Aluminum boat undercoating?

[sutor623]

Hey guys,

Recently got a 1648 all-welded boat with a jet motor. I am looking to help protect the bottom of the hull from light abrasions. I am not interested in the weight, cost and holes in the hull that UHMW coating will add. This is a small river boat that I would like to keep as light as possible. It is a pull start motor, with a 3 gallon gas tank and small DC battery for lights etc.

So, that being said I was wondering about coat-it. It is an epoxy protector that helps with abrasion and to slide over rocks. This is a shallow, rocky river, but I do not expect to run on plane except for areas that I am comfortable with. We got hung up a few times and seemed to scratch the ribs up under the hull pretty good. I just want to do what I can to minimize hull damage, and also to help me slide through those tight rapids when I need to. Thanks!!

 

[Bondo]

We got hung up a few times and seemed to scratch the ribs up under the hull pretty good. I just want to do what I can to minimize hull damage, and also to help me slide through those tight rapids when I need to.

Ayuh,..... There is no magic coatin',.... Best bet is stay outa the rocks,.....

 

[sutor623]

Yea but thats hard to do when you are looking for these guys at night...........

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Good bragging!! But facts still facts, no coating will protect against rocks. Maybe you just need to do it the old fashion fishermen way, go fishing, come back, access the damage, fix, go fishing, repeat

 

[sutor623]

Good bragging!! But facts still facts, no coating will protect against rocks. Maybe you just need to do it the old fashion fishermen way, go fishing, come back, access the damage, fix, go fishing, repeat

Yea I think you are right! The irony is that with this jet boat you can run in much skinnier water when on plane, but then if you do hit something, it will be HARD. We can drift over about 8" of water and run on plane in about 5". We have hit far more rocks whilst moving slowly.

I just dont want to tear up this boat, it is really clean and has never been run in the river. I cant imaging buying a brand new $20,000 jet boat and smacking rocks in it at 30MPH!!!

 

[Woodonglass]

I'm NOT a Tin Boat Guy, I repeat NOT a Tin Boat guy but... You Might consider using a High Strength adhesive and gluing some 2x2 epoxy coated White Oak chines to the bottom of the boat. I'm thinking that could work. Something like 3M's 5200 product. But...I AM just and OldDumbOkie who's never owned a Tin Boat soooo. I might be totally off base!!!

 

[sutor623]

Wood,
Although that would work, they have a heavy uhmw plastic that they attach to the boats that works well. I don't know I have read really good things about coat-it from people that have used it on their tinnies in rocky rivers and it seems to help preserve the bottom quite well. You just have to touch up every year or so

 

[Woodonglass]

At best the coat-it would put down a protection layer the thickness of a Dime. IMHO that would easily be penetrated by a submerged rock.:noidea:

 

[g0nef1sshn]

What do the airboat guys use? Gator hide or something like that i think. Not sure about helping with ricks though??

Costly thing would be to add thicker aluminum on the bottom.

 

[gm280]

Hard to imagine anything that would survive hitting rocks. Rocks don't give. Anything that hits them has to take the give and damage. So I don't think there is anything you can do reasonable that would stop rock damage and gouges. And anything moving makes the damage that much worst. It is one of those mass times velocity issues.

Oh, by the way, those catfish pictures are nice. I can see why you want to continue fishing for them. :thumb:

 

[sutor623]

Yea or you could just get a double hulled full-on jet boat.

Airboat guys use very similar stuff. I have heard guys say that the undercoating has lasted them years, and others that have said one slide over a rock and it peels right off. I think it all has to do with prep and cure temperatures. At this point I have flipped the hull and already have the coat-it on the way, so it will be all trial and error at this point.

Here is the literature on it.

Coat-It is formulated with ceramic beads for abrasion resistance, graphite to give it slip or lubricity and Kevlar? fiber for extreme toughness. It's a superior, waterproof epoxy sealer that will protect your boat bottom or truck bed. Coat-It can be applied to aluminum, fiberglass and wood surfaces with ease.

