Plate Or Pressed - Which Is Best?

[ETTY]

Hey All,

I have always heard people discussing plate and pressed boats without truly understanding the difference.

Could some please explain the difference between the two and also the advantages and disadvantages they each have!

Any info will be much appreciated!

Elliot

[brickman]

hey etty,this is how i see it as some one with an eng.background

pressed al. the ribbs they press are for strength and glide in the water but more about strength[as most pressed boats are 3 mm or less in thickness]

i'll call them ribs

with out ribs the al would be very flimsy,they would also help to hold the hull true in fabrication and require less welding as the ribs stiffen the sections no end

to some it up it is cheaper

plate boats the al plate is thicker say 3mm to 5 mm on a 8 meter boat giving extra strenth in thinkness

they would require a lot more welding and are a much stronger hull the plate sections have to be rolled and shaped . it takes a lot longer to fab a plate boat making it more expensive

thats the way i see it hope this helps gary

[gone_wishin]

You need to take a step back and determine what are you going to use it for before you can answer which is best.

For example, if you intend on fishing rivers and bays a plate would do the job but may be overkill.

If you are going offshore regularly then a plate may be best.

I have a pressed boat, I rarley go offshore, I use my boat about once a month therefore my boat suits my needs. What I mean by that is its cost and intended use suits me fine.

[a boat]

Hi Elliot, the simple answer to this question is pressed plate. Anything over 3mm is regarded as plate and if the builder is able to take that sheet of alloy and add pressing it not only performs better but is stronger due to the pressings.

As the other guys have said, if a "pressed" boat will suit what you want they will cost less and require less HP, but at the end of the day anything over about 5.5M from the good guys will run 4mm or more plate bottom and what I look for when deciding what to stock and sell are the guys that also press the bottom and also have thicker side material. Do not forget guys I also "buy" about 100 boats a year myself and I am like you and want the best.

Cheers,

Huey.

[dbzbrand]

Hey Elliot,

depending on your view point there can be worlds of difference between plate and pressed plate boats, I put these into 3 categories: normal pressed aluminium tinnies, pressed plate and true plate boats. With the first, they are pressed from lighter gauge alloy sheet and use ribs and alloy extrusions to hold everything together. The sheets are usually of a corrugated/ribbed press which gives rigidness to the sheet. Next you come to a plate boat using heavier gauge materials but still use extrusions to tie the hull plates and sides together, some sheets may have a clinker style press to help with rigidness and they usually run a more substantive hull matrix of frames and stringers, which then brings us to a true plate vessel which is fully welded, the side and hull plates are welded together where they meet (which is exactly how they were optimely designed) the hull matrix usually uses full depth frames, longitudinal stringers and/or girders and are welded to the hull plates, sides and floor plates depending on design. This makes for a much heavier and stronger vessel using the best aluminium grades (5083) and materials. As you would appreciate there is more time and materials involved with the manufacture of the vessels as you progress up the scale, hence why the price difference. Any vessel will be able to get you out fishing and enjoyment, as to your budget and preference that is purely individual.

regards

dbzbrand