Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

My boat (1994 Sun Tracker Party Cruiser) has a bit of delamination of the outer vinyl from the cheesy particleboard/foam outer side panels on the cabin. This photo shows it "bubbling" (but was before the resto done a year & 1/2 ago, the rest of the boat looks better. Sorry, I don't have a more recent full-side pic.)

Replacing all the cabin panels would be a super major job, pretty much out of the question since I don't have a barn bigenough to do the work in. Also, the roof molding is welded together, it's one big unit & I'd need an overhead lifting device. The "bubbling" is mostly cosmetic, but in some spots the particleboard underneath the outer vinyl skin is coming apart. As of now, it is nothing structural. The outer vinyl is 20 yrs old & brittle. Asian carp often hit the sides of the cabin & have put small holes/cracks in the outer vinyl skin. I have covered these holes with stickers to keep water out, but I'm fighting a losing battle.

I believe that I can "wallpaper" over the cabin sides to waterproof it & upgrade the asthetic appearance of the boat to be commensurate with the rest of the boat. (Since this photo the boat has had everything in front of the cabin redone: new carpet, all furniture reupholstered, all body panels repainted, blah, blah) I've determined that I can "wallpaper" over the outer upper skin of the cabin by gluing on thin plastic sheeting. (All windows will need to be removed & re-installed, the top of the new sheeting can be tucked under the roof molding, etc. Big job, but I want it to look professional)

The plastic sheeting which will meet the requirements for the job costs around $150 for a 4'x8' sheet. A friend suggested that I could do the job with aluminum, which for .032 2024 T3 (aircraft grade) would cost about the same, while also being easier to work with. Not to mention being sturdier than plastic.

My question to everyone is, would the boat look weird, gaudy or just "not right" with the cabin portion (above the body/fence) being shiny, bright, polished aluminum? Kinda like an old AirStream trailer except without rounded edges. I don't want my boat to look like I a chrome shop owner owed me a bunch of $ & I took it out in work. Lightly buffing the skin every couple of years with flour to keep it bright is not an issue, but it will be bright & shiny, perhaps blinding other boaters with the glare on sunny days. Painting the aluminum will cost more than the skin & is tricky if done properly. I've already got $35,000 in a $20,000 boat so I don't want to put too much more into it, but I want it to be 1st rate whichever way I go.

Opinions? Should I cover the outer walls of the cabin in bright, shiny aluminum skin? Would that look "wrong" or "Gaudy?" I'm on the fence, please give opinions. (I probably won't do it until next year, unless the river stays high this year. My marina is flooded right now & we've been getting more rain.)

Hope the picture fits

If the material is structural sound you are applying over I might be more inclined to look at something like Rhino liner in a pretty color or beige. Should be more forgiving with the flying carp issue. I know the shinny material would be to bright for my taste.
http://liners.rhinolinings.com/en/p/products
That Tracker Maroon could look pretty sharp!

Bare aluminum is too shiny, and not really structurally sound in flat panels. It also dents too easily and oxidizes.

You might check into the smooth panels they use on the premium fifth wheel trailers. See:

http://www.factoryrvsurplus.com/product ... ct_id=2122

When in doubt, go to the recreational vehicle market.

Thanks for the lead on http://www.factoryrvsurplus.com Bamaman, but that doesn't seem like a product which would be right for the job. The "protective" layer isn't something I trust to last. Pretty much, once applied (glued) to the existing skin, whatever it is needs to last a long time.

I'm leaning towards aluminum being too bright myself, but I'm not sure yet. I'm not much worried about oxidization on 2024 T3 since it's an AlClad (a sandwich type of metal with the alloyed alunimun inside), the outer layers are 1100 aluminum which is close to pure. Pure aluminum is very slow to oxidize. Once buffed to a high (bright) sheen, it takes years to dull. I know this because I've seen/worked on a lot of aircraft that were unpainted & they held up fine being tied down out in the elements. It only takes a bit of buffing with flour to make it shiny again, and the finish will last for years, longer if sealed/waxed.

Still wanting opinions. So far I count 2 against, although 3 of my friends favored it & 7 were indifferent. Still not sure, but leaning slightly against shiny. Need more opinions.

Imo the shiny walls will be no different from folks with polished tubes, only on a bigger scale... Painting aluminum is no big deal if you use the right products... My father in law painted a ton of stuff on my toon including the rub rails and they have held up great and you know what kind of abuse they take.