Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I would like to underskin my toon but here on the Illinois River we are really infested with asian carp. Is there anything out there that would survive a beating from a BUNCH of 10 lbs fish? Aluminum is not going to survive. I've read recent posts about polycarbonate sheets and HDPE sheets, can they hold up to a beating? Anyone else overcome the asian carp attack?

Polycarbonate used in windshields is shatterproof and comes in a variety of thicknesses. I have no doubt it will handle a carp or twenty...trick is how you securely mount it.

Just thinking out loud here... True polycarbonate such as "LEXAN" while being very tough and shatter resistant is also fairly costly too; I used to work with it making custom motorcycle wind screens. the "plexy" stuff you find at the big box stores junk and I'd steer clear of it. With that being said I feel good about trying the HDPE that we have been talking about as it is the same stuff the plastic cutting boards are made of and is tuff stuff... I'm going to use 1/8" as it is cheap at 31.00 a sheet and I think it will be fine for my lake use. If your looking for more strength look at 3/16" or even 1/4" for underskinning that should handle beaching with a rock or two...

the carp might dent the aluminum, but i cannot imagine that they would ruin it, the underskinning on my toon is fairly thick

teecro.....can you post some pictures and let me know how it went when you install the HDPE? It looks like that might be my best option.........unless I try diamond plate.

mgarvie wrote:teecro.....can you post some pictures and let me know how it went when you install the HDPE? It looks like that might be my best option.........unless I try diamond plate.

Will do.... BTW Don't even look at the price of alum diamond plate unless your wallet is in another room in the house; that shit is scary....

DP used to run 450 a 4 x 8 sheet

In your situation I'd be more concerned about the carp destroying my front fencing than carp carp getting their brains bashed in on the cross members under the deck. Though I would admit it would be beneficial to protect both areas.

My son in law fishes Asian Carp in the Illinois River in Chicago for the DNR. In one weekend they can yank out over 5000 lbs. They are taken to a fishery in Fulton Illinois and ground up for fertilizer. We are seeing them in the upper Mississippi now, my pool is 14.
Here is what Brad (my son in law) wants me to mount on the front of the Premmie to ward off damage...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd-MpXCMcIs
I think regular aluminum underskinning would be fine to run underneath. I haven't heard of anyone damaging it.
And I agree with Bamby, they could cause major fencing damage. I recommend whats used in the video!

Starboard!!!
Won't rot will outlast your boat, , only thing you can do to tear it up is cut it, and you can mount it to the rails already under the boat.
Come's in white or black. If your on a dirty river black. . I use it all the time. Cut and mounted some last week in the potty room door where I could cut some holes for the speakers .. Will be doing the same in the front and in the battery compartment also. Using it for backing on the speakers so the siding won't rattle. Running two dimmers on the boat for the LED's outside and in, and building a cover for those when I get home out of it. I call it my fire and forget stuff. Love it.

LittleRiver wrote:Starboard!!!
Won't rot will outlast your boat, , only thing you can do to tear it up is cut it, and you can mount it to the rails already under the boat.
Come in white or black. If your on a dirty river black. .

Starboard is high priced HDPE material...

Yep, the carp took out two fence panels and one docking light. I switched all my panels to FRP sheets. They still get broken some times but they are cheap and easy to replace.

teecro wrote:

LittleRiver wrote:Starboard!!!
Won't rot will outlast your boat, , only thing you can do to tear it up is cut it, and you can mount it to the rails already under the boat.
Come in white or black. If your on a dirty river black. .

Starboard is high priced HDPE material...

So is getting married but 99% of men have to subject themselves to the lessons learned then most do it more than once.
Buy the stuff and be done with it..... ITS A SURE THING. ROFL.

LittleRiver wrote:

teecro wrote:

LittleRiver wrote:Starboard!!!
Won't rot will outlast your boat, , only thing you can do to tear it up is cut it, and you can mount it to the rails already under the boat.
Come in white or black. If your on a dirty river black. .

Starboard is high priced HDPE material...

So is getting married but 99% of men have to subject themselves to the lessons learned then most do it more than once.
Buy the stuff and be done with it..... ITS A SURE THING. ROFL.

Only if you have more money than sense would you use a product that due to thickness would add a lot of weight to a boat. Most people use nothing thicker than 1/16" alum with great results, .09" thick FRB, or 1/8" thick HDPE..... Why weight down without reason?

Bamby wrote:In your situation I'd be more concerned about the carp destroying my front fencing than carp carp getting their brains bashed in on the cross members under the deck. Though I would admit it would be beneficial to protect both areas.

this ^^^^

the underskinning on my rig is way stronger than my fencing.