Quinte Fishing

Looking for some input on what people think of aluminum for flooring in a boat. Has anyone ever used it? I can get it for cheap probably cheaper than marine plywood. I would obviously have to put some rubber moulding around the edges to prevent rubbing, but what about heat? How hot do you think it would get under carpet? Any other thoughts?
orrsey

what boat is that .... that makes the steel floors?

stanley?

i've heard from owners that they are brutally hot in teh summer, and cold, cold, cold in the winter.....

but they last!

Steve,
No I actaully considering putting aluminum in a boat in place of wood. I would think ot would be considerably light and it would last a long time. As for heat that is one of my concerns...just throwing a line out to see if anyone has used aluminum in place of wood..
orrsey

I'd also check the price of aluminum, it will be alot more costly than wood. My boat came with a wooden floor (previous owner did it all), no center bench and 2 swivel seats. It's a 14' deep haul with a 30 hp. Does a great job on the bay!!

Jutty,
The price of aluminum is a little high and I wouldnt even consider it if I didnt have a friend who works at a welding place and can get it for me for very cheap.

As far as the aluminum goes, I would stay away from it. Sounds like a lot of problems will come with it. Heat, sharp edges, carpet tears, way too much extra baggage!!!

I bought a used 20' Ranger bass boat and the carpet was in bad shape, I took all the carpet out and had a company that does Rhino Lining spray the inside of my boat. It's durable and very low maintenance...

I bring the boat home from fishing, take out the garden hose, and wash it out. No more waiting for the carpet to dry. Just something to think about!!!!!

Bare aluminum boats getting too hot is an old wive's tale. A boat bottom is cooled by the air above and the water below. I have an all aluminum welded boat with no floor and have never experienced any of this heat problem. My recomendation is not to put any type of floor in whatsoever. Think about it, do you really need a floor? A floor just adds extra weight and decreases your usable area. Also puts you up higher in the boat and thus less stable. Save your money and stay with what you now have. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses.

Another couple of things to think about for sure, thanks for the responses guys. As for the decreased space I would have thought the oposite, with three bench seats it kind of cuts down on how easily you can move around the boat. With a floor it creates a flat surface making it easy to move around, plus its up higher on a wider part of the boat making more surface room. Plus the boat is 80" wide so its fairly stable. But definetely somethng to consider. As for the spray liners thats a good idea as well. I could see the benefit in that, a lot less maintenance for sure. A good friend of mine ownes a line-x company so I will have to talk to him about pricing. Just a question and it may seem obvious but when you had your boat sprayed with rhino did you take the storage compartment lids off and do them indiviually?

I don't know about the science here but let me tell ya....I've been standing on the seat of my old tinny fishing on hot days and wow, have my feet been burnt.

Cheers

_________________
The fishing was so good........I thought I was here yesterday!

Yes I took the lids off. I did all the prep work myself, to cut down on cost. If they were to do the prep work, taping, sanding, cleaning, removal of lips it would have cost extra. I had the time, so why pay someone else to do the work.
Good Luck!!!

my buddy just did his in plywood and then Rhino coat and it looks awesome....super easy to clean ...Cut all your boards and just take them in and get them coated

I could see if the floor was in contact with the water that it would stay cool. But a raised alum. floor ? Can you say bacon and eggs. I have sat on some bench alum seats and have jumped up right quick. On a hot sunny day it could be bad.
Just my two cents.

Do you think the aluminum would be that hot even with carpet on it though?

Don't know about the rest of you but I always wear a pair of shoes and pants (at least underwear) when I go fishing.