? Easy to use ? just pour, stir and apply
? Tough ? reinforced with Kevlar fibers for superior strength
? Practical ? enables boats to glide smoothly over debris and rocks
? Fast drying ? sets and dries completely in 10-12 hours
? Waterproof
? Seals small leaks and splits in a single coat

 

[DeepBlue2010]

I started to wonder if you have the right type of vessel for your fishing style and body of water. What type hull you have, flat bottom, V, etc?

Just thinking out loud - and I could also be waaaay off base - I am wondering if adding a sacrificial layer of aluminum to the bottom filled with structural foam would help solving your problem. Something like this

 

[sutor623]

Hard to imagine anything that would survive hitting rocks. Rocks don't give. Anything that hits them has to take the give and damage. So I don't think there is anything you can do reasonable that would stop rock damage and gouges. And anything moving makes the damage that much worst. It is one of those mass times velocity issues.

Oh, by the way, those catfish pictures are nice. I can see why you want to continue fishing for them. :thumb:

Thanks GM. They are nice sized fish for flatties. Biggest was #24 and #25 in VA is citation. I enjoy this fishing a lot, but I REALLY enjoy fishing for the big blue cats farther down the James River. Only downside is the shallow river is 20mins from the house and I use 1 gallon of gas in the boat. The big river is 1:15 away, and pulling the big boat and gas in the big girl/ live eels/ food for the night etc. runs me in the $80-100 range. And its not really the money that gets me, its the time and effort to set up the big girl, then when I get home at 4am I still have to get up before the lil one the next morning and scrub the boat down. This welded jon has fixed all of those issues I just want to take all the reasonable precautions to protect her bottom side. Maybe as I learn that stretch of river I will do better.............

 

[sutor623]

I started to wonder if you have the right type of vessel for your fishing style and body of water. What type hull you have, flat bottom, V, etc?

Just thinking out loud - and I could also be waaaay off base - I am wondering if adding a sacrificial layer of aluminum to the bottom filled with structural foam would help solving your problem. Something like this

Thanks for the input. Technically I dont have the perfect vessel, but at least it is welded. Lots of guys down here cruising around in riveted boats.

I would be interested in adding a sacrificial layer of aluminum, but honestly at that point I would rather sell the rig and get something different. This is my all around boat. I will smallmouth fish, bass fish, crappie fish, catfish and run the shallow rivers for fun in it. I guess to be fair if I get a good couple years out of it it would be okay. These boats brand new are in the 3k range, plain jane, no trailer or motor.

This boat is .100 gauge aluminum, which is sufficient, but about the minimal that you would want on these waters. Some guys are running .190 gauge with that 1.4" poly plastic on the bottom and they are just running through rocky waters beating the heck out of their hulls, with little to no damage!!! But you are talking 8-10k for a used one, and upwards of 20k for brand new. No way would I spend that kind of money and feel comfortable running through these waters!!!

Ill have to make a video of me running upriver here soon and post it on here so you guys get an idea what type of water I am running with this girl!

 

[gm280]

Thanks GM. They are nice sized fish for flatties. Biggest was #24 and #25 in VA is citation. I enjoy this fishing a lot, but I REALLY enjoy fishing for the big blue cats farther down the James River. Only downside is the shallow river is 20mins from the house and I use 1 gallon of gas in the boat. The big river is 1:15 away, and pulling the big boat and gas in the big girl/ live eels/ food for the night etc. runs me in the $80-100 range. And its not really the money that gets me, its the time and effort to set up the big girl, then when I get home at 4am I still have to get up before the lil one the next morning and scrub the boat down. This welded jon has fixed all of those issues I just want to take all the reasonable precautions to protect her bottom side. Maybe as I learn that stretch of river I will do better.............

Sounds like a plan. Folks do learn to navigate rivers and lakes over time and most submerged things like rocks hardly ever move. As for the fish, Some times you have to do what you have to do to enjoy the catch. Just part of the fun.:thumb:

 

[sutor623]

Yea aint that the truth. I will tell ya, I have learned to appreciate the lake a TON more than I did before. Nice being able to cruise without white knuckle or a constipated look on your face. That river will really get ya. Shoot I ran onto a sand bar when I was breaking in my powerhead and my overheat alarm cut on. Boy was I singin a song. The things that we will do to get on these fish.

As for bluewater fisherman, dont even get me started. At least where I fish I dont have to worry about the salt!!!