shawnfish said:oh yeah, what guage or size aluminum would be strong enough to work?
first, it is a 16ft loweline(now lowe owns them) and im 99% positive my uscg weight rating is 850 lbs occupancy and gear andim below that,the bow still sits about 2- 2 1/2 feet above the waterline with me on the deck(170lbs) and is more stable than before, im a boilermaker/welder and i can get all the scrap or new aluminum i want for free, just take a while for me to hoard the new stuff.SVOMike86 said:Most common size aluminum for decking would probably be .125 (1/8"). What size boat do you have? Some of the smaller boats just aren't made to handle any more weight than a fisherman or 2 and gear. Doing any real mods at all to a small boat could easily push it over the weight limit especially if you weight more than 150 lbs, but on the other hand, if it doesn't go over capacity, a boat that sits deeper in the water is generally more stable, provided its not so low that it would take on water in any kind of small chop...
Just re-read your post, you have a lot of weight in 2X4's. I know that some people use them when building their framing, but most people get away with using 2X2's for it, that would cut down 1/2 the weight of just the framing. You may run into a problem down the road with using pressure treated wood, apparently some of the chemicals they use to treat it react with aluminum (your hull) and can cause corrosion, so keep an eye out for that. It will look like pitting. Going with aluminum for decking and bracing will definitely be lighter, but is more expensive. Probably the biggest advantage is you don't have to seal it at all and it will never rot. If you have any scrap metal yards in your area, you can usually buy scrap aluminum for about 1/2 price of buying new...
what are brake bends???bassboy1 said:shawnfish said:oh yeah, what guage or size aluminum would be strong enough to work?
I use a lot of .090. When used correctly, and gaining rigidity by brake bends, as opposed to building a frame, it can be an excellent weight reduction method.
this would work on .090?? then tack on small supports on the inside of hull?dj722000 said:A brake is a machine of sorts to bend metal, a bend is a bend you put in the metal. If done correctly a flat sheet of metal can come out pretty darn strong.
Nice work by the way bassboy! I used .080 on my floor and deck backed the floor with dense foam level to the ribs and it works great. So I would say .080 + depending on the design. light and strong is always better than heavy and strong....don't forget the floor drain #-obassboy1 said:shawnfish said:oh yeah, what guage or size aluminum would be strong enough to work?
I use a lot of .090. When used correctly, and gaining rigidity by brake bends, as opposed to building a frame, it can be an excellent weight reduction method.
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