# DIY Aluminum Skiff Advice



## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

I've been wanting to fish more tidal creeks with oyster bars and places with rocks like the Homosassa backcountry to expand my fishing territory. However I don't like the sound fiberglass makes rubbing or dragging across oysters and/or rocks and won't go there in my fiberglass boat. In looking at all the aluminum boats currently offered they all tend to be "slappy" and since fish don't like the sound of that I'm pondering building my own "no slap" aluminum skiff.

Plus there is also some novelty to this because the first post high school job I ever had was a tacker in an aluminum shipyard. (Breaux's Bay Craft) I moved up to fitter and built a 40' hull from scratch. This pic brings back memories of that time, although we didn't build from the deck up like these guys are doing. We bolted the keel to steel posts, hung the bulkheads from the keel, then leveled and supported them on steel posts. Fitting and rolling all that T-bar for ribs between bulkheads was the real PIA. Plating was kinda fun. Put on a transom, unbolt it from the steel supports, flip it upright, roll that hull out, do it again....


So far my research has me thinking of this design as the best candidate, but wider and a 2 degree dead rise at the transom so I can have reverse chines and still spin it in the mud without hanging.




I thought it was interesting how these guys utilized an external jig to fit-up the boat right side up.

http://metalboatkits.com/?product=16-foot-skiff

But I also noticed the benefits of just using the bulkheads to bring it all together like this guy did.

http://www.microskiff.com/threads/aluminum-skiff-scratch-build.17385/

I'll probably be reaching out to Brian about the Ultralight, and my old Cajun friends for advice. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## KnotHome (Jul 21, 2009)

I've worked on a couple of Breaux's crew boats. They were solid!
I don't like aluminum boats for fishing. If it doesn't make noise from the outside, you can bet it will from the smallest things falling inside. Why not just get a plywood mullet skiff?


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

KnotHome said:


> Why not just get a plywood mullet skiff?


Makes people think you're an outlaw.....but honestly that's not a bad idea...may even make sense to build a prototype from luan plywood before spending $2k on just the aluminum welding equipment. There's so much stuff out there....







http://pureflorida.blogspot.com/2009/10/form-follows-function-bird-dog-clam.html

http://spirainternational.com/hp_chal.php


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

You can help deaden the sound from the cockpit of an aluminum boat by putting carpet down or similar. And you probably need to do that anyway as an aluminum boat gets very hot to the touch in the sun. My duck skiff is aluminum and I have to be careful fishing it in the summer.....no barefeet!

Now as to hull slap that is definately and issue. But I don't think its as big a deal as you might think. Reason being is that the purpose of this boat is to get ultra skinny. There is much less wave action when you get that skinny so you are likely to be well withing sight and casting distance of a fish before that becomes a problem. My thoughts would be to just find a hull. Fit it with a poling and casting platform and give it a go. That way you have a minimal investment. If you find you use and like this approach but are still not happy with the hull slap then it should be easy to sell that skiff and then go build yourself one. Plus you'll have a better idea of just what you need.

In any event good luck. Fun project!!


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Now this is what I call a Captains Chair...binnacle in the right armrest, hydraulic steering in the left.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Might also be called the ejection seat if you run aground 
Probably won't be an issue as you should be able to see the bottom from that chair under normal water quality. Having said that yesterday's water quality was terrible, maybe 2 inches at best in most spots.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Wonder if you could deaden the sound by spraying the inside of the hull with linex or some sort of rubberized coating.


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## CurtisWright (May 9, 2012)

It will be cheaper and easier to just run you glass skiff for 10 years in the oysters making minor repairs in the high wear areas then take it to a boat yard and pay them to re-gel coat the bottom.

A plywood boat is covered with glass/ epoxy so the wear and tear will be the same.


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## Parkerskimmer (Aug 21, 2015)

MariettaMike said:


> Now this is what I call a Captains Chair...binnacle in the right armrest, hydraulic steering in the left.


That's some rig he's got there, seems like a lil much just for bully netting


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Tuff coat is the product I was thinking of. It is a roll on rubberized non skid coating. It is advertised to deaden noise.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

try a wooden well boat / mullet skiff
quiet / light / minimal HP / very shallow capability
jump on plane in an instant!


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## Matts (Sep 2, 2015)

I have an aluminum Jon boat set up for ducks and poling and it's great for what you describe but with the square bow, hull slap happens..... For the internal noise, I had Boatright Marine place a rubberized particulate floor and it's perfect other than gasoline will dissolve it slowly over time. Mines 12-13 years old and fine. Will have to go with one like Brian's if you really want to pole. I know it's a bad thing to say but......... I still like to wade a fair bit


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Mike, a while back I gave some advise for an aluminum boat owner who want to operate his boat around Yankeetown where there is a lot of oysters. It's near the Chaz!

http://www.microskiff.com/threads/micro-skiff-for-yankeetown.32494/page-2

Personally, if I were building up a skiff (which I am starting one soon and will do the same), I would go with a glass hull but use at least vinylester or epoxy resins (gelcoat mixed with the same resins), line the inside bottom 1st with Kevlar and a 1ft wide strip of Kevlar 1708 along the keel and the chines and about 3-6" up the freeboard, all before you start laying up 1708 and/or 1808 glass layers. So maybe a 1708, then a 1808, then at lease 1/2" core on the bottom and then another 1708. Make sure you install a tight grid system in with your stringers and have the floor epoxy bonded and tabbed in solid! I'd even foam fill all the cavities with at least 4lb foam and then seal them completely with glass, before you install the floor. That way, the hull bottom will be solid and not flex at all!

So then if I knew I would be running oysters, I would flip the hull over, tape off what you would bottom paint the bottom of the hull with. Next, sand the gelcoat on the entire hull bottom where you taped it off. Run 1ft wide heavy bi-axle1708 kevlar strips down the keel and chines and lay it in with epoxy. Then apply about 4-6 coats of epoxy on the strips and over the whole hull bottom. Let cure completely. then either have the bottom sprayed with Rhino Liner or Line-X with the smooth finish! Finally, I would apply several coats of Frog Spit to that and you will be in bidness! Your hull will be slightly heavier than a normal skiff, but you should be able to jump oyster bars after all that! LOL

What's the benefit to all this? No crazy aluminum hull slap or noise and fairly easy to repair if needed. Yes the bottom will look ugly but it will be bullet proof, literally!  And, you can still use the boat as your regular microskiff!


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## scissorhands (Apr 8, 2012)

I've been on the water in the ultralights boat works skiff. Blittle ended up using safe floor for the cockpit area. Boat is pretty quiet and no hull slap.


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## Guest (Jan 10, 2016)

KnotHome said:


> I've worked on a couple of Breaux's crew boats. They were solid!
> I don't like aluminum boats for fishing. If it doesn't make noise from the outside, you can bet it will from the smallest things falling inside. Why not just get a plywood mullet skiff?


You worked on one the Breaux crew boats? I was on a few Harvey Gulf's crew boats for a while. Ended up on the War Horse until the last round of lay offs. Still working offshore? If so, is the industry turning around yet?


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## KnotHome (Jul 21, 2009)

Buttpirate said:


> You worked on one the Breaux crew boats? I was on a few Harvey Gulf's crew boats for a while. Ended up on the War Horse until the last round of lay offs. Still working offshore? If so, is the industry turning around yet?


Yeah, I work for Chouest in the Loop field. Industry looks rough as ever. Unfortunately, there aren't any signs of it turning any time soon.


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