aluminum Flat boat question

I am interested in taking a 14' jon and adding a 2' tunnel turning this flat bottom into an aluminum cat? any recommendation?

 

I would like to turn a 14x4 jon to a 14x6 by adding a 2' tunnel through the bottom of the boat. this would turn the 14' jon into a 14' aluminum scooter cat. i would add a diamond plate deck and fill the cavity with foam and then raise the center console by a 12 to 18". please give any recommendations, pros and cons and help.

 

cat or vented tunnel

What will you be using the boat for? The cat will not float as shallow as tunnel. You need as much bottom surface as possible. attached is the boat I am building now. Almost fenished.

 

I was thinking that a scooter cat would be more buoyant than a flat bottom due to its catamaran style and the fact that we made it wider from 4' wide to 6' wide. I'm not sure what is meant by a vented tunnel but the idea was to run the tunnel from the engine all the way to the bow. End goal is to get in and out of the spoil banks / flats without any problem.

 

Google vented tunnel. and learn about them. also There is a web site that you can figure boat draft. putting foam inside your boat does not help flotation.

 

dont know if the picture uploaded but this is the goal or what is what i am looking to do with my 14' jon flat bottom

 

Good thread I have thought of a tunnel boat as well but only for speed. I was told that a lot of tunnel boats are square shaped when a round tunnel is better for less cavitation but I'm only wanting to go fast. I plan now to build my boat next winter. I've studied a lot of pictures and the way some lay there boat out and this is mainly the mudboat guys but they have some dam good ideas.


ibredfishin do you have some pictures of how you have fit up some of these boats? I have seen two way one was the person cut the bottom plate and cut the sides to follow the curvature of the bottom plate already cut and another well did this which i can only really show you. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...26582.94038245.286229128058294&type=3&theater

Do you do it this way? This guy basically takes a full sheet brakes the sides and cuts what is the bottom plate of the boat and pulls the sides in to where he wants them.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.312735942074279.95955.286229128058294&type=3

 

is there a big difference between marine grade aluminum and regular aluminum sheets. if we use regular aluminum and and primer it and paint it would it make it as resistant as the marine grade aluminum

 

I just know that 5052 and 5086 is considered marine grade aluminums and there is another number i think it is maybe 5083 but most I have heard of people using is 5086 and 5052. What other regular grade aluminum do you mean?

I know that 5052 bends a lot easier then say 5086 but I believe 5086 actually welds better then 5052 but it doesn't maybe bend as easily as 5052.
I wouldn't skimp on the aluminum when it comes to building a boat. It's been over a year now and I still haven't built mine yet but I must say I have learned a ton from reading online and I'm glad i have because i would have already made some real costly mistake if I had jumped into it.

 

use marine grade --unless you want to repeat the faulty alum plate 5083-h321)fiasco of 10 years ago

 

thanks for the info... we just bought a 16' jon... now need to buy the aluminum so when we cut the boat do the middle length wise, we can add the 2 1/2 foot tunnel down the middle and add a deck to the top turning it into a scooter. thanks for the info. will post pictures here soon.

 

Your boat will be less buoyant, cats and tunnel hulls weight more than a more typical hull. The low cost flat bottom boat you just purchased is as buoyant as you can get, anything you do to it will make less so.

 

possibilities

I am really fascinated and extremely interested in these aluminum boats. I would compare my interest with these boats as much as i love to fish... does anybody believe there might be a business in these small aluminum skiffs... the skooter.... the little 1 or 2 man poling skiff or small 15' or 17' fly fishing skiffs used down in the Florida keys. Obviously they creating these boats out of composite or fiberglass but is there a business in creating these small boats out of aluminum. Thanks for any input a head of time.


Any bad day on the water beats any good day at work!!!

 

anyone one still on this post?

finished my 15' aluminum skooter... bout to start my 16' aluminum poling skiff... would really like some recommendations and advice

 

ibredfishin
how are you liking your poling skiff? any advice... how big of an an outboard did you put? did you add any paint or bed liner paint to the skiff?