Building a plate boat?

[Luxyboy]

Who has built their own ally plate boat and did it work out cheaper than buying from a dealer? (including trailer, motor and fitout)

Please include if you bought a kit or self designed and if you used MIG or TIG.

Cheers,
Brad

[Noelm]

I guess if you have the skills and a good place to work (indoors) then it must be cheaper, but being better than a "store bought" is anyones guess!

[seahound]

Hey Luxyboy

I had a 4.8m Phil Curran platey.
Bought as a kit. Was a great tub. Punched well above its weight.
Did heaps of sea-miles in it & towed it all over.
I dont think Curran sells them anymore.
They were sold under the CDM banner.
His website is gone. I sold it no probs & now have a 5.5m Seafarer.

A mate tried to do a bowden kit & gave up due to complexity of plans. Reckons woulda cost him more than a CDM due to seeking professional help, getting plate & the getting the sheets cut...?

Seamedia did some articles on this model. One is;

http://www.seamedia.com.au/pdf/previews/PROJECTBOAT21_prev.pdf

As for savings - mine cost under $18k. Fully kitted, painted + built own gal'd trailer w/70Hp Yammy 2 stroke.
Kit was about $7k. A 6m was about $12k from memory

Welded using MIG but TIG will give a nicer finish in the right hands

If you got the shed & time - do it!! Need to be able to roll hull over for bottom welding...chines are finicky too

[suzygs1000]

Hi, Luxyboy,

My boat is a Platealloy 5.8 kit.

Second I have built.

Retired public servant.

Amateur home welder.

250 Cigweld single phase mig with traveller.

Best big tinny I have ever been in.

Two years old, no leaks or cracking welds.

Owes me $32,000 completely fitted on all alluminium and galv trailer.

Work it out for yourself.

Dave.

[Az]

Nice boat there Dave!! Looks a ripper
where did you source the kit?

[suzygs1000]

Hi, AZ

http://www.platealloy.com/

Dave.

[lee8sec]

Have a look here. http://www.platealloyboats.com/Welcome.html
This is a web site from a member on here about building his boat. There is a thread in here about it. Leigh

[lee8sec]

see here. Leigh
http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=137635

[Dean1]

Time is the biggest killer. If you dont have much spare time id think twice and double the amount of time you think it would take. Definately achievable tho if your'e motivated. Good luck.

[Mr__Bean]

Or you can buy a rough welded skin and finish it yourself, that is what I did.

All the welding was done, needed to be ground/sanded and painted then fitted out.

- Darren

[Luxyboy]

Or you can buy a rough welded skin and finish it yourself, that is what I did.

All the welding was done, needed to be ground/sanded and painted then fitted out.

- Darren

Sounds like that would save a heap of time and effort, where did you get that from?
At that stage is it trailerable?

How much did you save doing it that way?

Cheers for the replies guys ;)

[tengals123]

you guys have any issues insuring them with marine insurance,

being a no namer builder

noproblems isuring them for what they owe you?

im thinking about one myself

[Fishbait]

That guy on the website is doing a great job - braver than me. Then again, I'm hopeless anyway. Good luck to him. Darren.

[suzygs1000]

Hi, Tengals,

This is an issue . mine is not insured...
I tried to insure it with Clubmarine and RACQ, but both of them refused to insure it as I had built it myself.

I can understand this, but then , they don't really know who does the welding on a lot of the production boats either, or their integrity.

Dave