Decks

[CTMD]

By all means install foam in your boat but DO NOT use spray in foam. Your foam should be non-flammable and chemicalyl suitable (i.e. doesn't react to fuel). The spray in foam will:

a. Absorb moisture over time making your boat slowly heavier and also trapping moisture against the hull.
b. Make maintenance and repairs difficult.
c. melt if you get fuel on it.

The correct foam will have a density of about 32kg/m^3 (2lb/ft^3). On a typical 6m (20') ali boat you would need about 1.5m^3 (53 ft^3) to achieve basic floatation so we are only talking about 48kg or 106 lbs. Not really a big deal when your boat weights approx 1.5-2 T

Bob 5292. Do you have a liferaft in your boat?

[Bob5292]

CTMD: My last boat was a 21 foot center console and until the last year or two, there really wasn't a life raft that fit well. I had survival suits, two PLB's, more SOLAS flares than a ferry boat, and only fished offshore with a buddy near by. When I was 18, I spent the night floating in 53 degree water after a slight miscalculation while diving. That cold night is always in the back of my mind. Now I do everything I can to prevent myself from being in the ocean, sans boat!

Being a heavy duty alloy boat fan and a stickler for reliability, when my boat finally gets in to the ocean, I will probably not only have a life raft but also some type of rigid buoyant apparatus.

As soon as boating season starts, I am going to pick up a 2 man and 4 man Revere Coastal Compact IBA. At the last boat show the 2 man was $800 and the 4 man was under $1000. For that price and about the size of a briefcase, there is no reason not to have one on your boat. If I was in a remote area I would opt for something more substantial but here in the lower 48 the chances of a quick rescue are pretty good.

2 person Valise 14.5lbs 19.5 x 10 x 5
4 person Valise 16lbs 16.5 x 13 x 5

[CTMD]

I'm not going to argue against a life raft, I was just checking to make sure you weren't all talk (like a lot of on line posters), it sounds like safety is pretty close to your heart. In Australia it is now illegal to sell a boat under 6m without built in buoyancy. Its called adding legislation and complication because so much of the population are to stupid to help themselves.

[welder]

Boats here in the states that are under 20'-0" are supposed to have positive flotation.

[jrogers]

Just to add to the confusion, my boat is bare aluminum diamond plate and it seems to work great for me. Of course, I am pretty religious about keeping it hosed off since I don't want people tracking fish slime inside the boat. It has never seemed the least bit slick to me.



By the way, you can see my fuel access plate in this pic.

[T-sole]

Welder, I think if the boat is registered commercial it is not required to have floatation. It will have to have all the required commercial safety gear which, depending on where and when the boat is operated, varies from recreational requirements. I will use the boat for commercial hook and line fishing so I'll have the gear anyway. I'm sure it also effects insurance rates.

[welder]

T-sole, commercial fisherman ?????

You do know there is a rule here that ALL commercial fishermen have to send the Administrators a box of fresh fish every year and it's Bill Thomsons turn first this year.

Naw, just kidding but we do want to see pictures of your set up and blood on the deck.

[T-sole]

This is my first attempt at uploading a photo so lets see if it works

Blood on the Decks

10.21.09 54 Fish.JPG (71.38 KiB) Viewed 8535 times

[kmorin]

Aluminum embossed plate is now "illegal"/not allowed in industrial settings due to the number of falls and high level of damage caused- I only used it once in a deck and never again, I have the scars along my shins to remind me too.

We were skiff jumping in the Gulf one night, south of Seward about 40 miles, guided by a mild load of adult fermented beverage to help improve our judgment and I was riding bow at a time we bumped the back face of a roller a little harder than I'd expected and I went to the deck on my knees. That was the last time I put tread plate in a boat. The weakest link in a welded boat is the 'sack of jelly' that drives them.

