Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

howdee . sorry about an old question being asked again but figured this would be a lot faster than readying thru all of the archives here for my answer..

in considering some of the options shared with me so far i need a little more info on under-skinning please.

i figure i should be able to save some money by buying an after market product or finding a suitable material .

what should i look for ? what gauge should the material be ?

one idea i have , but not sure about is using alum coil stock pvc coated (one side only) , install from side to side 2 foot sections , chalked before riveting or screwing to cross members which should add strength to the installed material . right this minute i don't remember the thickness of the coil stock but it is available in more than one thickness.

the material i plan to use is close to a 1/16 of an inch.

so whada ya think ?

Manufacturers run aluminum sheeting lengthwise, not sideways. It'd be lengthwise for me.

They often use a brake and put an angle on each side of the sheeting where it meets the toons.

Some put the underskin on with rivets and short stainless steel screws can be used.

No manufactuers seal the underskinning, as there needs to be a way for the water to drain out.

I'll yield to others that are familiar with the sheeting weights--what thickness is best.

Try this to answer most of you questions.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13748&p=108036&hili ... ct#p108036

" i don't remember the thickness of the coil stock but it is available in more than one thickness.
the material i plan to use is close to a 1/16 of an inch."

1/16" may be too thin, it will flex, there is some major disturbed water that flows under your boat at higher speeds.

underskin on my list of projects for this spring, I was looking at industrial FRP, the stuff they use on the walls of car wash stalls, but I found some Reynobond panels at a scrap yard. It's an aluminum clad plastic composite made by Alcoa, it's light, ridged, and in 4 x 6 sheets, so I'll probably install it sideways (log to log) with stainless zip screws....or rivets, I haven't decided that yet.

Bamaman wrote:Manufacturers run aluminum sheeting lengthwise, not sideways. It'd be lengthwise for me.

They often use a brake and put an angle on each side of the sheeting where it meets the toons.

Some put the underskin on with rivets and short stainless steel screws can be used.

No manufactuers seal the underskinning, as there needs to be a way for the water to drain out.

I'll yield to others that are familiar with the sheeting weights--what thickness is best.

thanks for your input , which it leads me to give more details in my thought process.

yes the coil might be to thin however speed is not going to be a problem at this time , if i am going 10 mph i really have it in the wind .
the coil stock is only 2 foot wide, 50 foot long and i think running it length wise would be the weakest and hardest install because yes it could flex much more . i think that by going side to side i will be securing more of the material at a time with the fasteners of chose as well as the chalk . as far as drainage i am not expecting to get a water tite seal and with the way my boat sits in the water (it seems to be rear heavy to the extreme) it should drain. also installing from back to front the lap will help shield against water getting threw the skin.

i have a metal brake so putting a bend in the material is no issue at all, i simply need to see pics of what i will be trying to duplicate. after 22+yrs of using this thing to make a living there is nothing i cant do with metal . (how much is bent down at the toons) what would you recommend ?

i highly respect all input and replies given to my post here and hope to get more input or ideas , experience and other opinions helps in making a quality decision and then i can execute a well thought out plan of action .

hey if money were no issue i would just have someone else do it for me.

if you have read any other post i have made here , you would know lol i cant seem to make up my mind.

i could just dump this boat and go get the avalon i love .

so in a since i have 2 projects to pursue .

fix what i have for the knowledge of it all, and later give to the kids

set a goal for the new boat

My toon has an earlier version of underskinning. It's basically 1-2' sections that slightly overlap. While I think newer versions of long sections is superior, something like mine may be easier to do as an aftermarket install.

"if i am going 10 mph i really have it in the wind"

My only thought is that if your top speed is 10mph why bother.

If you're out in wind that's going to produce any significant whitecaps or swells you'll probably be going backwards at full throttle anyway, and don't forget you'll be adding weight which will slow you down even more...

RonKMiller wrote:"if i am going 10 mph i really have it in the wind"

My only thought is that if your top speed is 10mph why bother.

If you're out in wind that's going to produce any significant whitecaps or swells you'll probably be going backwards at full throttle anyway, and don't forget you'll be adding weight which will slow you down even more...

lol i am not completely sure about my speed but it isnt very much . i ned to work on the motor some . i havent ask that question yet.

when ever possible i like to try and do it myself .recon i need to start another post on that one .

but to answer your question the poor ol boat needs all the help it can get . i may be adding a 3rd toon to help out as well and may go bigger on the motor if i can find a good but