Treated plywood deck and alum boats-Don't do it!

[QUOTE=hairball;451129]I don't mean to hijack this thread, just wanted to make
everyone aware that there's a product available called Nautolex that is all vinyl and can be used instead of marine carpeting. It glues on just like carpet and is very easy to work with. Cost is comparable to carpet and you don't have to worry about hooks getting caught in it. It has a textured finish and is very easy to keep clean - just hose it off! I found mine online - don't remember the name of the outfit but they were in Florida and there's a dealer in the Carolinas somewhere. It's also available at The Wooden Boat Shop in Cincinnati. I installed it over 3/4" marine ply 3 years ago in my '84 Tracker and absolutely love it![/QUOTE]

There is also a product out there that is called duraboard (I think that is the name of it). It is a poly resin material similar to the trex decking material. It can be worked (cut, screwed, nailed) just like plywood, but will not rot, warp, mold or get eaten by ants. Bad news is that it is very $$$$$ about $150.00 per 4x8 sheet (last time I looked at it). Even with the cost it may be an alternative as marine plywood is also veryy $$$$.

The other plus is that it is much lighter than treated or marine plywood. You may loose 100-200 lbs of weight depending on how much you use. Resulting in better gas economy, higher speed (use a high pitch prop).

Has anyone used any of the trex decking material in a boat out there? I would think that stuff would be perfect for a boat application. I think they even make support pieces now.

This info carries over to other things as well. I kept my new lawn tractor under my new back deck since last fall. I took it in for service and they said the corrosion was overwhelming how much there was. It reuined the carborator already.:mad: I will be giving her a really good bath and then making room in the garage for it.
Was Ironic I read this post then talked to the service tech today. Thanks for the great info!!!!!:D

Much thanks to Peter for posting this thread and the thread on the boats discussion board about the walleye boat renovation. I'm currently trying to transform a 14' john boat into a substitute bass boat complete with pedestal seats, trolling motor with hotfoot, some decking and carpet. Awww, yeah!

Now, I may need to rethink my use of treated plywood (coated in polyurethane, of course). If Peter had posted this a week later, it would have been too late for me to tweek my design.

Unbelievable. I don't think I read anything having to do with metal under the deck of your house or boat decks regarding this corrosion problem on the wood association and manufacturers websites. I only recall them mentioning aluminum siding on a house and the fact that you must use special fasteners. I wonder what the dollar damages are to date form this stuff? I guess it is a similar parallel to the 10% ethanol in gas that has destroyed so many brand new engines. Wait until they go to 15% ethanol. Use as directed and it destroys what you put it in.

Marine Plywood
Looks like these guys have some pretty nice stuff. Don’t know much about it though.

[URL]http://inlandplywood.com/[/URL]

I think I read that one of these products is what Lund uses for their exposed bench seats. From my recollection not all so called marine plywood is created equal. I remember as mentioned previously in this thread that it has no preservative in it and that you have to paint it or seal/cover it to make it last.

Anybody know where to get aluminum that would make a nice deck or the specs? All aluminum is not created equal. If you use rivets of the wrong alloy you can set yourself up for disaster should you have a situation conducive to electrolysis.

Another one for you.
Case in point--
My old boat

After I had had it for about two years...boom..the area around about 50 rivet eaten up. These rivets were installed by the factory.

How it happened.
The boat never leaked so sometimes I would not pull the plug...a waste of time in a hectic schedule of fishing the turbines at McAlpine sometimes morning and evening.
There were about three sets of wires connected to the auxiliary battery. It was a fairly new boat to me so I did not really know where the wires terminated. I diligently kept all those connectors scraped clean to have good electrical connections to maximize safety and fishing opportunities. The manufacturer ran a heavy wire from bow to stern for the trolling motor which sat on the bottom of the hull. That is OK (it's really not) until the insulation chaffs off or the previous owner or a mechanic cuts the wire and leaves it in the hull.