The problems I've seen are that boots with any kind of sand or grit will round over the originally clean edges and when 'diamond tread' looses its edge then it simply reduces boot to deck friction area. Like walking on marbles, and if there's any gury ??? well then walking on greasy marbles. The real killer is the self-standing black hippers that are more stiff than Xtuffs that are softer- these commercial fishing boots make new diamond tread dangerous in my experience. So you can get some good footing on a new or clean diamond tread deck in Xtuffs but with a few hundred fish on deck; all bets are off!

I'd use almost anything but embossed plate, paint seems to work OK. I like to paint our the boats to make 'em pretty, so I usually just roll sand into the last color coat on the deck. Most of the boats have had a half dozen flat fish flopping around (hook and line, Alaskans; not ganyons and groundline- honest ) and you can still walk reliably so I'll stay with paint and grit.

cheers,
Kevin Morin

[Justindfish]

http://www.kiwigrip.com/

I done a lot of research on coatings and this is what I have come up with and I have had it on my boat for almost a year got about 90 hours on the motor gives you an idea about use. I have had a problem with the paint that this is coated over (dumb mistake on my part with prep) but with this stuff it is great haven't had a lick of problems and it can be put on from a mild grip to a very aggressive grip depending on what you want. Once I repaint the top of the boat again because of my screw up the Kiwigrip will be going back on again.

There is also http://www.seadek.com/ It is a EVA foam and it works great also I have it on top of a ice chest which is stood on and it is very anti-slip when wet and is a cushion. I originally wanted to cover the whole boat with this but I didn't because of price. I do have two helm mats made of it to go behind the console and the cushion on the cooler. I also had the boats name CNC cut into it and it is a back rest on my console for the person riding in front. www.castawaycustoms.com look at his stuff he custom cuts and installs.

The other option that I was looking at was http://www.safe-floor.com It is also some nice stuff I have seen it in person and it seem like it will work very good price and the fact that I felt that it may trap some dirt is what skewed me from this but I still like it a lot. There is a place in Beaumont that does this so that is only about a 5 hour drive for you.

If you have any question just PM me and I let you know more or I can call you.

[JETTYWOLF]

I picked up a case of the Matson non-skid in dark gray when North River's assets were auctioned off. If any of you locals need a can, let me know and I will set you up. It turned out to be a bit more aggressive than I was looking for.

This is what I talked about......probably the best deal on the internet huh Bob?
What ya letting a Gallon go for?
New installs still need primer though, don't ya think?

The aggresiveness wears down, and then still is one great coating.

[Bob5292]

I think it's $35-40 a gallon from Matson. So far I've gone through 3 gallons of Kiwigrip on my boat at $110 a gallon. The Kiwigrip is a lot easier to work with than the matson product. I can't ship hazmat, so that's why I am offering it up to the local guys at no charge.

[JETTYWOLF]

Yep, your right.

Wish I was local. That's a heck of a deal, Bob.
I know I love my deck.

Threatened to re-apply with the gallon I have. But have not done it yet.

I'm afraid a gallon won't re-cover my entire deck.

[kmb997]

Thanks for the deck advice, I think I will go with non-skid paint.

Do the majority of aluminum owners, here, paint the exterior of their boat? Why or why shouldn't I paint the exterior? Also, if I choose not to paint the exterior, what is a good interior paint color? A color that won't show alot of dirt, that will match the aluminum exterior, and won't get hot.

[JETTYWOLF]

kmb997,

Damn I just saw.....your another New Orleans member? Do you fish? I didn't think anyone there didn't but I'll ask anyhow.

I like no maintenance. So no paint is what I call, "Great Paint".

Plus from what I gather to paint a boat right (aluminum) you have to really have your you know what, in one sock. And its expensive, too.

Why do you need paint? That's the question. Many get by just fine with no paint other than the deck non-skid...in Battleship gray of course.

I'm in Florida, and don't worry about HOT.

I'd talk to my builder about painting the boat. Look at wdkerek's boat, "PM him" he's north of you and has a seriously painted boat. A new Gaudet split windshield Bay boat with a honking monster outboard.

