sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

[alilley]

i know i am opening a major can of worms here but, right now i am just digging for information.....

What i have going on here is as follows.......father in law gave me hois old jon boat that the decking was totaly shot ( to give you an idea when i pull on a rope that happen to be attached to 8lb anchor it came up from the bottom of the boat through the deck) I am now getting to where i am able to start to replace the decking and everything else that i am wanting to do (bascally conver it to a bass style boat on the inside). So i have doug around on here for information on the what people are using as decking and have cam to the conculsion (please correct me if i am wrong) that since this is an alum boat that i want to go with what people call cca. Well after calling my 3 lumber yards (small town) all i can find is either salt treated, pressure treated or what is refered to msa treated lumber. From what the lumber yard informed me the mcs stand for Micronized Copper Azole.

Is that what i want to stay from be as this is an alum boat? the place that is carrying that informed me that the main differance is the finish and since i would be carpeting it that it would be fine??? one of the other "lumber yards" would be menards and we all know what it is like trying to get information from a high schooler (the one i talked to was more worried about what time it was then helping me.....so i left) the third yard is more of a tool rental place that can get most of the construction lumber........

please give me your input on this as i only want to redo this boat once ..... thanks

 

[jigngrub]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

CCA plywood decking is great stuff, but it isn't necessary. You can use an exterior grade plywood instead. I think you Meynards will carry the ABX Aruco plywood for about half the cost of CCA. The Aruco is a popular choice with folks doing restos on this forum.

There are other options too, the tool rental construction lumber place might have MDO plywood. This is an excellent plywood for boat decking that has a waterproof finish on it. There's also Fir BB plyform, another construction grade plywood that is waterproof.

If your heart is still set on the CCA you can call around to marinas that do repair work in your area and boat dealers with service depts and one of them should be able to tell you where to find it in your area. A pontoon boat dealer will probably be your best bet.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

CCA is okay but heavy and hard to find....... it is really an outlawed formula due to the arsenic.

ACQ is the new pressure treated and contains copper ......... forget this stuff for use in an aluminum boat.

Exterior plywood properly prepared will last 20 years or more.

 

[alilley]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

looking at what is easly available, and cost effective for my area..... the stuff i found that was treated with the m c a is prob what i am leaning tward so that brings me to my main question.....

With that being treated with M C A (Micronized Copper Azole am i going to need to put something between the wood and the alum of the boat to preven any kind of cororsion? if so what would you recomend

next question...... do i go with 1/2" or 3/4"? not a hole lot of differance in cost (about $8 a sheet) just concerned about wheight. thanks again

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

You should not use the MCA even if you coat it. The chemicals can and will leech out and harm the aluminum. You can a prolly should use regular Non-Treated Ext. Grade Plywood or Underlayment. Coated with two coats of Epoxy or Marine Varnish. That's the advice most commonly given here on the forum. 1/2" should be good enuf IMHO. How big is your boat? Length and width!

 

[jigngrub]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

I agree, don't use the MCA.

#1 reason is the corrosion factor.

#2 reason is that I doubt it will be kiln dried, this is an absolute must since you're going to need to seal you wood. Sealers will not penetrate wet wood nor will the sealers bond.

If you can't find the CCA, use MDO (medium density overlay) plywood. It's waterproof and easier to find than the CCA, it's also a little cheaper.

As for thickness, I like a 3/4" deck for durability and a sturdy build. the weight difference will be negligible.

 

[alilley]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

so far the closest place i can find the cca is would be about a hour drive away. if you figure that plus having to pull a trailer (hard to fid full sheets in a suburban) and 3 kids to deal with on a road trip like that...... i just dont see the cca happening.........so i will look for the mdo then .... as far as legnth and width.... it is a 16 foot jon with i am not 100% sure i am going ot guess about 30in. wide it is not the wide jon i think they call it a river jon........

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

I would use ACX and get it from home depot and have them cut it to the width that you need. (they cut for free, and assuming you have a home depot in your neighborhood). then seal the wood with CSM and resin.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

You are over thinking the problem.

Exterior plywood uses the same glue as marine plywood and it will last longer then the time you keep the boat is properly installed.

Years ago Tracker Marine bought out Fisher boats...... fisher used aluminum for the decking until they changed hands and then were built with "unprepared" plywood just like tracker's to save money. Guess what.....they rot away and the decks just give out.

Boats built in the similar times with "prepared" plywood (fiberglass resin and coated) are still in service.

How long do you figure to keep the boat? Over 20+ years it will still have a secure deck.

As stated above.....hit the home depot

 

[BillP]

Re: sorry guys but questions on what wood to use.......

Any pt ply will cause electrolysis when in direct contact with aluminum. The wetter is it stays the faster it eats. All you need to do is put a barrier between the two and idealy bush the fasteners with nylon inserts. My aluminum pontoon boat had a rubber strip (looked like cut up tire tube) set on the beams with pt ply over it. I sold it last yr and bought it new in 1996...it sat in a boatlift over saltwater most of its life and had no issues from the pt wood. This boat had bare underside on the pt ply and carpet glued down on top. The wood can simply be painted to prevent leaching if you want to seal it.

Many yrs back I helped a relative replace his al starcraft transom with cca pt. He used roofing felt for the barrier. This was approx 15 yrs ago and it still shows no signs of electrolysis. But is a trailer boat used in freshwater and resides in his back yard when not in use. He has owned this boat sine buying new in the early 1960s.

On the other hand, I have a friend who bought a new 2006 17' al skiff with a trailer that had pt bunks. I never asked what type pt but it was probably ACQ due to the time frame. It ate the bottom out where it sat on the bunks in less than a year...totally trashed the hull along the bunks. The dealer gave in quickly and replaced the boat due to his ignorance in pt vs al for bunks. The carpeted bunks stayed wet long enough to provide the electrical path to make electrolysis.

I'm pro pt wood and very anti non treated ply but you have do pt right or problems happen.

Good luck dude.

bp