wood vs aluminum

[kwkemp1]

New to site, and stumbled upon this looking at ideas to modify. I see many mods that use wood and others that use aluminum. Looking for pros and cons of both.

Any information is excellent as I am sure what ever I do will be a lot of trial and error.

Thanks Kevin

 

[Jdholmes]

There are no cons to aluminum other than price...if that's a factor...which for me it was and that's why most of mine has been wood.

 

[jigngrub]

You own an aluminum boat, might as well have the tools get the experience of working with aluminum.

Aluminum isn't that expensive if you buy it at a scrap/salvage yard.

Aluminum lasts many times longer than wood and is a fraction of the weight, this is a huge benefit when modding a small tinny. Lumber weight can add up quickly and is deducted from the maximum capacity rating for the boat.

Using aluminum makes for a much more professional job... using lumber, not so much. there's a reason why the pros and manufactures use aluminum.

 

[MrSimon]

Another vote for aluminum!

 

[kwkemp1]

mrsimon, jigngrub, and jdholmes. Thanks for the advice. My next question is I have a 1648M Lowe. Plan to take out the back bench and middle bench. However the middle bench has a gravity flow livewell. I use this boat for fishing and duck hunting, therefore the middle bench really is cumbersome when moving around reeling in a sturgeon, salmon or duck hunting. How do you fill this whole?

 

[UtahBassKicker]

Aluminum is the way to go if you can, I personally couldn't afford the price difference. I do disagree with whoever said wood does not have a professional look to it. There are several boats on here with mods made of wood that look amazingly professional in my opinion.

 

[jigngrub]

mrsimon, jigngrub, and jdholmes. Thanks for the advice. My next question is I have a 1648M Lowe. Plan to take out the back bench and middle bench. However the middle bench has a gravity flow livewell. I use this boat for fishing and duck hunting, therefore the middle bench really is cumbersome when moving around reeling in a sturgeon, salmon or duck hunting. How do you fill this whole?

In case you don't realize it, the benches in your boat are structural and removing them will weaken your boat significantly. It is also where your floatation foam is stored.

I suggest incorporating them into your mods by decking between or over them. Decking between/over the front and middle bench will give you a nice platform for fighting a fish and lots of storage space beneath the deck for decoys and whatever.

 

[kfa4303]

Aluminum stock and angle are great. You can get it readily at Lowes/HD and/or scrap yards. It's best joined together using rivets and/or stainless steel sheet metal screws. There's nothing wrong with using wood per se as long as it's used properly. Most folks that do use it tend to do so because they have they already have common wood working tools and are familiar with the material. If you do use wood, NEVER USE PRESSURE TREATED WOOD on a tinny. The preservatives in it will cause electrolytic pitting when they come in contact with the hull. Instead, use non-PT, exterior grade wood and seal it. You can use epoxy, f'glass and resin, or Spar Urethane. You'll then want to attach it to the hull using Stainless Steel hardware (preferably dipped in 3M marine sealant). That's really about it. The rest is up to you, your budget and imagination.

 

[MrSimon]

mrsimon, jigngrub, and jdholmes. Thanks for the advice. My next question is I have a 1648M Lowe. Plan to take out the back bench and middle bench. However the middle bench has a gravity flow livewell. I use this boat for fishing and duck hunting, therefore the middle bench really is cumbersome when moving around reeling in a sturgeon, salmon or duck hunting. How do you fill this whole?

I agree, the middle seat is annoying as heck when trying to fish or hunt. You can take the seats out and put in a full floor, but as was said, it might compromise the rigidity ... although its been done many times with no issues ... but there are a lot of variables like hull thickness, motor size, how you use the boat, etc etc etc.

I'd say use the middle seat as the rear base for a deck. I did the exact same thing on my 1648 Lowe. It was super easy and the functionality was great. You can just put a plug in the bottom hole and have yourself a nice dry storage bin.

Here are some pics of what I did. All I did was bolt some 2x4s between the middle seat and the front seat, slap some plywood on top of it, and install a cheapy fixed seat pedestal. Loved it!

 

[gotmuddy]

If you can afford it, aluminum all the way. The only downside I have noticed is the aluminum deck is quite a bit louder than the wooden one.

 

[Johny25]

I will humbly disagree that aluminum looks more professional. If you have a $4000 TIG machine and you are a welder you can make aluminum look great. That being said, erector set aluminum angle bolted or riveted together does not say professional to me.

There are pros and cons to both and here are a few.

Wood- Pros and cons
Pro's
1. Easier to work with for the average everyday guy (especially compound angles)
2. It floats, so as long as it stays dry it will add flotation if your so unlucky to flip your boat
3. Sound deadening better than aluminum
4. Cheaper (if you make a bad cut not a big issue)

Con's
1. weight (not as bad though if you frame it correctly with 1x2 or 2x2 where possible)
2. longevity not as good as aluminum
3. can soak up water if stored outside or used in bad weather a lot
4. can warp or bow

Aluminum- Pros and cons
Pro's
1. lightweight (unless you use 1/4" wall lol)
2. Durability
3. Does not soak up water
4. Visually looks good if done with a TIG or MIG pulsed welder (who has this though lol)
5. Does not bow like wood can

Con's
1. More expensive
2. Not as easy to work with for average everyday joe's
3. Does not float
4. Does not make the boat any quieter
5. Not as strong (and this is a debatable statement, because it is stronger than wood given the same dimensions and weight. But how many mods have you seen with 2x4, 2x2, or 1x2 aluminum tubing? Like none, and the cost of that would be very high compared to the cheap aluminum angle that is commonly used. So wood is stronger IMO given the sizes that are used versus aluminum.)