Well the last time I used it for the season I put the boat up without puling the plug and this time there was an inch or so of water in the hull probably due to rain. That trolling motor battery wire was connected to the battery but terminated (cut off bare wire) in the center of the back of the hull feeding current into this water all winter. Electrolysis. It ate the hull around the rivets. Tyler Marine down river in Rockport drilled out and replaced about 50 rivets and added square pieces of aluminum to snug down to the hull when the rivets were tightened to seal the corroded areas.

Both situations caused by me in blissful ignorance. That's a little harsh but it is so, even for an aluminum boat junkie.

The reality is that aluminum conducts electricity so you have to be careful with all eclectically components on a boat. Has the insulation worn off any wiring that is laying on bare aluminum. Do you have proper grounding on the boat. Somebody please explain that in detail. How does one know if it is.

Treated bunks. You can't see if there is a problem unless you hoist the boat off the trailer.

-- Stray current from a source other than your boat. Marinas. --

Glass boat folks and aluminum.
Are you in a marina with somebody down the way with improper grounding or jack legged shad lights shooting current into the water 365 days a year. Glass boats have aluminum outdrives and metal through hull fittings that are immersed in water all time. Add electricity and you have a problem. A friend at Gridder Hill on Lake Cumberland recently had his glass boat sink at the slip and then two years later had to get a new outdrive due to this. Cost $12,500. Ever messed with getting a sunk inboard outboard boat running well again even with a manufactured engine? Eight months lost fishing time.

From what I have read Sacrificial anodes need to be maintained and checked regularly. They need to be cleaned (scraped off). The surface where the anode comes in contact with the outdrive or aluminum hull needs have a good clean electrical connection or it is not protecting your boat. Are all these immersed metal thru hulls and parts wired to the anode? Hurricane grew up on the Chesapeake. Maybe he knows something about this. Saltwater makes all of this much worse.

Somebody earlier in this thread mentioned that storing your boat under electrical transmission wires is a problem.

Anti fouling paint with copper in it--don't use that on an aluminum hull.

I'm just mentioning some the things I have read this winter as I remember them. Not professing to be a metallurgist..just an aluminum boat junkie, that can’t stand down time.

Google this stuff and let us know what you find.

The good news is that this winter I really enjoyed repairing and tweaking for maximum fishing efficiency my new old boat in the solitude of my shop. Where else can you smoke a cigar in the winter. As a matter of fact I am looking for a new piece of junk because I have an extra motor now. If you have a 16-17.5' aluminum or glass boat set up for an outboard in disrepair that you want to sell let me know. It does not matter if it leaks as long as it has not been repaired with some sort of goop. I need a backup plan.

[EMAIL="[email protected]"][email protected][/EMAIL]

when i replaced the floor in my aluminum monark. i used untreated wood with about 3 coats of spar urethane. it has repelled the water well.

If you all get tired of hearing about this just say stop. This is probably it for me though.

Just ran across this sort of accidentally.

From a marine plywood manufacturer website:

They claim the new plywood will destroy carpet on the deck. I did not know that but I will tell you that the backing on my carpet was destroyed as well as the glue (the correct marine carpet glue). Carpet came up real easy. Guess that rules out any hopes of the carpet on bunks providing a barier.

[URL]http://www.pontoonstuff.com/pontoon-boat/144-marine-plywood.asp[/URL]

"This is the same boat decking used by new pontoon boat builders. CCA treated marine plywood is the only type of lumber which the EPA still allows to be treated with arsenic (a superior preservative), new laws require standard plywood to be treated in a manner that will destroy marine carpeting and hardware (the use of a copper compound rather than arsenic).

Please note that there are dozens of types of marine plywood, if you are rebuilding a pontoon boat and need 3/4" decking this is the proper marine plywood to use.

We understand the difficulties in finding a source for treated marine plywood with these new EPA rules. We always have it in stock but it must be shipped via semi or picked up. Please contact us for a freight quote".