Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Sorry to keep bugging y'all, but what kind of aluminum is needed? Would 6063 work, or is 6061 needed? I found .125 in the 6063 but only .25 in 6061. Would the 6063 be soft? I think it was t-53 while the 6061 is t-6.

Thanks,

David

You're over thinking it. I used .063 "whatever". I didn't even ask what grade it was so I'm assuming it was the lowest they had. Never a problem. The weld is what you should be concerned about.

Yep, my Manitou's were .063, also. I looked at them and cussed when I cut my finger on them when polishing the toons. Not sure what my Premmies are, they are capped at the rear and have drain plugs in them. The bend will strengthen them, you'll be fine with .063
The Mannies were just spot welded every 16" or so. The welds were maybe an inch long.

Yeah over kill on the thickness. Really dive in and do research in to the weld process more is not better and will lead to warped and stressed metals.

My strakes are 3003 and they are .125 thick. I bought what I could get ahold of locally. All of my other aluminum used in my rebuild is 6063. In my case I was working on a 1983 pontoon so any grade was probably much better than what it was made out of l.o.l.

I guess I am over thinking it a bit. I was just going off of what the metal supply had in angle. Guess I can tell him .063 in the cheapest they have. What angle should I get it bent at for best overall performance? I've seen some come off angled up, some down, and some straight across. Probably over thinking it again

David

Good info in this thread...

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=20474

I'd use 3003 or 5052, either are cheaper AND easier to form tight radius bends without cracking. I did my own with a Hobart 190/spoolgun setup and 4043 wire. Anything over .090 should be fine, I used .125 and its OVERKILL but that's all my local suppler stocked.