Soon, I will be replacing a floor in a 1995 Alumacraft V-14 that I purchased a few months ago. The previous owner had a carpeted/plywood floor installed, but it had seen better days. Underneath the floor, the previous owner did a fairly good job of riveting aluminum angle to the ribs to create a well supported flat surface for the floor.
Anyway, my first thought was to buy some new plywood and use the old floor as a template. However, I just called a local metal fabricator, and he said that I could get 1/8" aluminum for $150 per sheet. I think he means 4'x8', but I'm not sure. Also, his rate is $50 per hour for fabrication, and he sort of implied that it would probably take him about an hour to cut the aluminum to fit.
Would I be better off going the plywood route, or should I consider dropping in a 0.125" aluminum floor instead? What are the pros and cons of each?
Thank you.
Anyway, my first thought was to buy some new plywood and use the old floor as a template. However, I just called a local metal fabricator, and he said that I could get 1/8" aluminum for $150 per sheet. I think he means 4'x8', but I'm not sure. Also, his rate is $50 per hour for fabrication, and he sort of implied that it would probably take him about an hour to cut the aluminum to fit.
Would I be better off going the plywood route, or should I consider dropping in a 0.125" aluminum floor instead? What are the pros and cons of each?
Thank you.
