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.

 

[airshot]

Why the worry about plywood ? My boat is a 1992 and floor still very solid all out of plywood. After 32 years, you probably won't even own this boat any longer. If your boat is properly stored, a plywood floor will outlast you !!

 

[Buster]

Why the worry about plywood ? My boat is a 1992 and floor still very solid all out of plywood. After 32 years, you probably won't even own this boat any longer. If your boat is properly stored, a plywood floor will outlast you !!

That proper storage is a biggie. A day or two fishing in the rain isn't going to harm marine or exterior ply or saturate floatation foam or any of the things we worry about. But sitting uncovered along the tree line through rain and especially snow with freeze thaw cycles and not enough sun and airflow to dry it out and bow down so it doesn't drain is killer.
My old girl spent its idle time upside down on the beach for 50 Minnesota summers and winters and the ply was fine until it spent two summers uncovered on a lift, after which the seats became splinter generating menaces.
On the other hand, I think that plywood was saturated with chemicals that are probably now banned and considered weapons of mass destruction so wouldn't be shocked if the new stuff struggles more.

 

[thill]

Why the worry about plywood ? My boat is a 1992 and floor still very solid all out of plywood. After 32 years, you probably won't even own this boat any longer. If your boat is properly stored, a plywood floor will outlast you !!

There are alternatives, but for MY boats, I always go with plywood. Light, strong, economical, durable, stiff, comfortable, not hot, not loud, not reflective, easy to work with, cut and form, etc, etc, etc. All I do with mine is spray every piece in Thompson's Wood Preserver/Waterproofer until it won't absorb any more, especially edges and cutouts for excellent, long-lasting results.

I did my Princecraft probably 10 years ago, and I used good plywood and good carpet, and the guy who bought it thought it had been a recent rebuild.

As far as storage, all I did was keep it covered with a silver tarp. It doesn't have to be a special garage or carport. I like silver tarps better than most boat covers because they are cheap from Harbor Freight, are truly waterproof, and keep everything out. I used an 11x19 tarp, and it fit my 16 footer perfectly, including motor.

You will need to figure out a system to shed water. I put a big cooler on the front deck and ran a 16 foot 2x4 from the cooler to the top of my outboard, threw the tarp over, then tied it down tight. It was the best boat cover I've ever had. I have the same system on my Spectrum, and it's the same. Perfect coverage, regardless of the weather.

No matter what the cover, wet snow is your enemy, so go knock the snow off before it stacks up too high.

Anyway,

 

[airshot]

My boat sits in a barn when not in use, so that helps the plywood to last longer, much longer !! Another thing to do is when I get home with wet carpet/ floors and decks is to put a fan on the boat to quickly dry everything. A fellow that works for a restoration company told me that the plywood looses its quality when it sits in moisture for a long period of time, if dried quickly, it won't be damaged.. All I can say is after 32 years and being taken care of it is still like new except for some thread bare carpet from use...

 

[fltbtm]

walls and ceiling is correct. they look like cooler and freezer panels they put in stores.

 

[Buster]

The cover/tarp thing also huge. Bad covers or tarps do a better job keeping moisture in than they do keeping it out. A couple quarts of water under a cover in the sun make a 100% humidity environment that saturates wood and carpet and helps all sorts of nasties grow.
if I didn't have a spare garage stall I think I'd make a PVC shelter frame and lace one of those silver tarps to it. Keep the rain out and allow for lots of good airflow.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

During winter, tarps are closed. On the G3, during the summer, back is open along with the bow for ventilation.

 

[Buster]

During winter, tarps are closed. On the G3, during the summer, back is open along with the bow for ventilation.

That's the stuff.