custom jon boat

[chodedawg]

hello, can anyone tell me the least expensive way to water proof 2x4's for a jon boat project? i would like to mount a sub floor in this boat. everyone i talk to say's use fiberglass to protect the wood. any comments?

[ted655]

Their are Borax-antifreeze formulas on the internet. Their is a prepared cocktail for sale (look under "termite wood protection") BUT.. after you weigh it all out, then just buy ACU treated lumber at HD or Lowes. (get the RIGHT screws designed for treated wood).

[ted655]

I second that. Borate will leach out under continual contact with water.
Get the proper screws!

[marshmat]

By the time you add up the cost of paint-on rotproofers, your best bet is probably good modern pressure-treated. But you do need the pressure-treated-lumber screws; the copper based compounds that make the wood rot resistant also make it very corrosive to conventional and stainless steels. (A conventional galvanized screw lasts about 6-9 months in a pressure treated board, a stainless steel one rarely more than a year.)

[SamSam]

If your jonboat is aluminum, and I assume it is as this is the metal boats forum, pressure treated wood will also eat the boat up.

[ted655]

Originally Posted by SamSam

If your jonboat is aluminum, and I assume it is as this is the metal boats forum, pressure treated wood will also eat the boat up.

Yes Sam Sam! What an idiot I am not to remember that. ACQ eats aluminium like candy.
Y'm thinking the olastic deck lumber woulc be an alternative.