Aluminum boat wooden seats

[Mranderson22]

Hey guys,
I picked up a little 12 foot aluminum boat a little while back and it's in need of some new wooden seats. I've never owned a boat like this and I don't have much experience with wood. What would be a suitable wood to replace them with? Any past experience or advice would be appreciated
Thanks

[dodgeboy1979]

Cedar is always good, it doesn't rot easy, or use pressure treated

[Big Bull]

Originally Posted by dodgeboy1979

Cedar is always good, it doesn't rot easy, or use pressure treated

Cedar would be best, and then treat it with some expoxy and or varnish. Plywood does not do well on boats.

[Mranderson22]

I'll look into cedar. Is there another material that is also a good option so I can do a comparison? I'll definitely be varnishing and possibly staining it as I would like it to look decently nice

[The Fisherman Guy]

If you want to be really fancy, Teak is a hardwood used on yachts. It does come with a yacht price tag though.

Cedar is your best bet. It is pretty soft however, something to keep in mind when you are designing.

[boonedocks]

Originally Posted by dodgeboy1979

Cedar is always good, it doesn't rot easy, or use pressure treated

Pressure treated wood and aluminum do not mix well.

[Mranderson22]

Originally Posted by boonedocks

Pressure treated wood and aluminum do not mix well.

Just read that actually haha. If I were to go with a plywood type of material what would you guys recommend?

[Big Bull]

Originally Posted by Mranderson22

Just read that actually haha. If I were to go with a plywood type of material what would you guys recommend?

You can get marine grade plywood.

[NEWB]

Originally Posted by Big Bull

You can get marine grade plywood.

This..

The normal pressure treated plywood will react with the aluminum. The chemical causes it to eat away at the aluminum.

I too thought I can just use regular pressure treated... I was told otherwise and investigated it.. I am glad I looked into it!


While you are looking at replacing the seats, look into plans to modify the boat should you choose… There is a lot of information on the internets on this topic.

Either way I am sure she will be a beauty when it is all done!

[Barnes19]

Might want to try composite decking, don't have to stain it and should last forever. After sitting in a tinner for 2 days straight I would recommend mounting some padded boat seats.

[densa44]

BC fir handles the water pretty well, mangrove is the best.

Don't use plywood.

That recycled stuff would be O.K. in wet conditions but I don't know about reactions with aluminum.

[cube]

Originally Posted by Big Bull

You can get marine grade plywood.

I would get the marine grade plywood to at least the BS 1088 standard.