I would double them up to make a 1 3/8" thick floor and thus doubling the floatability.

Would it be a good alternative, or should I resist the "want" ? I would like to have something durable, that wouldn't need to be replaced over the years and that would add floatability in case of "emergency" to prevent it from sinking.

Obviously, I would seal the edges somehow (I will most likely glue/epoxy some aluminum from the 18' aluminum pool I was given to cover up the seams, and all of the exposed edges)

Note; Weight isn't an issue, my boat can hold 1900 lbs of weight; I would be alone in it 99% of the time, with a 70hp 4stroke Evinrude and a gas tank, that's pretty much it; so less than half of that weight capacity.

 

[Stand Up]

I believe this material will dent easily when you walk on it or set something down on it with a bit of force. They look like left over cut out material from manufacturing.
The foam used in them is not meant to be exposed. My thought is that the foam will deteriorate over time.
Keep looking for an alternative. I'll keep my eyes open for ideas as well.

 

[flatheadsteve]

Open cell foam on a boat is a bad idea. Even sealing the ends that foam will absorb moisture over the years. I have some very similar panels on our farm we used to insulate cat houses and calf hutches and a very old case 580d with a busted heater. They don't hold up very well and like stated above dent very easily.