steel vs alum vs glass

[alilley]

just looking after a few opionoins here on which would be better ......old schoolk steel toon.............alum toons........or i have even seen a few fiberglass toons (more like deck boats) please post comments here as i athinking about steping into ........the toon world

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

steel= it rusts out and is heavy takes a lot more HP to push and will take a lot of abuse before it springs a leak and in some states it has to have a yearly inspection.

fiberglass= mid weight and will hold up well for years but wont take much abuse at all.

aluminum= is light and holds up very well for years and will take a moderate amount of abuse and is the material of choice for most pontoon boats.

it is not unusual for 1960 models pontoon boats to be still in service.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

Well stated Hawker!

 

[WoodenPontoon]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

I didn't see wood on your list!!!!! It has a certain "unusual" look about it!!!

 

[oops!]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

I didn't see wood on your list!!!!! It has a certain "unusual" look about it!!!

i think fred and barney tried that once.....but im not sure.

im a glass guy.....and just finished doing a fifty foot house boat with glass toons... i would go alum......they just take more abuse. the glass will last longer and is easyer to repair. however, i would not try and beach the yacht on every outing unless i was on sand

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

I had a thought a few day back, and it would be more for salt water use, can you take a aluminum log and coat it with glass and cloth, I know it would add weight, but it would hold up a good bit better. I am in fresh water so its not something I would need to do.

 

[5150abf]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

Aluminum is your only real choice, as stated the glass will last for awhile but eventually it is gonna get wet and rot and it is heavier and I don't know if anyone even makes steel pontoons anymore at least not custom.

aluminim is more resilient and lighter so you get more out of your engine and there are a ton of them on the market so you can get one for a pretty good price.

And there actually is an all wood pontoon, it is pretty cool and looks just stunning.

 

[luckyjr]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

"steel= it rusts out and is heavy takes a lot more HP to push and will take a lot of abuse before it springs a leak and in some states it has to have a yearly inspection"

Galanized steel sheets painted with epoxy will out last bare Aluminum. Epoxy painted aluminum is a awesome prouduct. Zinc rich paint is also very good.

Aluminum cracks easily. Ask any on who owns a aluminum trailer. Why are most trailers galvanized steel.

If you achieve the same strength factor, say 16ga steel .059 to .091 normal use for aluminum pontoons, The pontoon would weigh 1.25 per sq ft more.
or 144lbs per toon for a 24'. Thats like me being in your boat all the time. Ha Ha.

After weighing all the facts my perfect consumer pontoon would be 1/8" aluminum, painted with epoxy and plastic coated styrofoam inserts inside the toon for safety.

 

[luckyjr]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

happy holidays

 

[93chevy]

Re: steel vs alum vs glass

Steel pontoons served us well for many years. We called it the african queen. We fiberglassed the bottoms and repaired them every year. It was old and slow but we enjoyed it. It was 1968 model, no seats, homemade console, 20 hp Johnson motor, rope start. We loved that old boat.