Hello!
I am Planning on changing out The floor in my 17ft motorboat, The original 12mm thick Laminated plywood floor has rotted and I want to replace it with Aluminium tread plate,
However, I'm now wondering how thick of a plate i need to use, in order for it to not bend under weight.
The floor is supported by 10cm wide beams going across The boat, these are spaced 50cm apart
The floor is narrower at The front and gets wider at The back, The widest point is about 155cm
The plate Will be secured to each beam in multiple points with Bolts, fat rivets or point welds (havent quite decided yet).
I'd like to do this with a single sheet because that would make it completely waterproof (boat has self emptying design), alternatively use two sheets and have a seam in The middle of The boat.
I have found a local seller that supplies sufficiently large sheets of EN AW-5754 Tread plate in:
3, 4, 5 and 6mm thicknesses, with 1.5mm tall patterns.
What thickness of plate do I need for the floor to be solid enough to not bend while walking around on it?
- Ultimate Handyman Forum Index DIY Forum/Home improvement Metalworking Forum
- Search
-
- It is currently Mon Feb 24, 2025 5:36 am
- All times are UTC
Aluminium tread plate floor thickness help?
Metalworking questions in this section please
Moderator: Moderators
-
- Newly registered Member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2020 2:01 am
- Has thanked: 0
- Been thanked: 0
MarineDude
- Someone-Else
- Senior Member
- Posts: 14757
- Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2012 6:03 pm
- Has thanked: 47 times
- Been thanked: 2597 times
Aluminium tread plate floor thickness help?
Post by Someone-Else »
Why not ask the seller, since they have knowledge of it?
Above are my opinions Below is my signature.
Would you hit a nail with a shoe because you don't have a hammer? of course not, then why work on anything electrical without a means of testing Click Here to buy a "tester" just because it works, does NOT mean it is safe.
If gloom had a voice, it would be me.
Click Here for a video how to add/change pictures
Inept people use the QUOTE BUTTON instead of the QUICK REPLY section
Would you hit a nail with a shoe because you don't have a hammer? of course not, then why work on anything electrical without a means of testing Click Here to buy a "tester" just because it works, does NOT mean it is safe.


Inept people use the QUOTE BUTTON instead of the QUICK REPLY section

Someone-Else
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2015 7:36 pm
- Location: Cambridgeshire
- Has thanked: 10 times
- Been thanked: 194 times
Aluminium tread plate floor thickness help?
Experiance at work using Ali Durbar for bits of decking for access ladders and occasionally on lift car roofs would suggest 6mm overall would be good.
Suggest you check the weight per square metre vis a vi the ply that’s there.
Ali will corrode as well especially around salt water especially as durbar plate is not normally anodised.
Suggest you check the weight per square metre vis a vi the ply that’s there.
Ali will corrode as well especially around salt water especially as durbar plate is not normally anodised.
Chippo1
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 1034
- Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 7:47 pm
- Location: Worcestershire/Warwickshire/Gloucestershire (ish)
- Has thanked: 51 times
- Been thanked: 152 times
Aluminium tread plate floor thickness help?
I'm a bit late to this one but:-
Could Phenolic Board be used instead? It is the stuff that is used on the platforms of scaffold towers. Obviously water resistant and has an anti-slip finish.
As to where to purchase in a large sheet and whether cut edges need treating?
Could Phenolic Board be used instead? It is the stuff that is used on the platforms of scaffold towers. Obviously water resistant and has an anti-slip finish.
As to where to purchase in a large sheet and whether cut edges need treating?

Grumps
Return to “Metalworking Forum”
Jump to
- Ultimate Handyman DIY forum
- ↳ Welcome to the Ultimate Handyman DIY Forum
- WELCOME
- ↳ WELCOME
- ↳ About the forums
- UltimateHandyman Discounts
- ↳ Ultimatehandyman Discounts
- ULTIMATE HANDYMAN COMPETITIONS
- ↳ UHM Forum competitions
- SHOW CASE- A place to show us your work
- ↳ Show Case Gallery
- ↳ Rogues Gallery
- TOOL FORUM
- ↳ Power Tool Reviews
- ↳ Bosch
- ↳ budget power tools
- ↳ Dewalt
- ↳ Festool
- ↳ Hikoki/Hitachi
- ↳ Makita
- ↳ Metabo
- ↳ Milwaukee
- ↳ Ryobi
- ↳ Tool Talk
- ↳ Bargain Tools
- ↳ Hand tool reviews
- ↳ Power Tool Manuals
- ↳ Bosch
- ↳ Dolmar
- ↳ ELEKTRA BECKUM
- ↳ Hitachi
- ↳ Husqvarna
- ↳ Jonsered
- ↳ Makita
- ↳ Stihl
- Other DIY
- ↳ Computers
- ↳ communications and broadband
- ↳ Gardeners World
- ↳ Money Saving
- ↳ Vehicle maintenance & Repair
- ↳ Energy Saving
- DIY Forum/Home improvement
- ↳ General DIY forum
- ↳ Acrylic Forum
- ↳ DIY Disasters
- ↳ Stoves
- ↳ Building Forum
- ↳ Carpentry/Joinery Forum
- ↳ Kitchen Fitting
- ↳ Damp Proofing and Remedial problems
- ↳ Electric Forum UK
- ↳ Lighting
- ↳ Alarm Manuals
- ↳ Painting & Decorating Forum
- ↳ Plastering Forum
- ↳ Plumbing Forum
- ↳ Central Heating & Boilers
- ↳ Boiler Manuals
- ↳ Alpha
- ↳ Ariston
- ↳ ATAG
- ↳ Atmos
- ↳ Baxi
- ↳ Biasi
- ↳ Broag
- ↳ Chaffoteux
- ↳ Ferroli
- ↳ Glow-worm
- ↳ Halstead
- ↳ Ideal
- ↳ Intergas
- ↳ Keston
- ↳ Myson
- ↳ Potterton
- ↳ Protherm
- ↳ Ravenheat
- ↳ Saunier Duval
- ↳ Sime
- ↳ Thorn
- ↳ Vaillant
- ↳ Viessmann
- ↳ Vokera
- ↳ warmflow
- ↳ Worcester Bosch
- ↳ Shower Manuals
- ↳ Tiling Forum
- ↳ Metalworking Forum
- General
- ↳ The Lounge
- ↳ The games corner
- ↳ The Grumpy corner
- ↳ The Sport corner
- ↳ The Cookery corner
- ↳ The Music Corner
- ↳ BUY - SELL - FREE