Custom/Hybrid Aluminum Hull?? is is practical?

B

Banzi

Location
Idaho
well here is my thoughts. I can tig weld and shape panels with the best of em so what im thinking is making an aluminum hull so i can go river rapids riding with the big jet boats.
Im just thinking it might get kinda heavy but if i can keep it under 100lbs you think it would be a fun project? I am looking for ideas or thoughts on the idea.
thanks
 
B

Banzi

Location
Idaho
no stamping would be to costly for tooling up. im thinking hand build. english wheel planishing hammer grinder and tig welder.
im kinda liking the flatdecks but im thinking a blank flatdeck with a turfed removable plate so mods to footholds could be easy and dont effect the prime hull, like the evolution lightweight. but i do kinda like the just copy a existing hull bottom idea. the question is which hull bottom to copy?
 
Last edited:
B

Banzi

Location
Idaho
pocatello right? 4.5hrs hmm you realllly got me thinking road trip. im just thinking how can i fit it in. if i come over there i will want to ride so id need to bring my skis hehehe then i got no real room for another ski. oh wait its empty i can strap it down inside the shuttlecraft.
 
B

Banzi

Location
Idaho
you suck flordia is way too far.
and i love the shuttlecraft. i got a 96 yamaha 1100 raider in it that is nice we throw my 2 stnadups in the bed of the truck and take the shuttle full of icechests gas cans bbq etc etc. take the shuttle and find any shore to beach it on till we leave. its great transport. but sadly thats all its good for. shakes over medium wakes, make the ski seem castrated and cavitating , and general unpleasentness. but i think im going to redo it for duck season. aka Duck Blind. i am getting a drysuit in few weeks.
 
OCD Solutions

OCD Solutions

Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
Location
Rentz, GA
I actually have seen an all aluminum hull built back in the early 90's. It was based on a Seadoo sitdown though and purpose built for a guide outfitter.

It was being built by a powersports shop in Prince George, BC, Canada if anyone wants to try and look it up.
 
Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
You may be able to keep it under 100 lbs but I think it'd take you months or maybe even years to do it. My first though was that metal bends. You'd have to have stiffeners running on the inside of the entire hull to keep the rigidity and those will add weight and complication. I also think you'd need 0.080"-0.100" aluminum to be able to stand up to the punishment of jumps and hitting rocks so doubt you'd be able to accurately bend the curves on the bottom of a hull with that thickness. Part of the reason you'll need such thick sheeting is because you're going to be forced to use aluminum in "0" condition (6061-0) because you won't be able to take advantage of strength in any heat treating. Even if you were able to bend pre-treated metal, the welding kills the heat treating and the only way to get it back would be to put the entire hull in an oven to treat it again. The last thing for now is welds are very poor when it comes to fatigue or repeated loading. The weld itself is extremely strong and the metal around it is weak. This causes a high stress concentration around the welds and the sheeting will start to crack at the welds.
 
QuickMick

QuickMick

API 1104 AWS CWI
Site Supporter
Location
Houston/Galveston
Waternut said:
You may be able to keep it under 100 lbs but I think it'd take you months or maybe even years to do it. My first though was that metal bends. You'd have to have stiffeners running on the inside of the entire hull to keep the rigidity and those will add weight and complication. I also think you'd need 0.080"-0.100" aluminum to be able to stand up to the punishment of jumps and hitting rocks so doubt you'd be able to accurately bend the curves on the bottom of a hull with that thickness. Part of the reason you'll need such thick sheeting is because you're going to be forced to use aluminum in "0" condition (6061-0) because you won't be able to take advantage of strength in any heat treating. Even if you were able to bend pre-treated metal, the welding kills the heat treating and the only way to get it back would be to put the entire hull in an oven to treat it again. The last thing for now is welds are very poor when it comes to fatigue or repeated loading. The weld itself is extremely strong and the metal around it is weak. This causes a high stress concentration around the welds and the sheeting will start to crack at the welds.
Click to expand...

And you will poke your eye out.
 
B

Banzi

Location
Idaho
aww waternut you're souch a downer. but the info on thickness is nice ill go buy a sheet of that thickness and test its bendability tommorow.
 
LIVE2RIDE Powersports

LIVE2RIDE Powersports

Live & Die 2 Ride
Location
WorldWide
A few years back i saw a vid of a Alum standup with a yami 1200 in it. They ran it on the hose but never saw it in the water. It looked pretty beat up with dents, but still very cool. I will try and find the vid.
 
Kawikazi

Kawikazi

Don't follow my line.
Location
NRG, WV
hey there banzi.. I've been riding whitewater on my 750sx's for a few years now and I've been doing the research on duplicating my bottom deck to aluminum as well. I think it's a stellar idea as I glass my ski once a week nearly due to the rocks. I've made little progress in this project but any help I could receive or give would be great. I think whitewater riding is an unopened door to this sport and to come up with a boat to handle this type of riding would be huge progression in this sport. I'm trying to make it to the blowsion surf slam in sept and I will be passing through idaho. If you have not found a donor hull I would be happy to drop off a solid sx hull for this project.. Lemme know.
Banzi said:
well here is my thoughts. I can tig weld and shape panels with the best of em so what im thinking is making an aluminum hull so i can go river rapids riding with the big jet boats.
Im just thinking it might get kinda heavy but if i can keep it under 100lbs you think it would be a fun project? I am looking for ideas or thoughts on the idea.
thanks
Click to expand...
 
B

Banzi

Location
Idaho
haha drop off a donor hull that "just happens" to match your hull so i can build you the second one hahaha great thinking.

and hardcore umm thats kinda what i was thinking of doing but 1100 cause i got one i could part out. but that might be too much overkill on power.......
what the hell am i thinking i am a guy "too much power?" hahahahahah
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom