On 7/14/2015 1:14 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:41:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 11:50 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 7/14/15 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 11:05:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:




Thankfully the ones encountered on the ICW from the Carolinas' downward
are nice soft sand. Don't ask how I know. There's one place though
... called "the Rock Pile" ... where you have to be very careful. When
we went through heading south there was a beautiful 50 something foot
Sportsfish up on the bank with a huge hole in it's hull.

That is true until you get to the keys. Then you start seeing those
coral heads that may be a couple feet underwater. They will do a job
on shafts struts and wheels.
Up in Alaska it seems everything is rock of some kind. Tin boats and
jet drives are very popular.


I've often wondered how much bottom abuse those alum boats can take.


I doubt they can take much. Hull is pretty thin. I think the idea is
that they are much easier to repair than an inch thick fiberglass hull.


Nope, they dent instead of cracking. (according to the guys who have
them) That is particularly true in cold water.
I have banged my pontoons pretty hard too. I just have a few dents to
show for it. Mine are 0.10 with 0.125 on the nose cone.
They just laugh at oysters.



Think aluminum would do as well on rocks or a coral reef? I don't
know. Of course fiberglass doesn't do well either.

"Mr. Luddite" wrote:
On 7/14/2015 1:14 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:41:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 11:50 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 7/14/15 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 11:05:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:




Thankfully the ones encountered on the ICW from the Carolinas' downward
are nice soft sand. Don't ask how I know. There's one place though
... called "the Rock Pile" ... where you have to be very careful. When
we went through heading south there was a beautiful 50 something foot
Sportsfish up on the bank with a huge hole in it's hull.

That is true until you get to the keys. Then you start seeing those
coral heads that may be a couple feet underwater. They will do a job
on shafts struts and wheels.
Up in Alaska it seems everything is rock of some kind. Tin boats and
jet drives are very popular.


I've often wondered how much bottom abuse those alum boats can take.


I doubt they can take much. Hull is pretty thin. I think the idea is
that they are much easier to repair than an inch thick fiberglass hull.


Nope, they dent instead of cracking. (according to the guys who have
them) That is particularly true in cold water.
I have banged my pontoons pretty hard too. I just have a few dents to
show for it. Mine are 0.10 with 0.125 on the nose cone.
They just laugh at oysters.



Think aluminum would do as well on rocks or a coral reef? I don't know.
Of course fiberglass doesn't do well either.

Aluminum will rip open, but handles rounded object strikes a lot better
than fiberglass. May bend, and not be a very functional boat afterwards,
but will keep the water outside better.

On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:31:04 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 1:14 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:41:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 11:50 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 7/14/15 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 11:05:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:




Thankfully the ones encountered on the ICW from the Carolinas' downward
are nice soft sand. Don't ask how I know. There's one place though
... called "the Rock Pile" ... where you have to be very careful. When
we went through heading south there was a beautiful 50 something foot
Sportsfish up on the bank with a huge hole in it's hull.

That is true until you get to the keys. Then you start seeing those
coral heads that may be a couple feet underwater. They will do a job
on shafts struts and wheels.
Up in Alaska it seems everything is rock of some kind. Tin boats and
jet drives are very popular.


I've often wondered how much bottom abuse those alum boats can take.


I doubt they can take much. Hull is pretty thin. I think the idea is
that they are much easier to repair than an inch thick fiberglass hull.


Nope, they dent instead of cracking. (according to the guys who have
them) That is particularly true in cold water.
I have banged my pontoons pretty hard too. I just have a few dents to
show for it. Mine are 0.10 with 0.125 on the nose cone.
They just laugh at oysters.



Think aluminum would do as well on rocks or a coral reef? I don't
know. Of course fiberglass doesn't do well either.


===

Aluminum definitley does better in what I would call "blunt force
trauma" because it bends but does not shatter and splinter the way
fiberglass does. It can also be pounded back out with fairly low
effort and can be made to look like new when faired and painted. I
used to race on a 50 ft aluminum sloop back in the mid 90s that was in
a major collision and sustained a very large dent. It took less than
a week to do the repair and it was impossible to tell where the damage
had been.

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:31:04 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 1:14 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:41:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 11:50 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 7/14/15 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 11:05:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:



Thankfully the ones encountered on the ICW from the Carolinas' downward
are nice soft sand. Don't ask how I know. There's one place though
... called "the Rock Pile" ... where you have to be very careful. When
we went through heading south there was a beautiful 50 something foot
Sportsfish up on the bank with a huge hole in it's hull.
That is true until you get to the keys. Then you start seeing those
coral heads that may be a couple feet underwater. They will do a job
on shafts struts and wheels.
Up in Alaska it seems everything is rock of some kind. Tin boats and
jet drives are very popular.

I've often wondered how much bottom abuse those alum boats can take.

I doubt they can take much. Hull is pretty thin. I think the idea is
that they are much easier to repair than an inch thick fiberglass hull.

Nope, they dent instead of cracking. (according to the guys who have
them) That is particularly true in cold water.
I have banged my pontoons pretty hard too. I just have a few dents to
show for it. Mine are 0.10 with 0.125 on the nose cone.
They just laugh at oysters.


Think aluminum would do as well on rocks or a coral reef? I don't
know. Of course fiberglass doesn't do well either.

===

Aluminum definitley does better in what I would call "blunt force
trauma" because it bends but does not shatter and splinter the way
fiberglass does. It can also be pounded back out with fairly low
effort and can be made to look like new when faired and painted. I
used to race on a 50 ft aluminum sloop back in the mid 90s that was in
a major collision and sustained a very large dent. It took less than
a week to do the repair and it was impossible to tell where the damage
had been.

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.


Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.

On 7/15/2015 7:45 PM, Alex wrote:
Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:31:04 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 1:14 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:41:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 11:50 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 7/14/15 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 11:05:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"

wrote:



Thankfully the ones encountered on the ICW from the Carolinas'
downward
are nice soft sand. Don't ask how I know. There's one place
though
... called "the Rock Pile" ... where you have to be very
careful. When
we went through heading south there was a beautiful 50 something
foot
Sportsfish up on the bank with a huge hole in it's hull.
That is true until you get to the keys. Then you start seeing those
coral heads that may be a couple feet underwater. They will do a job
on shafts struts and wheels.
Up in Alaska it seems everything is rock of some kind. Tin boats and
jet drives are very popular.

I've often wondered how much bottom abuse those alum boats can take.

I doubt they can take much. Hull is pretty thin. I think the idea is
that they are much easier to repair than an inch thick fiberglass
hull.

Nope, they dent instead of cracking. (according to the guys who have
them) That is particularly true in cold water.
I have banged my pontoons pretty hard too. I just have a few dents to
show for it. Mine are 0.10 with 0.125 on the nose cone.
They just laugh at oysters.


Think aluminum would do as well on rocks or a coral reef? I don't
know. Of course fiberglass doesn't do well either.

===

Aluminum definitley does better in what I would call "blunt force
trauma" because it bends but does not shatter and splinter the way
fiberglass does. It can also be pounded back out with fairly low
effort and can be made to look like new when faired and painted. I
used to race on a 50 ft aluminum sloop back in the mid 90s that was in
a major collision and sustained a very large dent. It took less than
a week to do the repair and it was impossible to tell where the damage
had been.

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.


Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.


Well, you can always use "Flexseal" as seen on TV. :-)

On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:45:21 -0400, Alex wrote:

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.


Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.

===

I'm having trouble understanding your assertion about aluminum welds.
Aluminum boats are welded at the factory during their original
construction and are very strong and durable. A properly performed
repair weld will be just as good as the originals.

Were you referring to the skill level required to do a proper weld?

