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.

 

[thill]

That doesn't look like a good idea. Any fasteners going through it would ream out the holes in the material and pull through over time, besides what's mentioned above.

 

[Bantou]

I would not recommend using those panels as a boat deck. They look like insulation or decorative panels. The aluminum is paper thin and will provide little to no structural support. It will dent at the drop of a hat and puncture nearly as easily. They will also be slick as ice the moment they even consider being wet unless you cover them with something textured.

One of my crews works with ACM on a daily basis. I wouldn't trust it for a boat deck either. They would be a little more resistant to denting (I've seen them take 1/2" hail strikes without a dent) and penetration, but they are not intended to be load bearing in any capacity. Even doubled up, they are likely to sag significantly unless heavily braced underneath.

If you are wanting an alternative to wood, you might consider something like 1/2" HDPE panels. They are going to be significantly more expensive than plywood, but should last a long time if properly protected from the sun.

 

[thill]

There are fiberglass panels that are supposed to work well. I remember someone doubled up 1/4" FG panels with construction adhesive between the layers, and they said they were nice and rigid once set. It was either here or on another forum, but if I recall, they got them free from their job, and it worked out really well for them, and the weight was similar to plywood.