Manufacturers using treated wood in tin boats

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Hello all,

I started a project on my 14' 2007 Alumacraft and after getting everything opened up I noticed a lot of corrosion on the aluminum in the transom.

Does anyone have a list of boat manufacturers who are using treated lumber in their boats or has this practice been stopped? Would love to know because I remember opening up my 2010 Lund's floor and seeing that totally rotted out which surprised me since I thought they didn't use so much wood anyore...

I love tin boats, but my 2000 smoker craft was a corrosion nightmare and while this isn't nearly as bad luckily since I found it and can stop the problem, but it's making me not want to deal with aluminum in my next boat. Growing up we had many different aluminum boats which didn't have nearly so many problems except needing to replace the floors every so often and are still holding up while these newer boats rot out from corrosion. I thought things were getting better, but it doesn't seem so for all.

 

[mbullen]

I'm convinced that most manufacturers have no idea what wood they're using or why it matters.
But to be fair, I can only speak with experience to two pontoon manufacturers with which I've had conversations. However, those two instances have left me with little doubt that the rest of the marine industry goes no further with selection than checking boxes titled "marine" when ordering their raw products.
Of course, "marine" classification falls in multiple lanes including products that are designed for construction like docks, marinas, etc. This category is still a treated product and all treated materials -marine grade or not- contain metals as part of their preservatives. Copper, zinc, and arsenic being the most widely used. And also of course, dissimilar metals...blah, blah, blah. I'll not rehash the science here.
There is another end of the spectrum for materials, of course, including exotics that command a premium and cost about as much to ship as purchase.
I suppose the cost is the bottom line, so to speak, but I have a cautious eye out for any company that proudly proclaims to use "CCA marine grade" for anything. It's of my opinion that treated materials have no place in any boat of any kind.

 

[flatheadsteve]

G3, Seaark and xpress are all aluminum Construction. There may be more. Manufacturers do silly things look at all the cheap foam in boats that ends up becoming waterlogged. Closed cell foam is readily available albeit more expensive. Dealers are just as bad when it comes to the rigging of boats and the types of hardware used.

 

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Just an update on my transoms plywood. The plywood was stamped a label for greenwood products plydek, I found their website online and I spoke with a very helpful gentleman there who confirmed that Alumacraft and Smokercraft had purchased their products in the past. And they knew Smokercraft was using their products in ways which they were not intended to be used (not encapsulated). He mentioned that the treated marine plywood they made was designed to be encapsulated, but manufacturers were not doing things to spec... Big surprise there... He said that they stopped supplying treated wood for boat manufacturers about 15 years ago so if it's something happening now it would be via other suppliers.

Interesting, to hear about G3, Seaark and Xpress. I do think Xpress definitely builds a good boat from what I have seen so that is good to hear. I would like to know about more companies who have eliminated wood completely and what years they did so. I know I've seen videos of new boats being shown and when you pull up the carpet you see unprotected wood everywhere.

 

[airshot]

Twenty plus years back, the new " green" treated wood came out with no harsh chemicals....this stuff was and is a joke. Built my house in 99-2000 and used a lot of the new treated lumber. The untreated lumber lasted longer than the treated lumber, still replacing the so called treated but the untreated is just starting to show deterioration. During this time, the new green yreated lumber was advertised as being safe against metal, so I would believe some mfgrs took the chance on this new treated lumber, however as we now see, it was just a sales pitch to sell "treated" lumber.....

 

[Tin Man]

Tracker has eliminated all wood (except for decks) in Deep V, Mod Deep V, and Jon boat models... and are ALL welded. Not sure when this started.

I consider Tracker a well designed and well built boat...especially for the price....that's why I purchased a new one!

https://www.trackerboats.com/qualit...ch 7,these requirements better than aluminum.

 

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I believe Tracker is using treated 3/4" wood in the decking by the text on the page.

Boat decks have to absorb heat, vibrations and sound, retain fasteners, remain firm underfoot and last for the lifetime of the boat. We use ¾-inch 7-ply marine grade plywood, covered by our limited lifetime structural and deck guarantee, because it fulfills these requirements better than aluminum.

If you search on the forum I am finding several threads pointing to them using treated wood. 5052 aluminum is the best aluminum material for corrosion resistance which is what they are using, but as I found in my boat it's going to cause corrosion problems over time anywhere that wood is in contact with aluminum. Maybe they are encapsulating? I would highly doubt it seeing the price points Tracker comes in at, but maybe you can take a look under the deck and give us more info? It also might be possible they have added gaskets between the decking and the aluminum?

 

[flatheadsteve]

I believe Tracker is using treated 3/4" wood in the decking by the text on the page.



If you search on the forum I am finding several threads pointing to them using treated wood. 5052 aluminum is the best aluminum material for corrosion resistance which is what they are using, but as I found in my boat it's going to cause corrosion problems over time anywhere that wood is in contact with aluminum. Maybe they are encapsulating? I would highly doubt it seeing the price points Tracker comes in at, but maybe you can take a look under the deck and give us more info? It also might be possible they have added gaskets between the decking and the aluminum?

The majority of aluminum builders put wood in the decks. My 2010 alumacraft 1648 had it. Never was a problem in my 11 years of ownership but no doubt one day it will need replaced.

 

[airshot]

My 1992 Sylvan 16 has plywood decking and it is still in great shape !! No rot, but the carpet is getting well worn with some thread bare spots. Always kept inside has made a big difference !!

 

[MrGiggles]

Seems like more and more manufacturers are going to 100% welded construction with fabricated transoms. No doubt the increasing cost of lumber has something to do with it. Not a lot of wood in boats anymore. I know Lund, Tracker, and Lowe are no longer using wood in anything but utility style jon boats.