Mr. Luddite wrote:
On 7/15/2015 7:45 PM, Alex wrote:
Wayne.B wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 18:31:04 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 7/14/2015 1:14 PM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 12:41:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"

wrote:

On 7/14/2015 11:50 AM, Keyser Söze wrote:
On 7/14/15 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 14 Jul 2015 11:05:38 -0400, "Mr. Luddite"

wrote:



Thankfully the ones encountered on the ICW from the Carolinas'
downward
are nice soft sand. Don't ask how I know. There's one place
though
... called "the Rock Pile" ... where you have to be very
careful. When
we went through heading south there was a beautiful 50 something
foot
Sportsfish up on the bank with a huge hole in it's hull.
That is true until you get to the keys. Then you start seeing
those
coral heads that may be a couple feet underwater. They will do
a job
on shafts struts and wheels.
Up in Alaska it seems everything is rock of some kind. Tin
boats and
jet drives are very popular.

I've often wondered how much bottom abuse those alum boats can
take.

I doubt they can take much. Hull is pretty thin. I think the
idea is
that they are much easier to repair than an inch thick fiberglass
hull.

Nope, they dent instead of cracking. (according to the guys who have
them) That is particularly true in cold water.
I have banged my pontoons pretty hard too. I just have a few dents to
show for it. Mine are 0.10 with 0.125 on the nose cone.
They just laugh at oysters.


Think aluminum would do as well on rocks or a coral reef? I don't
know. Of course fiberglass doesn't do well either.

===

Aluminum definitley does better in what I would call "blunt force
trauma" because it bends but does not shatter and splinter the way
fiberglass does. It can also be pounded back out with fairly low
effort and can be made to look like new when faired and painted. I
used to race on a 50 ft aluminum sloop back in the mid 90s that was in
a major collision and sustained a very large dent. It took less than
a week to do the repair and it was impossible to tell where the damage
had been.

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.


Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.


Well, you can always use "Flexseal" as seen on TV. :-)


Sure. Repair it with some ordinary window screen and spray it on!

Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:45:21 -0400, Alex wrote:

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.

Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.
===

I'm having trouble understanding your assertion about aluminum welds.
Aluminum boats are welded at the factory during their original
construction and are very strong and durable. A properly performed
repair weld will be just as good as the originals.

Were you referring to the skill level required to do a proper weld?

Aluminum welded products will fail at the weld under stress. Welded
aluminum is about 50% weaker than unwelded aluminum. Skill has a lot to
do with it and my info is from a highly skilled welder specializing in
aluminum.

Alex wrote:
Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:45:21 -0400, Alex wrote:

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.

Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.
===

I'm having trouble understanding your assertion about aluminum welds.
Aluminum boats are welded at the factory during their original
construction and are very strong and durable. A properly performed
repair weld will be just as good as the originals.

Were you referring to the skill level required to do a proper weld?

Aluminum welded products will fail at the weld under stress. Welded
aluminum is about 50% weaker than unwelded aluminum. Skill has a lot to
do with it and my info is from a highly skilled welder specializing in aluminum.

I figure the welds are closer to 75-80%+ not 50%. Look at
roguejetboats.com or precisionweldboats.com he they may have build
pictures. Look for Bentz boats. They build most of the CG certified jet
tour boats in the US. Lots of bracing inside the hull. The boats I know
with huge damage, some that sunk, did not sink from broken welds. Ripped
open on sharp rocks or a strike in the intake or edge of transom area
ripping large leaks in the bottom.

In article ,
says...

Wayne.B wrote:
On Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:45:21 -0400, Alex wrote:

Rocks and coral reefs are problematic because of the sharp edges that
can slice open aluminum but usually with less overall damage than
fiberglass, and much easier to repair.

Aluminum welds are not very forgiving so the repairs will never be as
good as the original.
===

I'm having trouble understanding your assertion about aluminum welds.
Aluminum boats are welded at the factory during their original
construction and are very strong and durable. A properly performed
repair weld will be just as good as the originals.

Were you referring to the skill level required to do a proper weld?

Aluminum welded products will fail at the weld under stress. Welded
aluminum is about 50% weaker than unwelded aluminum. Skill has a lot to
do with it and my info is from a highly skilled welder specializing in
aluminum.

This is commonly handled by designing a heavier weld structure, so it
can't be seen as a disadvantage - unless you just don't like aluminum.
http://www.kastenmarine.com/alumVSsteel.htm