Aluminum double floor

[Jojack]

I'm about to get an aluminum double floor in my 16ft weldcraft. It's currently got a plywood floor. Any suggestions on noise barriers or things to minimize vibration noise? It'll be pop riveted to the runners. I've heard of a 3m tape that can run on runners. Any tips or advice would e appreciated!

[jldsc]

3m makes a self adhesive weather strip in different thickness's ...works real well to help aluminum rattles. You can get it at pretty much any auto parts stores.


Sent from an Apple Tree..

[CajunChristian]

Sounds crazy, but it serves 2 purposes. Take those clear plastic water bottles, empty of course, and fill the floor with them. Pack them under the floor very tightly. Stops the rattle and serves as flotation that will never soak up water.
And use screws instead of rivets, you can at least remove the floor to check under it for cracked ribs.
D

[rardoin]

1/8" neoprene gasket material cut into ribbons glued onto the top of the ribs with contact cement (just dab the cement every 8" or so to hold the strips in place until the floor is pop-riveted in place). Rolls of neoprene in varying widths can be had at any gasket supply house. It is not cheap but will be permanent. Lesser materials will eventually rot and your rivets/deck will be loose and rattle worse than ever. Neoprene has excellent vibration dampening properties. Acadiana Gasket and Rubber in Lafayette has it but with all the refinery industry in your area I'm sure you have a gasket supply Co. nearby.

[latravcha]

I just had to pull the floor up on my flat. It was riveted but I'm going back with a truss head screw. They are a wide flat bottom screw with a low rounded head. I also added a self-sticking tape to keep it from rattling. Trust me it is a pain it the a** to drill out all of those rivets if you have to pull up the floor.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by CajunChristian

Sounds crazy, but it serves 2 purposes. Take those clear plastic water bottles, empty of course, and fill the floor with them. Pack them under the floor very tightly. Stops the rattle and serves as flotation that will never soak up water.
And use screws instead of rivets, you can at least remove the floor to check under it for cracked ribs.
D

"those" bottles are now made so thin, they probably would wear a hole in them fairly fast. Fill the void area with some spray foam to add floation.

[Jojack]

Thanks. So I should definitely stay away from rivets. Not concerned with flotation as much as I am with vibration. Got some good ideas! Much appreciated!

[givemeabreak]

Here's what I did. I had a 16' Starcraft with a slight v bottom. I could see the floor flex when I hit waves, so I knew a few ribs were cracked. After removing the carpet and thin(.08" thick) aluminum floor, I cut lengths of aluminum channel to fit over the ribs. Got a welding shop to weld them to the ribs, making a flat, not v-bottom floor like the old one. I filled the space between the floor and sub-floor with sheets of blue insulation from Lowe's, cut to fit between the ribs. Put a bead of caulk along each channel, then screwed a 1/8 sheet of aluminum to the channels. Made a very strong, flat floor. I also sprayed expanding foam into the sides between the outer and inner walls. Added a little flotation and deadened the noise. The boat is a 1984 riveted boat, that is still going strong.