Jon boat rebuild question

[Catt]

Just out of curiosity why does it seem every one here insist on using plywood for decks when aluminum is lighter, more durable, maintenance free, no required sub structure, and many others advantages.

[Randall]

I have always used wood because it was less expensive, easier for me to install, and I didnt really care about the extra weight. The extra weight actually helped my boat be more stable and it got blew around less in high winds so for me the weight wasn't a bad thing.

[CrazyWhiteBo]

exactly what randall said...aluminum is very expensive to build with plus the plywood gave me weight I needed.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

The decks in my boat weigh about the same as aluminum. I use 3/8 cdx because my decks are actually floors. I use 3/8 so the wood actually bows a bit to take on the shape of the floor. My goal with these is to have a flat floor and keep my gear out of the water on the floor.

Also

wood is cheaper

easier to secure carpet to neatly

easily find-able

easier to cut

mistakes are less expensive

I'm reffering to the avg Joe.  If you have access, tools and some good ideas.....then maybe I would use aluminum.  Depends what I'm looking to do whether or not it would be an option.  For my boat, I just needed floors so no big deal there.

[fishbear]

Ditto the above 3 replies......

[HPBB]

just what everybody else said it cheeper and easier to work with also if you are using aluminum for decking and floors and using no sub structure to suport it. you are using some really thick metal and that is even mor $$$ and harder to work with. If you pep the wood right and take care if it ,the wood will last a long time.

[Catt]

After posting this I realized all the boats I've built were .100 gauge and I don't want additional weight. Cutting aluminum is no harder to cut than plywood, welded instead of screws, carpet is easy to glue like wood.

Do any of y'all use a jack up/set back plate on the motor?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Be very careful welding an aluminum boat.  This is somthing best left to the pro's.  

Around here we have a few well known welders who build aluminum tuna towers for a living.  2 of them wouldn't touch my boat, the 3rd did but was very clear that I may have a piece of junk if all doesn't go right.  Somthing about arcing and melting, etc etc  I don't weld so I don't know, all I know is that some of the best aluminum welders in the world were hesitant.

Also, the carpet will wear out before the wood.  

[PeterF]

Catt, I'm with you. Check out my Jon. No welding  ;D.

[ThomasL]

Have to agree with catt and peter on this one,esp if the boat is a welded boat,

the money has already been spent for the welded boat over a riveted so the extra

money for the aluminum is nil...Hopefully when and if my boat sells on ebay by next

tuesday,i won't have this dilema,i'll buy the alumacraft mv tex with a yammie

50hp for under 10,000 from edsmarine,nothing cheaper for that price!

[Catt]

I spent 15 years as a Manufacturing Engineer in a fabrication center in the Aerospace Industry so I know a little some thing about metals.  

Down here in the South you could not sell a riveted boat period because even if properly installed a rivet will work it's self loose. Welding aluminum is not that difficult and is probably easier to weld than most metals so I don't understand why you were told other wise.

Now do any of y'all use jack up/set back plates on your rigs? I'll try to get some pictures!

These plates lift your motor off the transom and move it backwards giving you faster hole shots and faster top end. It also allows you to run in shallower water, get on plane in shallower water; smoothes out you ride, and gives better control.

Oh yea Peter that's one fine rig there, I do my back decks the same way but I install three seat bases on them. The center one for fishing and the outer two for running, see pic below.

Thomas alumacraft modified Vs are excellent and a yamahammer sweet

[ThomasL]

That alumacraft is a 16' bassboat with the front and rear decks already built in with a side console.

I had contemplated buying a 16' welded jon with a full front deck but all had the rear bench and i couldn't figure out how to place two pedestal bases for the driver behind a console and a passenger.

There is foam for floatation under that bench seat isn't it,how does the pedestal plates bolt down and hold with no reiforcement under neath?

[Catt]

That is an Alweld 1652 V-Nose Modified V bottom with a tunnel

Here are the specs:

Length: 16'

Bottom: 52

Beam: 72

Sides: 22

Thickness: .100

Weight: 400 lbs

Motor: Tohatsu 40 hp 2-stroke, 3 cylinders, 3 carburetors, 11 x 15 stainless steel prop

There is floatation under the rear seat and with .100 aluminum bolting the pedestal base is no problem. This boat was already carpeted but if it were not I would have welded the bases. The trolling motor bracket is custom built from .125 aluminum, welded in place, and the trolling motor is bolted with lock nuts. I also moved the depth finder from the left side (in the picture) to the right side and kicked the font size up to large so it would be easier to read will running.

[fishbear]

But, we are talking apples and oranges for a lot us....   I am working on a jon boat that will probably never see a gas motor.   I fish electric only lakes or lakes that only allow 10 hp motors.  As for rivetted boats.  If all your gonna do is high speed running then yes, the rivets work loose getting bounced on the waves, however, for us jon boat TM only fishermen, that is not an issue.  We also do not have to consider getting up on plane or how it is gonna corner, any of that, so the weight other than slowing us some with our Tms actually helps us out, by making the boat sit a little deeper in the water and makes us a bit more stable.  And again, it may boil down to just price.....  aluminum is a heck of a lot more expensive than wood.  For me, that is the main stopper right there.  My budget for working on my boat is very limited.  So, you do with what you can afford.  IF I could afford to have someone do an all aluminum job for me, ,,, I would, but I can not, so I use the wood... and like LBH said, the carpet will  wear out before the wood rots anyway.

just my 0.02 worth.