I need someone that can weld (and well) aluminum.

a) i don't have a welder
b) i don't weld aluminum all that well

I want to build a bowfishing platform for my boat. It would be pretty simple.

I would have all the metal/etc and would provide your beverage of choice and food while working on it.

It would probably take one full day, I'd imagine.

Something like this:

 

If you want, I could possibly put you in touch with some of the guys that weld aluminum for the TAMU Society of Automotive Engineers.

 

maybe they can get aluminum really cheap, too?

and are they good friends of yours that would work for beer and food? haha

-christian

 

Well I know some of the guys that do most of our welding pretty well. I'm not sure if the people I know can weld aluminum, I just know that we have someone that can.

 

yeah.

ask your friends or whoever if they have some scrap aluminum or can get good deals on it and see who would be interested in doing it... etc...

my budget on labor/materials is about $300...

the base of the deck would be about 4x5'.

here's my rough design:

 

http://www.okfishstickers.com/index....=45&Itemid=195 hey man dont know if you thought about it but here is an idea, i dont know if you want a permenant mount but i didnt that way i would still have room on my casting decks for fishing and duck hunting, but mine is made out of pvc pice and plywood and it cost about 120 bucks to make,

 

bump

 

C,
my school ag mech team is at Houston right now, but we've got a few guys that can weld great. Lots of banners on our walls. I can talk to the shop teacher Friday when they get back.

 

If they can TIG steel then they should be able to TIG Aluminum with just a lil practice. Christian just make sure you are buying 6061 That is about the easiest stuff to weld. As for where to go to get Aluminum, go to supply yards and see what they will sell you from their drops. I know our SAE club buys a lot from a local place and the stuff from the drops they will sell at scrap prices.

 

i wrote mr oliphant an email...

 

Just a thought here, have you taken something of equal estimated weight and placed it on the front of your boat while it's in the water? She looks like she is going to be awfully bow heavy? When to test her, also try to estimate the weight of how many people you plan to have on that platform.
Do you know how much your boat and motor weigh? Now take the wieght of the platform and the bodies on it.
Platform 200# plus 2 men at 200# each there's 600# right there. Is you food and beer going to be in coolers on the platform too? Hope about the ice chest for the fish? Fishing gear?
Maybe you could put the boat in the water and place piece of plywood over the bow and then put some weighted boxes on the plywood to get an idea of how the boat is going to sit in the water?
I just hate to see you buy the material and do the work to find out the bow goes underwater before you fire up the motor. Sure you could try to counterweight the back end but where will your waterline be then?
Good luck.

 

Christian you have a flat bottom boat (john boat style) which also looks to be pretty narrow
the examples you show of other boats have a modified v front
puts more of the hull in the water giving more boyancy up front
the recommendation of placing similar weight up front before construction is a really good idea
also - think about just making the platform and no guides, rail or fencing
that will help to lighten the front load
your boat may not have enough freeboard for this project

 

I can weld. Also have my best friend is a certified welder. He's a welder full time. But I'm in Md

 

with that 70hp evinrude in the back it keeps the boat pretty weighted, with 3 grown men standing on the front of my boat (650lbs), in the water, it was fine.

my boat is not narrow. it's very stable. i'll have float pods on the back soon enough, which will help bring the rear up even more and add more stability to the boat.

the generator will be in about the very center of the boat.

i'm not worried about too much weight. that's why i'm doing it in aluminum.

those pics are just the decks i like the most.

lots of people put them on flatbottom jons with flat front ends.

 

If there is one things i like more then my truck , its fishing ! That boat is turnin me on haha . personaly , because i'm so white and hate the sun, i'd also rig up some sort of canopy for the summer bass fishing . oh and i'd keep the platform as low as possible because fish can see where your line leaves the water . A lower platform allows the rod tip to be close to the water which gives lures a better action , keeps them running deep , and fish can't see the line . some pro's keep their rod tip submerged while retrieving lures .

 

that platform has nothing to do with casting a pole.

bowfishing, dave...

 

Still got that raggedy hat I see

 

ah...but you forget im not a Huntsville HS student. Coldspring High School. My teachers name is Sockwell.

 

^^ ohhhhhhhhhhhhh

well ask him, then. ;-)

 

aye captain. Soon as I get the chance tomorrow. If he isn't in one of those p.o-ed moods because hes been given hell by the mech team again that is.

 

they all look pretty cool... if its anything like your f250, should look like fun once its done.

is there an advantage to having a raise platform to stand on rather than just building a platform right at the top of the sides themeselves?

 

helps you see in the water better in the daytime...

keeps the lights under the deck and keeps the bugs away.

keeps the lights under the deck and keeps my lines from getting caught on them.

leaves storage space under the deck for gear/batteries...

and a few other benefits.

this is my first boat. if i really enjoy bowfishing as much as i have in the past and the deck/generator/light setup really proves to add to the fun, then...

i'll upgrade to a bigger, probably all weld 2072 or 1872... something i can take on a big lake, but still manage on the smaller rivers/creeks. and run a fan instead of a trolling motor for bowfishing.

 

No luck in my shop. NOt only is he going to be gone for the next few weeks for shows, but somehow our mig got broken.