I went back and forth on this issue myself and decided to go with wood. I will put my boat mod, looks wise and strength wise next to any of the aluminum mods that everyday guys have done on here. And the extra weight the wood added actually made my small tin handle and perform much better in bigger waves and wind. Thats my 2 cents on this subject

 

[jigngrub]

I will humbly disagree that aluminum looks more professional. If you have a $4000 TIG machine and you are a welder you can make aluminum look great. That being said, erector set aluminum angle bolted or riveted together does not say professional to me.

You don't need a welding machine of any kind to frame with aluminum, all you need is a rivet setting tool ($20) and an assortment of blind rivets that're a lot cheaper than stainless steel nuts, bolts, and screws.

I think a lot of folks don't frame with aluminum because they're afraid to try it because they think it's harder... but it's not. It cuts and goes together just like wood.

For those that think wood is cheaper, it's not. By the time you've spent the time and money to replace your wood framing mod once or twice because it rotted quicker than green jello goes through a goose, you'd have been time and money ahead to frame with aluminum.

... and yes, a wood framed tinny does not look professional, because professionals don't frame aluminum boats with wood!

Did I mention wood rots and aluminum doesn't?

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Johny25, good pros/cons. Everyone needs to evaluate their abilities and what they want to put into a boat.

It doesn't have to be an either/or question. Many boats here have used a combination of both. My current project has aluminum floor and sides, will have mostly aluminum framing, but will have plywood for top decks.

 

[MrSimon]

A few things in support of aluminum (can you tell I'm biased :lol: ):

1. Its not all THAT much more expensive than wood. With wood, you have to factor in the cost of the wood, stainless steel hardware, brackets, multiple coats of urethane, and a topcoat of paint .... it adds up pretty quick.

2. Old aluminum ladders are FANTASTIC for building the support structure for an aluminum deck (or a wood deck for that matter). Ask around and search Craigslist .... you can find aluminum extension ladders for about $30, which gives you around 70 feet of aluminum I beam.

Buying aluminum angle at Home Depot is ridiculously expensive ..... don't ever do it! Think outside the box and find ways to re-use old aluminum. Some guys have found old used road signs and used them as decking.

Harbor Freight sells an air powered rivet gun for like $30, and aluminum rivets are pretty cheap. Drill, pop. Drill, pop. Its easy as pie.

3. Find a good metal distributor to buy your aluminum sheets for decks and floor. You should be paying only a little over $100 for a 4x8 sheet. And make good use of your almost free aluminum ladder to build a good solid foundation .... that way you can get by with thinner decking and flooring, which saves a lot of money.

4. Throw some cheap carpet on top of the aluminum to quiet things down. Don't glue it down (velcro or something) so you can remove it in the winter and keep it clean.


I'd be willing to bet that I could do an all aluminum build for only a few hundred dollars more than wood. Heck, I might even try :lol:

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Save the wood for your wife. Aluminum is all around better than wood, hands down.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Just so you are aware, aluminum is not much (if any) less weight then wood


If you search this site you will find a chart someone posted a few years back about this very topic


I did my boat with a wood deck (sealed and painted and anything underneath is aluminum

 

[Poormans Boatright]

I used a little wood on mine but mostly aluminum, no big deal as to which way you go as this is just a personal prefrence, If I did it all over again though, I probably wouldnt have used any wood, or used very little. just my opinion.
Heres a link to my build:https://https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=19816

 

[UtahBassKicker]

I love the comments that imply using aluminum makes you more of a man or more of a professional! Classic stuff. :lol: Bottom line, use what works for you, it's your boat.

 

[kfa4303]

six of one, half dozen of the other, I suppose. Although, I think rivets are pretty cool lookin' myself. Most tin boats are riveted to begin with, so are Spitfire and Mustang airplanes, shoot even Levi's are riveted. Granted, it may not look quite as slick as a nice weld that looks like a row of dimes, but if that's what you or your buddies are wasting time looking at on the boat, you need to get around more fish or senoritas in bikinis Besides, most riveted framing gets covered with decking anyway so you won't see much, if any of it if you don't want to. That being said, I used wood on my boat before I became with rivets and it works great. Keep us posted.

 

[jigngrub]

Just to clarify:

I prefer a plywood deck over an aluminum deck, aluminum is too hot and loud for me as decking. I seal all of my plywood decking with 4 coats of epoxy resin, if I did that with wood framing it would be much more expensive and time consuming than aluminum.

I prefer aluminum framing over wood framing because it is lighter and stronger.