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I have a 18ft starcraft aluminum that i want to build a center console for. I want it to be a wood console (no fiberglass). Whats the best way of going about this? What kind of would is the best? If you could help me that would be great, thanks!
The best way to a console is to look at Pontoonstuff.com or GreatLakesSkipper.com and see if they have any available for sale. There may be other websites that carry nice, generic center consoles at fair prices.
Exterior plywood, 3/8", encapsulated in resin and fiberglass cloth (yeah, I know you said no fiberglass but it's not all that hard to work with) will make for a very strong, light console that will hold up to the weather for many years.
Yeah i would rather not build but i think that is my only option at this point. I have searched up and down craigslist for the past few months but cant find anything close to where i live and with the cost of driving to another state to find one i would be better off buying a new one and having it shipped. Thanks for all the advise guys i will look into all your answers!
Contact your Department of Transportation and find out if they have any old aluminum road signs and where they dispose of them. They make an excellent source for aluminum sheet and you could easily rivet together a center console from one. The signs are typically made from 1/8" aluminum and you can either paint over the existing paint or strip it off with aircraft paint stripper.
Ho Sono, using fibreglass would give you both weather protection and an opportunity to perhaps have smoothly rounded corners that are important when you don't have a lot of walkway. That said, if you want to stay with wood, weather protected plywood is the only clear choice. For finishing, you might consider a Formica type laminate like I used in the picture below (not a console). The trade-off is that you'll probably want to protect the exposed corners (with aluminum angle?) and they will be hard and sharp if you fall against them. I think I'd look for a used FG console from a scrap boat. - Grandad