Ya'll in the same neck of the woods should be talking to eachother, thats for sure. And inviting me Trout fishing for week on your new boats.

Its EZ......look at the member list and find people near you and see what they did. They may have just used the same exact builder, ya never know.

[peterbo3]

Thanks for the deck advice, I think I will go with non-skid paint.

Do the majority of aluminum owners, here, paint the exterior of their boat? Why or why shouldn't I paint the exterior? Also, if I choose not to paint the exterior, what is a good interior paint color? A color that won't show alot of dirt, that will match the aluminum exterior, and won't get hot.

G'Day kmb,
Down my way, a lot of people paint their boats. IMHO they are just making a rod for their own backs. Painting is very costly as the hull must be prepped very carefully, a skilled painter must do the job & the materials are not cheap. Every cutout, hole, stand off mount, conduit tube, etc MUST be done before it goes to the paint shop. So every instrument, switch panel, knob, motor, wiring loom.......... anything that requires a hole or a mounting plate, needs to be fitted & then removed, because once the paint is on, it is too late to be drilling holes.
And after it is painted, you will be sweating that every sinker will chip it or every road trip will result in a stone strike. Moisture will get under the paint & it will bubble or "spider web". Plus, it will need repainting down the track & a proper job will require a full strip out.
Once the alloy oxidizes, & that happens fairly smartly, there is no reflection or glare off the hull or the interior. If you want to add some bling, vinyl stripes or motifs are the way to go.
My boat is unpainted.

[Bob5292]

Vinyl is the way to go. Add a nice boot stripe and when it gets worn or you decide to go with a new color, it can be redone for under $1000. Like others have said, it is extremely expensive to paint an aluminum boat. I was just at the local shop and they had a gallon of zinc chromate primer for $150 a gallon, the epoxy primer for $150 a gallon, and the topcoat i was looking at was $275 a gallon.

I spoke to the guys at Coastal Craft at last years boat show and they said the Awlgrip paint job on thier 40', was 90k.

[kmb997]

Yes I am from N.O. and you're right, there aren't very many who don't fish here. For the few who don't fish, you take them out once and they usually want to do it again.

My first thoughts were no paint at all then I thought about how bright the aluminum would be and asked about the floor. Then I saw wdkerek's boat and started to consider painting the exterior. His boat is very nice and now I'm trying to decide to paint or not. For those with the unpainted exterior, what do you do to clean it, if anything? Jettywolf, I looked at Blacklab's website and they said they use a polyurethane non-skid. Is it like linex or speedliner or is more like a non-skid paint?

Thanks

[JETTYWOLF]

First off.....as stated WAY earlier. The deck in my boat, Welders boat, SL Dave's boat, Alloytoys boat, and mucho others I'm missing is not bedliner. Its a super duper no-skid epoxy like paint over primer.

Again, Gaudets should KNOW all this details about various materials. I believe Damien wanted his boat to be jazzy. And I see many alloys there are. His is eye poppingly nice. But "costs".

You don't have to clean the inside or outside with anything special. I just spray down the deck with a hose and the exterior just to get any salty residue off. (have to make a good appearance for my customers) And once a month I'll soap the deck down and hit it with a brush.

Brightness will FADE real fast. That's what aluminum does.

I bang, bump and tie off to stuff where f'glass boats don't go. So I don't want paint, I like silver as many do. It matches the Honda, the trailer and my old silver Ford truck. And thats good enough for me.

[peterbo3]

G'Day kmb,
Dave has covered it. Fresh water, truckwash & a broom.
My hull is totally bare..............not even Nyalic. I have carpet on the floor & always hit it with the deckwash to clean any fish slime but the non skid would be more practical. I have had carpet on many boats but I guess I am just a softie. Plus carpet is better for bare feet.

[mojomizer]

A good article from Boat US.

http://www.boatus.com/Foundation/findings/nonskid2.htm

So many great choices out there.

This is my favorite deck coating:









Take Care
Mark
2325 Wa Pacificskiff