Plywood decks

[TNtroller]

I've got a 04 Tracker PT175, so I've got wood flooring with carpet, and aluminum hatch lids with carpet, all a med gray, maybe on the light side of medium gray. I usually keep my shoes and socks on during the summer just so my feet don't get burned, but I have sat down on the aluminum lids and felt the heat thru some thin nylon fishing pants I usually wear. I have not noticed near the heat transfer when I touch the carpet that covers the wood flooring. Aluminum will absorb heat even with carpet on it. You won't get a burn, but if you go barefooted, you'll be stepping quick imo.

 

[smackdaddy53]

I've got a 04 Tracker PT175, so I've got wood flooring with carpet, and aluminum hatch lids with carpet, all a med gray, maybe on the light side of medium gray. I usually keep my shoes and socks on during the summer just so my feet don't get burned, but I have sat down on the aluminum lids and felt the heat thru some thin nylon fishing pants I usually wear. I have not noticed near the heat transfer when I touch the carpet that covers the wood flooring. Aluminum will absorb heat even with carpet on it. You won't get a burn, but if you go barefooted, you'll be stepping quick imo.

Aluminum with nonskid Tuffcoat on it will not get hot unless you go with a dark color. Mine is a saltwater boat so carpet is a huge no no anyway. To each his own but I would rather have aluminum because of how light and durable it is. As far as noise, foam backer on the underside of the aluminum deck will kill most of the sound.

 

[MrSimon]

Aluminum can be a great floor/deck ... sturdy, light, comfy, and durable.

Wood can be a great floor/deck ... sturdy, light, comfy, and durable.

It all depends on your budget, skills, tools, desires, preferences etc etc etc

There is no right or wrong answer. Both materials have been used with great success in many builds on this site.

 

[zacksimpson]

Mojo » 09 Dec 2013, 19:41[/url]"]I'm doing an aluminum deck on my project and were putting marine vinyl on it instead of carpet. If it gets blood or dirt on it i'm just going to spray it off with the hose, I don't think its going to get hot at all.. at least no hotter than anything else out in the full blast Florida sun. I haven't tested my theory yet but we got a lighter color grey vinyl and i'm pretty sure it's not going to soak up the heat.

As for wood vs aluminum, I found a place in town that sells scrap aluminum based off weight. So a sheet of that vs a sheet of plywood cost wise isn't much different. If I didn't have that available then we would have went the wood rout.

Not to highjack, but My wife's grandfather has that marine vinyl on his 17 foot war eagle, it's a medium grey color, and it gets so hot here in South Carolina that you better put a towel down on it if you're going to get on it bare foot or sit on it with shorts on. a lighter color might be better for that, but it caught me off guard the first time I about stuck myself to it.