# side reinforcement?



## nated. (Mar 19, 2016)

Question, 
After the bench seat removal step, now I need to add an exterior side rib to my 16 foot tracker v bottom boat. The sides are very flimsy with all three bench seats removed. (Bench seat removal holes will be filled with wet adhesive solid rivets.) How do i make a side rib or has anyone tried to contact tracker marine directly to ask about having one made, ( i couldn't find a email for corporate)? What is the correct name for that side rib that will be outside the boat, my boat vocabulary needs help? Has anyone made a homemade one and how did you go about it? Using the search on "stiffener" what came up was for transom and bow. Many thanks to all.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Mar 19, 2016)

Maybe called the spray rail?

Could you have a local sheet metal shop roll some aluminum angle into a curved shape? Or better yet some aluminum tubing.


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## Hanr3 (Mar 19, 2016)

If it were my boat, I would build a raised front deck, side boxes to store gear/rods, and a rear deck. That will give you all the support you need.


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## PsychoXP18CC (Mar 20, 2016)

I agree. If building a front raised deck, that will help a lot. If building any kind of seating or deck in the rear, that will help too. Then, if tying those two together with some side storage boxes of some kind, you will have the problem well under control. 

If going minimized to keep weight down, then maybe a piece of aluminum angle rolled to meet the contour would be ideal, but even then it would need to be pretty stout stuff given the amount of distance you seek to reinforce against the lateral forces.


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## Rda2187 (Mar 20, 2016)

Like the other poster said I did exactly that 16' boat


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## nated. (Mar 20, 2016)

Again, many thanks for the responses. more to come.


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## jethro (Mar 22, 2016)

Rda2187 said:


> Like the other poster said I did exactly that 16' boat



Bingo. That's the way to go IMHO.


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## DaleH (Mar 22, 2016)

Yeah ... everyone who responded so far is SPOT ON ... you need to add back in a structure support!

Removing ALL the structural supports of the topsides (sides of the boat), to the other side and/or to the floor of the skiff or the installed floor … WILL cause the boat to flex at the point about 1/3rd back from the bow. I have seen *many boats*, even ~20’+ fiberglass center consoles (CCs) that were used in saltwater (hence used in seas) with extensive damage in that area.

When the boat slams into a head sea at speed, the water is hard, even though the water gives away some. At higher speeds the dynamic density of water approaches that of the static density of concrete. That’s hard man … and without structural members to SPREAD the stress loads across the hull, it isolates at the gunnel about 1/3rd of the way back from the bow and the hull and sides WILL flex, bend and crack at those points. The hull is essentially trying to collapse on itself!


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Mar 22, 2016)

Your looking for wooden gunnels.
Lots of aluminum boats have had them added.


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## nated. (Mar 24, 2016)

in Aluminum I"m thinking 0.125 wall and either one inch or two inch angle as my reinforcement material? and a vertical ribs on the inside and an extra horizontal rib on the boat's exterior? Any suggestions? thanks much as always.


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## riverrat717 (Mar 24, 2016)

If your talking about the gunnels, on the top of the sides, the finished surface. Extrusions are an option.


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## jigngrub (Mar 27, 2016)

Hanr3 said:


> If it were my boat, I would build a raised front deck, side boxes to store gear/rods, and a rear deck. That will give you all the support you need.



Yeah, I'd have left the seats in and decked right over the top of the benches The hollow area under the deck between the seats can be used for storage and additional floatation foam. With the foam gone now that boat will sink to the bottom like a rock, not something I would want my boat to do in an emergency.

... but since the damage has already been done I suggest making up some braces and installing them at each rib:


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## perchjerker (Mar 27, 2016)

what jigngrub suggest would be ok, but your flex (stress) point becomes the keel of the boat. 

I would suggest doing something like I did in my build.

I would tie it together with the floor framing

lots of people do it jigngrubs way and it seems to work fine but I prefer to tie it together like I did. 

I would especially be leery since you have no benches, I still have my front and rear

of course I tend to overbuild things...


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## Captain Ahab (Mar 27, 2016)

First of all what is your intended use for this boat? If you are using in smaller lakes and ponds you can get by with very little additional reinforcement. 

Looks like you are running a 15 hp outboard? Is that correct - again, while perfectly fine to move the boat this small engine is not going to get you going all that fast hence less forces against the hull.


Some simple angle bracing might work fine.

Even better - add at least a casting deck and you will have no worries


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## nated. (Mar 28, 2016)

Many thanks to all, 
the boat will be used in 18 inch choppy water seas to at most 2 foot white caps bigger than that and i'm headed to the boat ramp. yes a 15 hp 4 stroke is on the tin can. I'm going to go with a piece of 2 inch angle on the outside running parallel to the bottom spray rail. inside there will be more 2 inch angle at all bench seat attachment points riveted into the exterior two inch angle where possible. i'll go with 6061 T-6, 1/8 inch wall thickness if that is available. I do agree with everyone, removing the bench seats removed the cross bracing and a bad idea. I want a bottom floor only, not interested in any elevated platforms.


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